Utterly harrowing and propulsive, this book is an absolute page-turner. I simply could not put it down.

It details people's misguided quests to conquer nature, viewing it as something to be subdued. This perspective is both fascinating and concerning, as it shows how humans often misunderstand and underestimate the power of the natural world.

Moreover, it's another great cold-weather read. As you immerse yourself in the story, you'll realize that, in comparison to the harsh conditions described within the pages, the cold outside isn't really so bad after all. It serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of respecting nature.

This book is not only a thrilling adventure but also a thought-provoking exploration of our relationship with the environment. It's a must-read for anyone interested in nature, adventure, or the human condition.

There’s no way this book was going to be anything less than riveting.

Remote terrain, extreme conditions, conflicting personalities, inconceivable levels of survival and resilience, the intrigue and unpredictability of the highest point on Earth…it’s all there. Jon Krakauer shares his account of the tragic 1996 Everest climbing season. As a climber himself, he is invited to join a guided ascent of Mount Everest in connection with his reporting for Outside magazine on the commercialization of Everest and the related controversies. The combination of Krakauer being both a journalist by trade and an experienced mountaineer makes this an extremely readable and engrossing memoir.

The story is heartbreaking and tragic, but it was also a little maddening. I had heard about the 1996 Everest disaster, but this was my first time reading an account of the events. My assumption had been that the tragedy was caused by extreme, unexpected weather, which I suppose is true, but all of it was preventable. Turns out the blizzard that derailed the climbing expedition was a pretty run-of-the-mill blizzard by Everest standards and the lost lives were a result of poor decision-making, summit fever, and ego. Why didn’t everyone just stick to the original plan?!? It’s easy for me to ask that while sitting under a blanket in my heated living room, but Krakauer continuously reminds the reader that these decisions were being made in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth by people beyond exhaustion with brains that were seriously depleted of oxygen.

On a personal level, I thought Krakauer’s exploration of the risks of joining guided expeditions and the role of the guides was fascinating. I’ve done guided mountaineering expeditions in the western US (way more modest and not even close to the experience of climbing Everest!), and every time I’m struck by how much I’m putting my safety in the hands of strangers. I’m roping myself to a group of people while we’re navigating deep crevasses and steep sheets of ice and trusting that their climbing abilities and sound decision-making will keep me out of harm’s way…and vice versa because they don’t know me either and a lack of focus or ability on my part can put others in danger as well. That’s where the guides come in. During my first expedition, I was initially annoyed by the strictness of the guides in following their rules, but it became evident pretty quickly why the rules were so important (like the turnaround time on summit day) if I wanted to return safely to my tent. If this book somehow inspired you to do a climb of your own, remember to choose your guides wisely and follow the rules, they are there for a reason. But unfortunately, no matter how experienced your guide is, there’s always room for human error so go in eyes wide open to the risks you’re assuming.

Regardless of your climbing experience, I highly recommend this book to everyone. Krakauer is a remarkable storyteller – his writing keeps you on the edge of your seat but also infuses you with a flurry of emotions. You sense his desire to tell the story in a fair and non-judgmental way in respect to the other climbers, and the trauma and feelings of loss, confusion and regret are felt throughout the book. This book left me with no inclination to climb Mount Everest (not that any inclination really existed before I read it – the idea of the Death Zone is just terrifying to me!), but it definitely left me with a desire to read more of Krakauer’s books.

About a year ago, I had the opportunity to read a captivating book titled Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth. This book was all about the thrilling adventure of finding the basement of the earth. A group of brave cave divers embarked on a perilous journey into a seemingly bottomless cave, filled with countless unknown dangers. Despite being completely enthralled by this tale, for some reason, I didn't pick up any exploration books after finishing it.

However, my interest in exploration was reignited recently when I listened to an episode of Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier’s SModcast. In that episode, Mosier recommended Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. Intrigued, I decided to give it a try.

