On May 10, 1996, it seemed like the best day to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain, or so thought the members of the expeditions that had been preparing for weeks. However, a sudden storm isolated several mountaineers, resulting in twelve deaths.

This story has left a huge mark on me and has had me absorbed and almost obsessed with the topic.

Even without being a mountaineering enthusiast, anyone can come to feel, in an idealized and utopian way, the magnetism that thinking about reaching the top of Everest can imply. Rationally speaking, the main reason I wanted to read this account was another: what could drive a person aware of the risks involved in climbing Everest to accept pushing their body to the limit?

Krakauer, who belonged to one of the expeditions, was sent as a journalist to chronicle what it meant to reach the summit of the mountain, although the report turned out to be very different from what he expected... In this book, he attempts to explore in detail what could have gone wrong, systematically analyzing the steps that were taken to try to find the chain of possible bad decisions that, combined with the bad luck of the storm, ended in tragedy.

The book exudes the shock that that experience caused in the author, the agony and the guilt of having survived, the doubt of whether he could have done more to save his companions, in extremely harsh conditions where neither the body nor the mind can function as they should.

The horror of seeing the extremely difficult decisions that had to be made in those critical hours (such as leaving companions alive on the slope but writing them off as lost causes in order to save oneself) is something that still accompanies those who survived that day.

I have given it the highest score for the experience I had while reading the account, but I am very aware that Krakauer's point of view is personal and subjective. Many of the people mentioned died on that tragic day, and it is therefore impossible to clarify some of the controversies that have arisen over the years as a result of the author's point of view.

This is not a traditional review. I don't have the inclination to write a comprehensive review for this book. However, I feel compelled to share at least some thoughts about it because I truly enjoyed reading it. In fact, it made me exclaim "Jesus Christ" out loud on more than one occasion, which is quite unusual for me as I don't typically talk to myself while reading a book.

(I'm even tempted to post a picture of a LOLcat with a caption that says "This buk wuz gud," but unfortunately, I don't have one.)

So, here are a few things I learned from reading this book:

1. If someone decides to undertake the challenge of climbing Everest, they are highly likely to come across dead bodies along the arduous route to the summit.

2. Lobuje, which lies on the path to Everest Base Camp, is a place that is literally overflowing with human excrement. Krakauer, who was there in 1996, vividly described it as "Huge stinking piles of human feces lay everywhere; it was impossible not to walk in it." How charming! One can almost insert a "Want to get away from it all?" commercial here.

3. Without the invaluable assistance of Sherpas, it would be extremely unlikely for climbers to reach the summit at all. Besides carrying tons of the climbers' gear and supplies, they also possess in-depth knowledge of the way. They place climbing ropes and, in some cases, repair ladders, enabling people to ascend the more treacherous sections.

The place would also be significantly dirtier without them as they are partly responsible for removing some of the trash that Everest has accumulated over the years. One camp reported having approximately a thousand empty canisters of supplemental oxygen (as I mentioned in a review comment below, so I might as well include it here too).

4. In 1996, it cost a whopping $65,000 to be a client on a guided tour to climb Everest.

5. As a climber approaches the summit, it is very easy to develop high-altitude sicknesses and/or hallucinations. In fact, the "every man/woman for him/herself" attitude that prevailed among the climbers, whether or not it was necessary for survival, was rather disturbing.

On this particular expedition, two climbers became stranded on the mountain during a storm. They spent the night at an altitude of 28,000 feet without any shelter or supplemental oxygen and were initially believed to be dead. The guide who was sent to search for them the next day found them barely breathing after chipping off three inches of ice from their faces. Believing that they were beyond hope, he left them there. However, one of the climbers, my personal hero, miraculously woke up from his coma hours later and was lucid enough to make his way back down to one of the camps. Although he lost half an arm, his nose, and all of the digits on his other hand to frostbite, he is still alive.

Oh, and while the events that occurred on Mt. Everest in 1996 were indeed tragic, I do believe that the people who choose to climb it are fully aware of the risks they are taking.

If climbing Mt. Everest is on your bucket list, you might want to seriously reconsider after reading this book.

The author of this remarkable piece has done an outstanding job of vividly describing his truly harrowing experience.

He takes the reader on a journey through the treacherous slopes, the extreme weather conditions, and the life-threatening situations that he faced.

You can almost feel the cold wind biting at your face and the exhaustion weighing you down as you follow his account.

It's not just a story of physical struggle, but also of mental and emotional turmoil.

The author's honesty and openness in sharing his fears, doubts, and moments of triumph make this book a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of taking on this ultimate challenge.

After reading it, you'll have a newfound respect for the power of nature and the courage it takes to face it.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of non-fiction. I have a preference for listening to podcasts or interviews rather than delving into straight-up non-fiction about a particular topic. And being someone who isn't overly interested in climbing or sports in general, this wouldn't ordinarily be a book that I'd choose to read.

