Into Thin Air

After watching the film “Everest” I was interested in the details of the 1996 disaster and this book came up more frequently than others. Although it's a difficult read in places, not down to the author's ability to describe events, more so the amount of death at the hands of the conditions and the inner turmoil that remains to this day. Intriguing, horrific and personal. Recommended if you're after an honest account of the events.

Horrifying, but very well written. I spent the last 100 pages with my hand over my mouth as another part of the tragedy unfolded.

It's impossible to read this and not feel sympathy for all involved.

This book was much different than any sort of biography or memoir based book I've ever read. It provides immense detail into the 1996 season of Rob Hall's Everest team.

I used to think about Everest as kind of an adrenaline junkies playground, but after reading this book, it really opened my eyes to what climbing Mount Everest actually entails and the devastating actions survivors have had to take to save themselves in theface of imminent death.

I've always loved into the wild by John Kracker and this book is highly rated so it's always been on my to read list. This book is highly researched and highly analytical. So much of the book is going over timelines, collecting information and trying to divulge that to the reader. But at some point there's so much information that it's hard to even know what's going on. so many proper nouns, names, and time points that you wonder while reading it how Krakauer was even able to figure this out.

It's easy to say It seems like leadership made mistakes. that they should've turned around at the turnaround time, that prefixed line should've gone up way before they did, but I think the very end of the book really summarizes it properly that people wanted to make it to the top and with your brain working at 29,000 feet altitude You will do anything to get there .

Definitely shed tears while reading this book, just such a loss of life in a way that doesn't mean anything. What you would give to say you did something. Something I don't know how you would ever recover from being even a survivor.

4/5

This book was a very difficult read.

This book had been lauded to me as a nonfic that read like a thriller and I can say that it does live up to it. The first half of the book is fairly tame by necessity, as it needs to introduce a lot of the people involved and impart a lot of technical knowledge for you to understand the rest of it, and it doesn't really pick up until around Chapter 14, I think? When they reach the summit. The details of the disaster were absolutely gut-wrenching to read though, and this is the type of book that will sit heavily on you.

My only complaint, which might be entirely on me, is that I found it hard to keep track of all the names in the second half of the book. The writer chose to refer to almost all of them by last names, many of which were similar, so I got characters confused a lot, but this didn't take away any of the tension and punch of the story.

A very heavy read. I'm definitely going to need a little break from nonfic after this.

For some reason I don't understand, I've always felt a pull to Everest, thinking, “Maybe someday I'll try to climb it.” I have no idea why. I don't like camping. I don't like the cold. I don't enjoy physical exertion in any form. I haven't tried it, but I expect that I wouldn't enjoy defecating on a snowbank on a hill in -36 Celsius and winds reaching 160 kph. Amazingly, this book did nothing to dampen that call.

Some fun facts from the book:
- There are dozens of ways to die on Everest: multiple altitude sicknesses, cold, falling into a crevasse, avalanches, falling serracs, suffocation.
- It takes more than two months to climb.
- The descent is often more dangerous than the assent.
- There are hundreds of bodies on Everest, many along the trail you travel.
- The mountain is littered with garbage and feces.
- The air is so thin at the top, that without acclimatizing, you would be unconscious within 3 - 4 minutes, dead a few minutes later.
- The summit is 29,035 feet above sea level.

Frost bites, hypoxia, summit fever, Man's ego and a series of unfortunate events lead to the deaths of several climbers attempting to reach Mount Everest in 1996. What remains is this extremely suspenseful and harrowing account of the event, transmitted with a certain level of guilt by the author. It reads like a thriller.

My mind is stuck on what those Japanese climbers said, about passing other climbers in clear distress, while on their way to the summit, without administering any help. “We were too tired to help. Above 8,000 meters is not a place where people can afford morality.” And you can't even fault them.

Sadly, what this book didn't accomplish, is to slow down the commercialisation and exploitation of Everest.

Мені так подобається читати про те, що я ніколи не буду робити сама. Я на Еверест і так не дуже збиралась, але після цієї книги я б туди не пішла, навіть якби мені за то платили.