Before delving into the book, I knew very little about Mount Everest. I was only aware of the basics: it's the tallest mountain in the world, and it's extremely difficult to climb. But just how difficult is it? Well, for starters, there are frozen bodies littered on its slopes. The thought of that alone is enough to send shivers down your spine. I thought I had an idea of the challenges involved in climbing the mountain, but I had no clue that people had actually died on there and their bodies remained. And let's not forget about altitude sickness, falling rocks and boulders, and massive blocks of ice the size of large buildings that can detach and fall without any warning.

Jon Krakauer provides a breathtaking account of his attempt to conquer the mighty Mount Everest in 1996, along with a group of others. He goes into great detail in describing his arduous journey to the summit, but it's what happens when he reaches the top that is truly captivating and terrifying. Greeted by a fierce and destructive storm, Krakauer and his teammates had to fight for their lives as they tried to make their way back down the mountain. Some were fortunate enough to survive, while others were not. In fact, some of those who did survive achieved extraordinary feats of strength and demonstrated an unwavering will to get off that mountain.

I don't want to give away too many details here. I believe that if I don't let Krakauer tell the full story himself, I would be ruining the experience for you. There are parts of this book where you'll find yourself thinking, "This can't possibly get any worse." And then, it does. Especially when it comes to Beck Weathers. What that man went through is simply mind-blowing.

On assignment for Outside Magazine, journalist Jon Krakauer embarked on an expedition to scale the mighty Mt. Everest in 1996.

What followed was a harrowing and heart-wrenching account of the climbing disaster that unfolded that fateful year. Krakauer's detailed and vivid narrative takes readers on a terrifying journey up the mountain, through the blizzards, the exhaustion, and the ultimate tragedy.

The book is a gripping and unforgettable read, filled with moments of intense drama and emotion. It's hard to put down once you start, as Krakauer's writing draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Whether you're an avid climber or simply interested in adventure and survival stories, Krakauer's account of the 1996 Everest disaster is a must-read. It's a powerful reminder of the dangers and challenges that come with attempting to conquer the world's highest peak.

Into Thin Air or Injustice (of many kinds) on the Mountain.

Until almost the end, this book was precisely as I had anticipated, with just a single exception. It is the account of a journalist ascending Mount Everest, both in his capacity as a journalist and a mountaineer. What a dream – getting paid to pursue your hobby! It is interesting because Krakauer is an outstanding writer, and it is captivating to observe the details of how the mountain is climbed.

However, it is also disappointing. Few individuals undertake this feat alone, without significant support. Take, for example, the guy who cycled all the way from Europe to Nepal and then climbed the mountain solo. (I would have loved to read his story, but it was only alluded to in the book. Later, I read his book Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey). For everyone else, it's a package tour for the fit but not necessarily experienced individuals who desire to climb Everest and have a substantial amount of spare cash. Transport is arranged, tents are set up, luggage is carried, and there will be steaming hot tea waiting for the climbers upon their return to their tents after an expedition. If they really can't climb well, they can be short-roped and pulled up. Short-roping involves the climber attaching a less-than-one-metre rope to the waist of the would-be-climber and literally hauling them up.

Still, even with all this portering and pampering, I was surprised that the first climbers of the season (using last year's ropes) fitted ropes up Everest so that the climbers didn't have to set their own. Moreover, ladders were installed on the really difficult sections! But no matter how many shortcuts and easements they manage to achieve, there are two things that can neither be predicted nor controlled. One is altitude sickness, which in some forms can be fatal very quickly, and in others, it causes mental delusions that led one of the team to his death. The other is the weather. Fifteen climbers died in the year Krakauer climbed.

At the beginning of this review, I mentioned that there was one exception to my expectations for this book based on several books I have read by this author. The exception was one extraordinary chapter filled with the most vituperative nastiness against a socialite climber. I had no idea why it was there. He didn't become any kinder towards her as the book progressed either. But then he said that when he was writing the book, he had a 75-minute phone conversation with her. Either she didn't know what he'd written – I would never bother wasting time on someone who had so little respect for me and intended to tell the world – or he didn't write it until after the phone conversation. My only reaction to the chapter was thinking that the author was such a damn bitch.

