Into Thin Air (edit title)

• Rated 4 stars

“I couldn't put this book down.”

• Rated 5 stars

“An amazing story that made you feel like you were on the mountain with those climbers. You really got the feeling what is was like to be oxygen-deprived up there. I was horrified and fascinated by the climbers' onward push toward the summit, treating it like a one-way trip instead of a round trip.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Very Good Book...”

• Rated 5 stars

“Google Beck Weathers for an amazing story”

• Rated 5 stars

“The price paid by these people, their endurance, and their sacrifices blew me away.”

• Rated 4 stars

“This is the book that both solidified my interest in mountain climbing and also convinced me to never, ever try it myself.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Into Thin Air is Jon Krakauer's personal account of the 1996 Everest disaster that left 8 people dead on the roof of the world.

A seasoned climber and journalist, Krakauer had harbored desires to climb Everest since a young man and was handed the opportunity when Outside magazine agreed to cover his costs as a client on a guided climb. Krakauer's assignment was to report on the increasing commercialisation of Everest and the safety considerations for taking relatively inexperienced climbers on what, even today, is a technically difficult climb.

Climbing is not the only difficulty to overcome on Everest. The effects of high altitude and cold are debilitating and the weather a factor that can change in a heartbeat. Never in his wildest dreams did Krakauer think he would become involved in one of the most tragic days in Everest's history. To this day, controversy rages on about the catalog of events that led to disaster.

Into Thin Air is a great book. Despite it being Krakauer's attempt at making peace with himself (A case of mistaken identity high on the mountain by the author himself left one victim's family devastated), it doesn't read like a cathartic outpouring. Moreso, an account of what happened that fateful day on Everest told in a very honest manner.

If the gripping story isn't enough to hold your interest, Krakauer's practised journalistic style makes this an easy read. Interesting to both climbers and non-climbers alike, Into Thin Air is a great book for both adrenaline junkies and armchair sloths.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Excellant first hand account of a true sports disaster. Very well written. I could almost feel the lack of oxygen in my lungs as he describes the ascent of Everest.”

• Rated 5 stars

“One of the best books I ever read. Exciting story and unbelievable events of both triumph and tragedy. I also read the accounst of two ther climbers on thsi fateful 1996 Everest expedition that has since prompted more climbers than ever to attempt summit. Great book.”

• Rated 4 stars

“The only reason I've heard of this book is because it was summer reading for my AP Language and Composition class but it ended up becoming one of my favorite books. It brings you into a world not many people know about, the communitiy of mountian climbers. Its a really easy read and suprisingly empty of climbing jargon that would confuse the rest of us non-mountian climbers. Its a story about the tradedy that occured on Mt. Everest in 1996 where the most people died in a season (or something like that) from Krakauer's point of view as a member of a climbing expedition. Its really suspenseful at times but the second chapter is really slow with its history on the mountian and the author himself but you really get into the book if you keep reading.”