Я дивилась кілька документалок про підйом на вершини вище 8000 м. Але тут це сприймається зовсім по іншому. На відео всі зазвичай дуже захоплені і енергійні, навіть коли дуже втомлені. В книзі було набагато більше відвертості про те, як насправді людина почувається на такій висоті ці два місяці (спойлер: дуже недобре).

Сама трагедія того, що відбувалось тим і трагічніша, що це було не якесь природне лихо (лавина чи якась особливо холодна погода незвична для тих місць), а просто сукупність маленьких рішень, які накладались одне на одного і привели до того, чого привели.

4.5

I had to stop reading this while eating because the stress was giving me stomach cramps. The author's writing is so vivid, so compelling, and the story is truly horrifying. In the Prologue the author explains that he wrote the book so soon after the disaster in part to help himself process everything that took place up there, and I could really feel that come through in his writing (this is not a criticism, it is a compliment). Grappling with the choices everyone made, how people's flaws or prejudices or bravery or tenacity played a role, would absolutely require some heavy-duty processing for a survivor, and it makes for fascinating reading. Highly, highly recommend.

Este libro relata los hechos acontecidos en 1996 en el Everest, o mejor dicho la versión del autor que tuvo la suerte de sobrevivir a ellos para poder escribir su punto de vista.

Después de varios meses desde que terminé el libro, puedo decir sin ninguna duda que me encantó el libro. De estas historias que te deja poso y aún recuerdo los puntos que más me impactaron de la historia.

Es muy destacable el estilo del escritor, muy periodístico y ágil. Trasmite a la perfección, esta obsesión de los escaladores y alpinistas por jugarse la vida y poner tu cuerpo al límite para conseguir hacer cima; y es más consigue que entiendas por que lo hacen. (Aunque a mi siempre me parecerá una forma muy extrema de masoquismo XD) y enseña a una persona apócrifa como funciona todo este mundillo, haciéndolo interesante.

También tiene una gran parte de denuncia social por la masificación y comercialización de algo tan peligroso como la subida al pico más alto del mundo, que en mi opinión, solo debería estar reservada a sus habitantes y a unos pocos profesionales de élite y no a cualquiera que saque el talonario. La descripción del campamento base y las rutas de escalada me recordó a cuando visité el campo de concentración de Auschwitz, que más que un lugar para recordar atrocidades, parecía Disneylandia (sin exagerar) diseñada para el disfrute y para que los organizadores hagan caja.

No tiene las 5 estrellazas por el mismo motivo que el que me gusta: el autor de la historia es Jon Krakauer y tiene los mismos defectos que le detecté en “Into the Wild”.

Mi sensación es que él intenta venderte que te está relatando la versión más objetiva de los hechos, pero en cuanto lo calas ves la realidad: crea una versión, y tapa los agujeros que tiene, con teorías sin mayor fundamento del por que lo digo yo y punto.
Incluso llega a exponer que personas que murieron se equivocaron al tomar decisiones clave en momentos en los que él no estaba presente y no había testigos. Y aún le sorprende que la familia de los fallecidos se enfadaran o que otros supervivientes sacaran sus propias versiones.
Por desgracia es una faceta de este hombre que lastra mi valoración final.

Aún así es un libro 100% recomendable, sobre todo si te atrae la crónica periodística, la escalada y conocer la versión (muy subjetiva) de un evento tan impactante como este.

Krakauer's probably best known for his book “Into the Wild”. I'd also recently read his book about Mormonism. However I had no idea he had first-hand experience climbing Mt Everest, in which multiple people on his expedition team died.

This was a very tragic (and fairly short) book surrounding the extreme dangers of attempting to climb Everest. Climbers spend time acclimatizing at camps, but even by this point they've lost a lot of weight and have other debilitating illnesses - and yet even through these struggles, fhey still go on to attempt the summit.