The last chapter was extremely interesting. Krakauer had not held much respect for another of the climbers – the guide and tour leader Anatoli Boukreev. He felt that Boukreev was more focused on fulfilling his own climbing ambitions rather than adhering to his job of assisting others to climb and safeguarding their safety. Boukreev wrote his own book, stating that Krakauer had not mentioned certain incidents that were somewhat detrimental to himself and that he had made some observational errors, either due to oxygen deprivation or wilfulness, and presented his own version of the climb. This back-and-forth argument took place in print and on TV, and this chapter is Krakauer's defence. Sadly, Boukreev, an excellent climber, was buried under an avalanche on Annapurna the following year, in 1997, so we will never know what he thought of Krakauer's defence.

The book is worth reading because the Sherpas have always been marginalized in stories of climbing Everest. As if it is somehow more praiseworthy for a White man to climb the mountain, and it's nothing for the Sherpas who can just hop up and down like monkeys carrying all the loads while the white man climbs. This book corrects the record. The mountain could not be the business it is without the Sherpas. The tour companies and guides have enormous respect for these men and their abilities and form as firm friendships with them as they do with anyone else in their lives. It's a shame that this respect doesn't translate into paying them more than the one-tenth they earn compared to the tour guides. Of course, it's justified in the traditional way – this is local wages, this is a lot of money for the locals, the locals don't need the things the guides from America, Australia, etc. do... Oh, how tiresome. I've heard it all before. Why can't people just put their money where their mouth is? You can't pay bills and send your kids to school with respect. Reduced by 1-star to four stars because of this.

Rewritten 7 May 2020 due to Covid-19 boredom, finding the book and skimming through it.

**Why Climb Everest?**

The question of why one would climb Everest has been constantly on my mind as I delved into Jon Krakauer's account of the fateful 1996 expedition. The individuals who are programmed to ignore personal distress and strive for the top often also disregard signs of grave danger. This creates a dilemma for every Everest climber. Above 26,000 feet, the line between appropriate zeal and reckless summit fever is perilously thin, resulting in the slopes being littered with corpses.

In 1924, George Mallory's attempt ended in mystery with his famous reply, "Because it is there." It wasn't until 1953 that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay successfully reached the summit. Krakauer, an experienced mountaineer, discovered that climbing Everest was mainly about enduring pain. The desire to accomplish this feat is not like that of an adrenaline junkie. Climbers face serious life-threatening obstacles. Some people with mediocre skills and enough money seek the attention and bragging rights. But do all those who attempt the ascent truly understand the risks?

I learned about the hazards of mountaineering. High-altitude climbing can cause life-threatening disorders like hypoxia. With the large number of climbers, it has become a commodity, leading to traffic jams and real risks like running out of oxygen. Krakauer's personal account puts us inside his mind, allowing us to see what he witnessed. He attempts to answer why 5 people lost their lives, citing reasons like poor decisions, harsh weather, and bodily exhaustion. Ego and obsessive desire also play a role. I've always known that climbing mountains is a high-risk pursuit, and the danger is what makes it magnificent.

It's a complex and fascinating topic that makes one wonder about the human spirit and our relationship with nature and danger.

Uff, what a story and what a tragedy!!

It is very well told by Krakauer as he was an active part in that climb and my goodness, what a suffering.

The truth is that it is so well related that it even seems that you feel the cold as they climb and the hardships they went through, both on the ascent and especially on the descent of Mount Everest.

Even if one goes prepared and tries to control the weather conditions, the climate can be unpredictable and sometimes various factors come together and a bit of bad luck or unclear decisions (which is normal at 7,500 meters..) and these tragedies occur, as what happened in the spring of 1996.