However, I'm extremely glad that I did. It definitely reads more like a memoir, as the author was actually present during the events of the story. This made it a far more palatable read for me compared to a book where the author conducts all the research but has no first-hand experience of the subject matter. After reading this, I would undoubtedly read anything else that Krakauer has written or will write because he is such an outstanding storyteller.

I never felt bored while reading this book. He masterfully blends history and personal accounts into a captivating, harrowing, horrifying, and fascinating narrative. It's truly awful, yet I couldn't put it down. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about being so engrossed in reading about a tragedy like this, but I also think it opened my eyes to so many new things, and there is definitely value in the story. Additionally, I can only imagine that it was a story that Krakauer felt compelled to tell after having lived through it. I will most definitely be recommending this book to friends and suggesting it to those who, like me, are hesitant to pick up non-fiction books that aren't memoirs.

This book was extremely well told.

At certain moments, I found myself feeling as if I was deprived of oxygen. The intensity of the narrative was such that it often made me completely unaware of the lurking tragedy within the story.

I must admit that I am not typically a huge fan of non-fiction works. However, this particular book is truly worth a read.

It has a unique charm and a captivating style that draws the reader in and keeps them engaged from start to finish. The author's ability to present the facts in an interesting and engaging manner is truly remarkable. Even if you are not a die-hard non-fiction enthusiast, I highly recommend giving this book a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised by how much you enjoy it.

“Into Thin Air” is one of the most important classics of mountaineering literature (if not the most important one). Krakauer describes with extraordinary precision the disaster on Everest in 1996, when three commercial expeditions attacked the mountain and, due to a sudden change in the weather, nearly twenty people were trapped below the summit. It is such an engaging story that the author himself was one of the members of the expedition led by Rob Hall and, as one of the few, managed to return from the Himalayas alive.

At the beginning, this book seemed very long to me, but I partly attribute this to my reading style - I picked it up rather out of boredom, and then it was difficult for me to establish connections between the described characters (and the first half is precisely an outline of the then situation on Everest; the presentation of the members of each of the teams and the relationships that prevailed between them). The first half of “Into Thin Air” is very calm considering that Krakauer decided to provide a detailed description of the entire expedition from start to finish - this makes sense and it's not worth giving up. However, from the second half on, it's hard to put it down and it's read like a very engaging novel. Of course, a lot of controversies have arisen around the book, and the author explains himself in the afterword, but this does not change the fact that it is the best and most truthful account of the events of May 10, 1996.

But “Into Thin Air” is not only a story about one of the most dramatic moments in the history of the Himalayas, it is also a lot of interesting reflections by the author on the meaning of commercial mountaineering and the relationship between man and nature.

This is the only book I've ever read that literally gave me nightmares.

It may not seem like a great recommendation at first glance, but it truly is a testament to the vividness of Krakauer's descriptive powers.

When I think of that poor Japanese woman (Yasuko Namba), just fifty yards from rescue, lying faceup on the mountainside and being buried in snow, too weak to move as a sheet of ice formed over her face.... (shudder).

Any ambitions I may have once harbored to climb Everest were completely stopped in their tracks by his description of the ascent as "a Calvinistic exercise in the endurance of pain." And that's just getting up there.

Getting down again is where things really take a turn for the worse, and in his case, it's spectacularly bad.

The word "awe" is often overused these days, but when I consider what he endured in putting this book together, both on the mountain and off, that's exactly what I feel.

His account is not only a thrilling adventure story but also a profound exploration of the human spirit and the price we pay for our dreams.

It makes you think twice about the risks we take and the consequences we may face.

Krakauer's writing is so powerful that it stays with you long after you've finished reading.

It's a book that will haunt you and make you appreciate the beauty and danger of the natural world.

This is a truly riveting account of the Mt. Everest disaster that took place back in 1996.

It offers a wealth of detailed information not only about climbs of this particular type but also about the significant physical tolls that such climbs exact on the climbers.

The only reason I have assigned it a rating of 3 is because I have some doubts regarding the motive of the author in penning this story.

The fact that I remain uncertain is, in a sense, his doing. Was he attempting to persuade me that he had done absolutely everything within his power during that fateful climb?

I truly wish he had directly confronted this question head-on. It would have added a layer of authenticity and transparency to the narrative, making it even more engaging and thought-provoking.

As it stands, while the account is interesting and informative, this unanswered question lingers in the back of my mind, slightly diminishing the overall impact for me.

Nevertheless, it is still a valuable piece that provides valuable insights into the world of high-altitude climbing and the challenges that climbers face.

Perhaps with further reflection or additional information, my perception of the author's motive and the overall rating of this account may change.

Jon Krakauer's account in "Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster" takes us on a harrowing journey to the summit of Mount Everest. It was the spring of 1996 when he was asked by Outside magazine to write about his experience and the increasing trend of inexperienced hikers seeking the summit. The fees for a guided expedition ranged around $65k, highlighting the commercialization that had reached Everest.