In the end the biggest danger is not knowing your own limits. It's not so hard to make it up the top of the mountain, but if you've used up all your energy, or you've spent most of the daylight hours trying to get up there, making it safely back down can become impossible.

People should not be allowed to climb Everest.

This was excellent, in my opinion. I think Krakauer did a great job with this and I can honestly say I was truly engaged the entire book– something that I can't say for the other Krakauer books I've read. I'd recommend this to people interested in “outdoor activities” because I think a lot of other readers wouldn't be nearly as interested or engaged.

A great story but the book didn't grip me at all.

Rating: 7.3/10

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a compelling look into the nitty gritty of Everest expeditions, every detail painstakingly described. A bit too painstaking for my taste but it was still an interesting story. The main problem I had with this book was the nonstop naming and in-depth descriptions of characters who would have almost no impact on the story or better yet, would never be mentioned again in the story. This issue might have had a smaller impact if I was reading the book physically, so I could have flipped back and forth between the pages to keep better track of the characters, but in audiobook form, it was a hopeless endeavor. I had to make a tangible effort just to remember the names of the most important members of Krakauer's party

The story itself was chilling and showed just how quickly things can go wrong on the slopes of the world's tallest mountain. Something in particular that stood out to me was the author's honesty about his mistakes in the expedition and how he was all but the reason for a friend's death on the mountain. Additionally, I learned that oxygen is actually not a necessity for everyone when climbing Everest. It certainly helps, but based on certain genetic factors and intense training, one can climb the peak with no oxygen assistance whatsoever. I always assumed that a ton of oxygen was required at such altitudes.

In conclusion, the subtitle for this book is “A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster” and that's exactly what it is: an account. For better or for worse, Jon Krakauer spares no detail of his run-in with Everest. I would not recommend this book, too much commitment for too little payoff (about two chapters of gripping action)

Very interesting account of the horrific season on Everest. I had heard about the season before but not in the very personal details that the book presents.

I recently realized I love real-life adventure tales. Memoirs of extraordinary journeys that are true tales. Into Thin Air is one such telling of a trip to climb Mt. Everest by a journalist writing about the commercialization of Himalayan adventures. Things go horribly wrong and the result is one of the worst years in history for climbers. I've never wanted to go to Everest (well, maybe base camp could be fun) but after reading this I feel cold just thinking about it.

I recently realized I love real-life adventure tales. Memoirs of extraordinary journeys that are true tales. Into Thin Air is one such telling of a trip to climb Mt. Everest by a journalist writing about the commercialization of Himalayan adventures. Things go horribly wrong and the result is one of the worst years in history for climbers. I've never wanted to go to Everest (well, maybe base camp could be fun) but after reading this I feel cold just thinking about it.

This book has the sort of vivid imagery that haunts you long after you put it down. Krauker is an incredibly writer (and reading it while I was in Nepal only added to the excitement).

Incredibly sad and puzzling at times, but I thoroughly recommend it.

Immediately after I finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer last summer, I was left convinced that Krakauer is one of the great biographical storytellers. The yarn he spun about Chris McCandless still sticks in my memory and refuses to leave! I HAD to read more of his works, so, soon after finishing my review for Into the Wild, I decided to return to my library's eBook portal once again and download Into Thin Air, his second offering. It's a story I won't soon forget.

In 1996, Krakauer was working for Outside Magazine, a publication that highlights outdoor recreation. He was sent on assignment to Mount Everest to write a piece on the over-commercialization of mountain-climbing expeditions. Evidentally, mountaineering is serious business. Companies with major sponsorship deals were popping up. People who could afford the trip got a chance to pursue a lifelong dream in a controlled and supervised environment. An experienced mountain climber, Krakauer was initially planning to climb Everest as far as base camp only; he was never to reach the summit. But, his personal desire to fulfill a lifelong dream of climbing the tallest mountain above sea level trumped all professional protocols, and he eventually convinced his editors that making it to the top would make for a good story. Little did he know that he would experience one of the most tragic events in climbing history. Into Thin Air details the fateful day when eight people lost their lives (four from Krakauer's team) and many more were left stranded when a freak unrelenting storm blew through during the descent from Everest's summit.