The only drawback I have is that sometimes the reading was a bit confusing, as a significant number of climbers from different groups who were attempting the ascent appear, and sometimes some are named by their first name and others by their last name, and of course, that led to some confusion.

Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis: "Into Thin Air" has become a must-read for every lover of mountain literature, adventure, or travel. An international bestseller both for the quality of the story and for the accuracy with which its author, Jon Krakauer, tells us what happened.

What more can be said about a tragedy that震惊了 the world of mountaineering and even transcended it... perhaps only that it is worth immersing oneself in the intensity of the words and the graphic style of the author that manage to catch the reader and take us on this literary journey to the very heart of the inevitable.

"Into Thin Air" reads like a good novel, but it is not fiction. Jon Krakauer set off for the Himalayas in 1996 to write an article about the growing commercial exploitation of Everest. His intention was to analyze the reasons why so many people are willing to subject themselves to risks previously reserved for professional mountaineers. After reaching the highest peak on Earth, Krakauer began the dangerous descent, but not everyone succeeded; there were deaths, there were injuries, and a lot of controversy. This work generated so much controversy that Krakauer was forced to write a postscript in response, included in this edition.

Time stops as Krakauer profiles and movingly relates what happened.

#20. A book set in the snow. Popsugar 2024 Challenge.

This book has suddenly become extremely relevant. In fact, no less than ten climbers have lost their lives this week (18 - 25 May 2019) on Everest. The cause of this tragic turn of events is attributed to inexperienced guides leading inexperienced climbers, combined with the typical weather restrictions that have led to these可怕的、疯狂的排队情况.

Yes, that's the top of the highest mountain in the world.

Anyway, the original review follows:

*********************************************************

TEENAGE HAIR-KISSING BOOK DEFACERS

This is the most defaced book I have ever read. It must have been used in a school at some point. Up to page 69, there are two different people highlighting passages in pink and green. But then, in the margins, suddenly there is this:

Katie is Eric’s fave, to bad for him, he is silly, I hope he’s a good kisser

And then on page 77, which otherwise would be blank:

This is the most boring book I have ever read, I swear if anyone read this book by choice they are the biggest idiot in the world
Jason is such a dork
Jonathan has been a fag lately
I HATE THIS BOOK
It will be funny when you ask Jason if he kisses our/your hair. Ask is he kisses your hair, then if he kisses anyone elses hair
Always Spicy

On page 88, in a different hand, we read:

Eric Conner, Feb 24 2000 he asked me out

And on page 107:

Troy is hot! (but I never said that!)

And her friend writes:

We should go to the movies, you, me, Troy & Eric coz they’re friends & Troy’s hot, so you could have “fun”

Okay, I will spare you the rest. There’s a poignant contrast between this dreamy teen hair-kissing and the terror-stricken narrative that Jon Krakauer patiently lays down here. It’s clear that the teenagers just didn’t connect to the story, and in some ways I can see why. In an attempt to be scrupulously correct, JK almost turns the events which killed eight people on Everest on 10 - 11 May 1996 into a stolid police report.

THE GULF OF COMPREHENSION BETWEEN MOUNTAINEERS AND NORMAL PEOPLE

Mountaineers voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way, spend a lot of money on their own obsessive, self-centered dreams, and then expect to be congratulated by the rest of us for their feats. Lugging your mortal flesh into very high altitudes is madness.

There was no forgetting that we were more than three miles above sea level. Walking left me wheezing for several minutes. If I sat up too quickly, my head reeled and vertigo set in. The deep rasping cough I’d developed worsened by the day. Sleep became elusive. Most nights I’d wake up three or four times gasping for breath, feeling like I was suffocating. Cuts and scrapes refused to heal. My appetite vanished… my arms and legs gradually began to wither to sticklike proportions.

