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Description edit
A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm, which claimed five lives and left countless... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
The true firsthand account of a commercial climbing group whose expedition of Everest in 1996 went horribly wrong. Throughout the ascent, author Jon Krakauer relates to us the emotion, horrors, and heroism which followed this trek to the Ceiling of the World.
Characters/People edit
- Jon Krakauer: Author; was on Adventure Consultants expedition as a journalist for Outside magazine
- Robert Peary: Adventure Consultants expedition leader and guide
- Michael Groom: Adventure Consultants second guide. He was of Australian origin.
- Andy "Harold" Harris: Adventure Consultants 3 guide
- Scott Fischer: Mountain Madness expedition leader and guide
- Anatoli Nikoliavich Boukreev: Mountain Madness guide
- Neil Beidleman: Mountain Madness guide
- David Breashears: MacGillivray Freeman IMAX/IWERKS expedition leader and film director
- Ed Viesturs: MacGillivray Freeman IMAX/IWERK climber and film talent
- Makalu Gau Ming-Ho: Taiwanese National expedition leader
- Ian Woodall: Johannesburg Sunday Times expedition leader
- Bruce Herrod: Johannesburg Sunday Times expedition leader and photographer
- Doug Hansen: A Fellow climber with the Author on the Adventure Consultants program. He was trying to Summit Mt. Everest 2nd time on Rob Hall's insistance after turning back the first time.
- Beck Weathers: A Fellow climber on the Adventure Consultants program. He was a Texan on the group; & was presumed to be dying when the rescue party reached him. He miraculously survived and stumbled, struggled back to the Camp 4 with very bad frost bitten hands & in a very bad shape.
- Yasuko Namba: Add a description of this character.
- Stuart Hutchinson: Climber
- Frank Fischbeck: Climber
- Lou Kasischke: Climber
- John Taske: Climber
- Sandy Hill Pittman: Climber and journalist
- Charlotte Fox: Climber
- Tim Madsen: Climber
- Pete Schoening: Climber
- Klev Schoening: Climber
- Lene Gammelgaard: Climber
- Martin Adams: Climber
- Dale Kruse: Climber
- Jane Bromet: Journalist
- Sherpa Ang Dorje: He was the climbing leader of the Sherpas for the Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants Guided Expedition.
- Dr. Stuart Hutchison: He is of Canadian origin & was a client in one of the guided expeditions. He was the one who overlooked the healthcare of the frost-bitten patients after they brought down from the high-altitude camps to the one's in the lower altitudes.
- Andy Harris: He was the third guide in the Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants Guided Expedition.
- G. Weston DeWalt: He is the journalist with whom Anatoli Boukreev teamed up to write an account of his version of the events to the built up of the 1996 Everest tragedy.
- Guy Cotter: Of NewZealand origin; he was the guide & the leader for New Zealand-Malaysian Guided Pumori Expedition
- Tenzing Norgay: Read this in college. Great read!
- Reinheld Messener: Is the world famous alpinist; who advocates the ban on use of bottled oxygen for summiting the 8000'ers peaks. His views were used a shield Anatoly for supporting his descision of summiting the everest without oxygen in capacity of guide for Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness.
- Neal Beidleman: The second guide under Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness Expedition Consultants.
- Sandy Pittman: USA, client and journalist who wanted to Summit Mt.Everest. She was trying to Summit as a client in Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness.
- Chen Yu-Nan
- Vinson Massif
- Tierry Renard
- Dr. Caroline Mackenzie: New Zealand Base Camp Doctor
- Walt Unsworth
- Eric Shipton
- Todd Burleson
- Alex Lowe
- Jan Arnold
- Liesl Clark
- Andy de Klerk: South African Climber
- Richard Shorey
- Linda Mariam Moore
- Barry Blanchard
- Pasang Kami Sherpa
- Mark Bryant
- Gary Ball
- Dr. Ingrid Hunt: USA, Base Camp Manager, Doctor
- Jangbu
- Chantal Mauduit: France, Climber
- Jim Frush
- Chuldum
- Laura Ziemer
- Brad Wetzler
- Mr. Woodall: I believe this refers to Ian Woodall, UK, Leader
- Conrad Anker
- Jann Wenner
- Arita
- Peter Goldman
- Ken Kamler
- Toli
- Lhakpa Chhiri
- Kami Dorje Sherpa: Nepal, Climbing Sherps
- Mal Duff: UK, Leader of the International Commercial Expedition
- Steve Swenson
- Andrew Waugh
- Forrest Sawyer
- Pemba
- Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa: Nepal, Climbing sirdar
- Maurice Wilson
- Dr. Jim Litch
- Bob Pittman
- Andrew Irvine
- Reinhold Messner
- Hiroshi Hanada
- Peter Habeler
- Dorje Morup
- Peter Athans
- Richard Cowper
- Reinhard Wlasich
- Paula Barton Viesturs: USA, Base Camp Manager for the IMAX Expedition
- Earl Denman
- Ang Dawa
- Bill Atkinson
- Madan Khatri Chhetri
- Araceli Segarra
- Graem Nelson
- Chhongba Sherpa
- Thomas F. Hornbein
- Eisuke Shigekawa
- Dick Bass
- Ken Owen
- Cho Oyu
- Ang Tshering
- Kami Rita
- Jim Williams
- Göran Kropp
- Helen Wilton
- Marion Boyd
- Patrick Morrow
- Tsewang Smanla
- Willi Unsoeld
- Harold Brodkey
- Robert Schauer
- Alexandrine Gaudin
- Edmund Hillary
- Muneo Nukita
- Ken Vernon
- Eddie Hall
- Patrick Conroy
- James Morris
- Don Peterson
- Fiona McPherson
- George Leigh Mallory
- Art Gilkey
- Petter Neby
- Ngima Kale Sherpa
- Deshun Deysel
- Ms. O'Dowd
- Cathy O'Dowd
- Dr. Larry Silver
- Veikka Gustafsson: Finland, Climber
- Ngawang Topche
- Sue Thompson
- Vladimir Bashkirov
- Henry Todd
- Ngawang Dorje Sherpa
- Galen Rowell
- Dimitri Sobolev
- Linda Wylie
- Simone Moro
- Steve Weinberg
- Peter Hackett
- John Alderman
- Mike Groom
- Millie Hall
- Icefall Hall
- Tenzing Nuri Sherpa
- Mr. DeWalt
First Sentence edit
Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet.
Themes & Symbolism edit
- The Mountain: As a mountain, Everest represents overcoming obstacles which is what climbers must do both physically and mentally to reach the top of the world.
- Death and it's Consequences: Into Thin Air discusses the consequences of the 12 deaths in the 1996 Everest tragedy. It talks about how it has affected the members of various climbing expeditions and how it changed them.
- Strong Will: Describe this theme.
- Excitement
Series & Lists edit
This is book 9 of 34 in National Geographic's Extreme Classics: The 100 greatest adventure books of all time. (authoritative list)
This is book 74 of 95 in The Art of Manliness' Essential Man’s Library. (authoritative list)
This book is in Brookline Based Authors & Books. (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Jon Krakauer (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Villard Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: April 22, 1997
ISBN: 0679457526
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Villard Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: April 22, 1997
ISBN: 0679457526
Page Count: 320
Awards edit
- Alex Awards (1998)
- National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist, 1997: General Nonfiction)
- Pulitzer Prize (Finalist, 1988: General Non-fiction)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: GV199.44.E85 K725 1998b
- Dewey: 796.522092
Subjects edit
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