Into Thin Air is quite an immersive and suspenseful read. Krakauer's descriptions of the majestic mountain, the crisp thin air, the crunching snow, was rich. The reader also got a look into the lives of a wide cast of mountaineering characters, including Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, duelling leaders of opposing expedition companies, whose big personalities sometimes got in the way of making sound decisions during Krakauer's trip.

I have never been interested in pursuing the sport of climbing, and Krakauer certainly did not make it appear cool or thrilling. The endeavor is unattractive to me..and frankly a little nuts! At the same time, I can understand the appeal of perseverence that climbing affords; having a goal as hard as climbing a mountain is, how unfathomable it is to imagine reaching the summit. And then the high and satisfaction you get when ticking Mount Everest off of your bucket list.

Into Thin Air was an excellent story - I highly recommend it!

I listened to the audiobook version, which is read by the author. I recommend that others try the audiobook version. Certainly, Jon Krakauer's account of a disastrous attempt to reach Mount Everest's summit is compelling in its own right, but to hear the author tell us his story adds another layer. His writing style is excellent; clear, but verging on poetic.

The account starts out with the author's personal history in not only climbing, but also in Mt. Everest; the author's father was good friends with a famous climber. You can hear the excitement of a little boy imagining wild adventures few can attempt.

This book was an attempt to excise survivor's guilt that time had not assuaged. In fact, in an article released last year in conjunction with the film debut of “Everest,” for which he was not consulted, and “Prophet's Prey,” related to his more recent work, “Under the Banner of Heaven,” it's clear that the guilt lingers.

“But he wants one thing to remain clear: Summitting the mountain isn't a point of pride — it's a regret. “Everest is not real climbing. It's rich people climbing. It's a trophy on the wall, and they're done,” he says. “When I say I wish I'd never gone, I really mean that.””

Some reviewers have complained that the author could have done more to help some of the hikers who needed help getting back to base camp after the storm hit. It's clear that the storm that hit the climbers as they returned from the mountain's peak created conditions that nearly eliminated visibility and heightened the extremely low temperatures and lack of oxygen. Jon, although an experienced climber, was not a high-altitude expert and did not seem to be in a fit state to guide seriously impaired hikers back to camp. Yet, can we say that any of the non-guides had any business rescuing others while suffering from hypoxia? Many Sherpas could not be roused for the same task during the storm, so what can a peanut gallery ensconced in comfy chairs really say?

Others have criticized the author's assessment of what did and didn't go right that day. I plan to track down Sandy Hill Pittman's and Beck Wethers' accounts as a supplement. But, can any single person be held responsible? I suppose you could argue that any person who decides to attempt to climb Mt. Everest is putting their life on the line. Mr. Krakauer posits that the leaders of two of the expeditions attempting to reach the summit that day may have succeeded had they followed their own strictures about turn-back times and attention to both the abilities of themselves and their clients. Had Fischer paid attention to the resurgence of his parasite and its weakening effects or had Hall stopped trying to get a client atop the mountain who had previously failed, would they be alive? We will never know. But, check this book out; there is much to think about and learn.

❖ Review Quickie

Re-read of one of my all-time favorites.

❖ Category: Non-fiction / Mountaineering
❖Rating: 5/5

I read this book quite some time ago, and found the story disturbing and haunting. I recently had the occasion to re-read this book, and found the story even more compelling than I remembered. In this book, Jon Krakauer describes the events on Mount Everest that resulted in the deaths of so many experienced and well regarded mountain climbers. The firsthand account is well researched and brutally honest. The story drives the reader toward the conclusion with an obsession that makes it easy to understand the mindset of the climbers on Everest, and have compassion for everyone on the summit that day. A great piece of journalistic writing, highly recommended.

Written for any reader (not only climbing enthusiasts) to comprehend. I found it interesting and gripping at times.

A sobering, agonizing account of disaster in a beautiful and dangerous place.