This was at 16,200 feet. The summit of Everest is 29,000 feet. The further you go up, the more likely you are to get HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema), where you froth blood, lapse into a coma and die, or HACE (High altitude cerebral edema), where you become deranged, lapse into a coma and die. Krakauer is also keen to deny that mountaineers are adrenaline junkies. We non-mountaineers may imagine that when they get to the summit they experience some great euphoria. Not at all, he says. Getting up a mountain is grinding your way through great pain in the knowledge that getting back down from the summit is more dangerous than getting up to it. Mountaineering does not sound like a healthy outdoor pursuit to me.

THE MOUNTAINEERING CLASS SYSTEM

Climbing big mountains like Everest is very dangerous, but it’s popular. A lot of wealthy white people want to do it. So they join guided expeditions. On an Everest expedition, there are three classes of people.

The guides – these are the white expert mountaineers who organize everything and guarantee client safety.

The clients – these are the rich white people who have nothing better to do. We know they are rich because it costs a fortune to be a member of an Everest expedition.

The Sherpas – these are the Nepalese guys who do the actual manual labor of lugging all the rich white people’s food and essentials from base camp to camp 2 to camp 3 to camp 4 and back again, along with making sure the white people don’t kill themselves in the numerous ways available to them.

Sherpas put in the route, set up the camps, did the cooking, hauled all the loads. This conserved our energy and vastly increased our chances of getting up Everest.

This enforced client passivity earns these guided expeditions great contempt in other more radical mountaineering circles. That’s not really climbing a mountain at all, they say. These rich clients have no mountaineering skills themselves. It’s like herding rich white sheep. And some of the haughty sneerers also say that using oxygen tanks is cheating too. They say that you can only say you’ve climbed Everest if you do it without Sherpas and without oxygen. And guess what, some of these hardcore guys have gone right ahead and climbed Everest without Sherpas and without oxygen, and when they got to the top, they looked down on everyone else, you can be sure.

THE TURN ROUND TIME

Into Thin Air is sometimes flawed by not explaining important concepts clearly enough for us non-climbers. One crucial concept was the TURN ROUND TIME. This was a big part of why eight people died and it took me a while to work out why. On the day your team is going to reach the summit, the guide will announce a turn round time, usually 2 pm. This means that wherever the client is, they must turn round and begin descending at that time, even if they haven’t reached the summit yet. They might be only 30 minutes away but they must turn round and start descending. How ultimately frustrating!

There were several companies guiding clients to the summit on 10 May 1996, and one of them was new and very keen to get all of its clients to the summit. So keen that they allowed some stragglers to continue to the summit up to 4 pm that day. According to JK, this contributed to some clients getting caught in the sudden blizzard that hit the summit in the afternoon. No one saw it coming.

But there was a whole tangle of wrong decisions that day, including some made by JK himself. It’s a complicated picture, but to complicate it further, at least one other book has been published criticizing the conclusions and accusations made by JK in this book.

So, a self-inflicted, confused disaster, many of the details of which are disputed. At the end of it all, I was more convinced than ever that I will never, ever understand the motivations of many of my fellow human beings.

Five stars are simply not sufficient to rate this book!

The story within its pages is a captivating blend of excitement and terror. It not only grips the reader with its thrilling narrative but also enriches the experience by incorporating elements of history and geography. The detailed and intimate portrait of the hikers adds a layer of authenticity and makes the characters come alive. Moreover, the author's remarkable storytelling skill is truly a marvel. It weaves together all these elements seamlessly, elevating the book to a level that is truly outstanding. It is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time. In fact, after reading this, I am now filled with a desire to go on a hike to a tall and cold mountain, feeling the chill in the air and experiencing the adventure for myself

Life got you down? Then join us on a guided expedition led by Capital Idiocy Inc. as we climb to

\\n  The Summit of MOUNT EVEREST\\n

For the bargain price of $65,000, we will take you on the adventure of a lifetime full of scenic views. Just avert your eyes from the dead bodies along the trail. They have been there for years. Honestly, after the first one, you won’t notice them anymore.

