Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
 

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

by Jon Krakauer

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... (read more)

Top tags: adventurenon-fictionnonfictionmemoirmountain climbing (all tags)

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muffinkath7
  • Rated 5 stars

I have absolutely no intention of EVER climbing Mount Everest, and I think anyone who would want too is nuts. However, this book was unputdownable. Krakauer is a gifted writer and he understands the craziness it takes to be into extreme living, as he has it in his blood too. This book is all about taking things too far. Loved it.

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Community:
  • Rated 4.203103 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.5 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • Robin636

    robin636 said:

    i thought this book was mega-interesting...how/why do people endure this kind of torture...speaking of which, i only got through part of this author's bk about the mormons and have put aside his other Into the Wild...think i'll watch the filminstead!

    cheers,

    posted 3 weeks ago ( | view 1 reply )
  • Ken P

    ken p said:

    I read this book and shortly afterward read The Climb. I much preferred Krakauer's account, as Bourkreev's account seemed a little too defensive. I think he doth protest too much. Though I highly respect what Boukreev did to try to save others, Krakauer seemed to have less at stake when trying to be objective. If you really want a great account of this tragedy from an objective source, find NG's "Everest: Mountain Without Mercy" by Broughton Coburn which tells the account of the Imax team led by David Breashears and Ed Viesturs, who risked the success of their expedition to help injured and weakened people off the mountain. They have no ax to grind because they weren't so close to the action that they wouldn't be able to remain objective. It's a moving account.

    posted 3 weeks ago
  • Lee R

    lee r said:

    Very good analysis of the disaster and what happened afterwards

    posted Wednesday, March 12 2008
  • Aedsax s

    aedsax s said:

    Most of the events in the book was tragic, but maybe the most appalling of all was the fact that the survivors (especially the author) were being blamed for the deaths of the others after all that they've been through. It's an amazing account of humanity.

    posted Thursday, December 6 2007
  • gsnithin

    gsnithin said:

    The excruciating detail with which the author narrates the everest climb from the start to the end and its after-effects brings one closest to everest that one can ever be lest he climbs it. Of course i don't think anyone would dare to climb it after he reads the book.A great book

    posted Tuesday, August 21 2007
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