Into Thin Air is a riveting first-hand account of a catastrophic expedition up Mount Everest. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day eight people were dead. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Unputdownable This is now in my top 5 books of all time, I bought the book as I had just climbed my first mountain(not a very high one) and was now thinking of bigger and better! After reading this book I will not be attempting to reach the summit but am now entranced by the highest mountain in the world. This is a fantastically well written book that keeps you gripped from start to finish, even if you have no interest in climbing buy this book!
Into thin air This has to be the best book I have read in a long time. I literally could not put it down ! It was gripping. The mountineering side of it is explained in laymans terms and overall it is extremely well written. Probably the kind of book I will even read twice over.
An intense read There are a lot of books knocking about that cover the horrific story of the 1996 storm on Everest,this is without doubt one of the better ones.Jon Krakauer is a journalist by profession and his pedigree becomes evident right from the get go.He presents the reader with an intense honest and gripping account of his own personal battle with the malevolent forces of nature.We get a first hand account of the avarice of expedition operators,we see the poor judgement of inexperienced guides,the fury of mother... more info
More a novel than reality Having also read (like many people) "The Climb" by Anatoli Baukreev i found Krakauers book to be filled with what appear to be speculative and unsupported comments and statements about many events that he was not privvy to.
Although its a good "novel" to read i think his book has to be seen as more fiction than fact and that should be kept in perspective when reading about his account of the late Anatoli Baukreev.