There will also be camaraderie. Well, most of the people are great. Some of them suck big time…when it matters most too. They’ll pass you over for dead THREE TIMES before they put some effort into helping you.

And athleticism? Just kidding! We’ll provide bottled oxygen at the higher altitudes.

Worried that you lack the necessary climbing experience? Don’t be discouraged! Seriously, zero experience is required. We’ll take anyone.

Never been above sea level? Don’t sweat it! We will prepare you for the high altitudes with our carefully developed Acclimatization Program. But you can never be 100% sure how high altitude will affect individuals.

Sensitive to the cold? We have you covered…with the best protective clothing available! But it’s still damn cold up there. And if a storm hits and you cannot find your way back to camp? Oh boy!

When the time is right, we’ll organize the final push to the summit where you will enjoy the exhilaration of being the King/Queen of the world. For a few minutes at least.

Remember your safety and health are our top priority! Now that’s just a lie. Our number one priority is getting you to the summit, no matter the risks.

What are you waiting for? There is limited space! Call us today at 1-800-YOU-DEAD to sign up. Having second thoughts? Look, why don’t you read Into Thin Air instead?

What a wonderful read to kick off 2018!

I truly relished the vast majority of this work. It had me engaged from start to finish.

However, I must confess that when it came to the controversy surrounding Krakauer's perspective, I found myself getting somewhat lost in a bit of a black hole.

It was an interesting and thought-provoking aspect that really made me stop and consider different viewpoints.

Nevertheless, I'm excited to share my full review with you all tomorrow.

I'm sure it will be a great discussion as we explore the various elements of this captivating piece.

Stay tuned! :)

Into Thin Air is a vivid and harrowing recollection of the tragic events that unfolded in May 1996. During this fateful month, numerous individuals lost their lives after attempting to ascend to the top of Everest. The story is told by Jon Krakauer, a journalist and mountaineer who initially joined the expedition with the intention of writing a magazine piece on the burgeoning industry of 'guided' groups of inexperienced mountaineers.

This memoir is truly fascinating as it delves deep into the disaster, exploring the small moments of bad luck and poor judgement that ultimately led to such a high toll. Krakauer does an excellent job of making the reader understand each and every person involved. He draws on their personal histories and their passion for mountaineering, bringing these aspects to the forefront of the reader's mind. Everyone present on that day shared a common goal - to reach the summit - and all were, to some extent, gripped by Everest fever. The allure and mystique of the mountain were simply too powerful to resist, pushing some beyond their limits. As I read, I found myself equally enthralled and filled with a sense of dread, anxiously awaiting the inevitable fate of these brave climbers.

Krakauer's descriptions of high altitude sickness were also truly captivating. He vividly描绘了 the debilitating effects it has on the body. Far from just experiencing shortness of breath, climbers are subjected to a host of other symptoms, including horrendous migraines, blindness, hypoxia, hypothermia, intestinal issues, and cerebral and pulmonary edema. The effects can be sudden and deadly, and they also have a profound impact on the mind, making an already difficult journey even more arduous. As the brain becomes sluggish, mistakes are more likely to occur, further compounding the challenges faced by the climbers. The entire experience is utterly exhausting, both physically and mentally, making any successful ascent of Everest all the more remarkable.

At times, I did find myself a bit confused as to who was who, as the author tended to switch between first and surnames quite frequently. This meant that I had to remember two names for an already large group of characters. Additionally, I struggled to visualize the layout of Everest and the specific locations of the various camps during certain scenes. However, after looking up some pictures of the South Col and the camps, I was able to better 'set the scene' in my mind.

Overall, I found Into Thin Air to be an utterly riveting and ultimately heartbreaking read. It serves as a powerful reminder that in the pursuit of glory, nature can be a cruel mistress.

The book not only provides a detailed account of a tragic event but also offers valuable insights into the human spirit, the allure of adventure, and the harsh realities of extreme mountaineering. It is a must-read for anyone interested in these topics or simply looking for a gripping and thought-provoking memoir.