The introduction immediately grabs the reader's attention, especially when Krakauer describes how among his five teammates who reached the top, four perished in a sudden and unexpected storm. By the time he made it back to Base Camp, a total of nine climbers from four expeditions had already lost their lives, and three more would die within the month.

Krakauer's vivid and descriptive prose makes the reader feel as if they are right there with him, facing temperatures as low as 100 degrees below zero, hurricane-force winds, and the constant struggle with rapidly depleting oxygen bottles. The impact of high altitudes on breathing, decision-making, and mobility is clearly depicted, showing how debilitating it can be and how easily it can lead to serious injury or death.

In addition to the thrilling narrative, I also learned many new vocabulary words such as cumulonimbus and obdurate. I even looked up the number of deaths on Mount Everest in 2023. One article stated that 13 people died and 4 were missing, which, if the missing are indeed dead, would be the highest death record. In 2014, 16 people lost their lives on Everest.

The link provided is a photo of the lines of people climbing Mount Everest, further emphasizing the popularity and the risks associated with this extreme adventure.

I wasn't overly intrigued by mountain climbing initially. However, I soon became engrossed in this book and became obsessed with learning more.

What drives people to engage in such activities? The experience is not only extremely dangerous but also appears rather miserable, with climbers enduring squalid conditions and often being sick. Krakauer describes how, even upon reaching the summit, he was so light-headed and exhausted that he didn't truly feel happy. All he wanted was to descend the mountain. The book enables you to understand the mindset of climbers and their motivation for doing this.

One of the dilemmas climbers face is that, on one hand, they are drilled with established safety rules. For example, there is a fixed turnaround time. If you are not close to the summit by that time, you must turn back, regardless of how disappointing it may be. But on the other hand, they are highly focused and motivated to reach the summit, often having the self-confidence (and perhaps arrogance) that they can overcome any obstacle to achieve their goal. One of the guides in the book, Scott Fischer, told his clients, “it's not the altitude that's important, it's your attitude, bro”. Most of the clients seemed to believe that nothing would prevent them from summiting.

Rob Hall, another guide, was actually quite good at following safety protocols. But there was one day when he let his guard down. He didn't adhere to the turnaround time rule. From reading the book and hearing the climbers' stories, you can understand how difficult it would have been for him to disappoint his clients and tell them they couldn't summit. But on most days, he probably would have done so. He had a reputation for being strong-willed and able to convey difficult messages to his clients for their own safety. However, he didn't do that on summit day, and the consequences were tragic.

The story is set in 1996, and it seems that the commercialization of climbing Mt. Everest has become even more intense. The New York Times article was interesting, and the photo of the long line of climbers packed together is astonishing.

I also recommend the 2015 movie Everest, which tells this story. Apparently, Krakauer didn't like the movie, although it doesn't seem to conflict with his account much. It simply presents the story from a different perspective. The visuals in the movie are quite stunning, and I think it complements the book well.

An amazing and honest personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster awaits you within these pages. It reads like an edge-of-the-seat thriller, captivating your attention from start to finish. The vivid descriptions and harrowing details truly bring the events to life.

After reading this account, it has definitely put me off climbing anything that is higher than the highest point of Florida. And if you're not sure what that is, a quick Google search will reveal it!

This book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in adventure, mountaineering, or simply a good story. It offers a unique perspective on the challenges and dangers that come with attempting to conquer one of the world's most iconic peaks.

Prepare to be on the edge of your seat as you follow the author's journey and experience the drama and excitement of the Mt. Everest disaster firsthand.

This is non-fiction, a supposed objective account of the events that took place on top of Everest. Right from the outset, I was rather surprised. The author seemingly dedicated his book to those who lost their lives on May 10th, 1996. However, neither Bruce Herrod nor Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa died on that day. I still wonder why he chose to dedicate a book to a man he thoroughly discredited.

I expect truth in non-fiction, but this is not the truth. It was written out of spite, and it is evident.

The author's snide remarks about those he dislikes are unforgivable. Some are vilified, discredited, and demonized repeatedly due to the author's personal dislikes and/or prejudices.

The undertone of hatred, envy, and derision pervades the entire book. The author's snobbish attitude, such as "I'm a real mountaineer, I have climbed solo this and that, I'm an awesome climber, I despise all those rich people who pay to be carried up Everest, that yak route," is at the very least tiresome.

I have no issue with an omniscient author, but a journalist cannot be one. Apparently, this author knows everything, even the intimate thoughts and reasons of those who cannot refute him because they are deceased. And so, he judges Mountain Madness guides, decisions, and clients quite harshly. Strangely enough, he wasn't climbing with Mountain Madness. Or perhaps it's not so strange: he was a climber with Scott Fischer's rival.

I truly can't see his point. He despises the South African team, the Taiwanese team, and Scott Fischer's team, but he never questions his own team, not even once. And this is the strangest thing of all because the only clients who died that day were from his own team.