Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (Paperback) by Jon Krakauer

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11/30/07

Michelle rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in March, 2009

recommends it for: mountaineers, adventure lovers, crazy people

This is not a review. I don’t feel like writing a review for this book, but I feel like I should at least say something about it because I did enjoy it. I mean, it did make me utter “Jesus Christ” out loud more than one time, and I don’t often talk to myself while I am reading a book.

(I almost want to post a picture of a LOLcat with a caption that says “This buk wuz gud,” but I don’t have one.)

So…These are a few things I learned from reading this book:
...more This is not a review. I don’t feel like writing a review for this book, but I feel like I should at least say something about it because I did enjoy it. I mean, it did make me utter “Jesus Christ” out loud more than one time, and I don’t often talk to myself while I am reading a book.

(I almost want to post a picture of a LOLcat with a caption that says “This buk wuz gud,” but I don’t have one.)

So…These are a few things I learned from reading this book:

1. If a person decides to climb Everest, they are likely to encounter dead bodies along the route up to the summit.

2. Lobuje, which is on the way to Everest Base Camp, is a place that overflows with human excrement. While Krakauer was there in 1996, he wrote "Huge stinking piles of human feces lay everywhere; it was impossible not to walk in it." Lovely. Insert “Want to get away from it all?” commercial here.

3. Without the assistance of Sherpas, it is unlikely that climbers would be able to reach the summit at all. Besides schlepping tons of your crap, they also know the way, and they place climbing ropes and in some instances, repair ladders, so people will be able to ascend the trickier places.

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

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

5. It is very easy to develop high-altitude sicknesses and/or hallucinations as a climber gets closer to the summit. In fact, the "every man/woman for him/herself" attitude that people had, whether or not they had to have it in order to survive themselves, was more than a little disturbing.

On this particular excursion, two climbers got stuck on the mountain during a storm. They spent the night at 28,000 feet without shelter or supplemental oxygen and were believed to be dead. The guide sent to look for them the next day found them barely breathing after chipping off three inches of ice from their faces, but, believing that they were beyond help, he left them there. One of the climbers, my personal hero, woke up from his coma hours later and was lucid enough to get himself back down to one of the camps. Sure, he lost half an arm, his nose, and all of the digits on his other hand to frostbite, but he's still alive.

Oh, and sure, the events that happened on Mt. Everest in 1996 were tragic, but I do think the people who climb it know what they are risking. (less)

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06/21/07

Brigette rated it:

I recently attended the Banff mountain film festival in Canada. One of the key speakers was Simone Moro, the close friend of Anatoli Boukreev, the climber who was killed in an avalanche several years ago on Annapurna and whom Krakauer pretty much vilifies in this book as not having done enough to save the lives of those caught in the blizzard on Mount Everest in May of 1996. Needless to say, the vibe in the room was chilly whenever the subject of Krakauer's version of events came up; he was acc...more I recently attended the Banff mountain film festival in Canada. One of the key speakers was Simone Moro, the close friend of Anatoli Boukreev, the climber who was killed in an avalanche several years ago on Annapurna and whom Krakauer pretty much vilifies in this book as not having done enough to save the lives of those caught in the blizzard on Mount Everest in May of 1996. Needless to say, the vibe in the room was chilly whenever the subject of Krakauer's version of events came up; he was accused of slander and some in the room even claimed that he had not done much himself to save the lives of those in danger during the Everest disaster.

Nevertheless, as a reader of climbing nonfiction, I stand by Krakauer. I have always found his account of the Everest disaster an intensely moving and thought-provoking one. Like Joe Simpson's books, Into Thin Air reveals its speaker to be a climber with a conscience. Kraukauer loves climbing but is completely honest about the fact that such a dangerous sport so often puts one in the agonizing position of having to make life or death decisions under conditions that make clear thinking nearly impossible-- the cold, the lack of oxygen, the immense strain on the body at that great elevation. One gets the sense while reading that he is trying to make sense of this crazy sport as he writes, that this book is his process of figuring out the answer to the question: with all of the dangers and fatalities that result from climbing Everest, why on earth do people actually sign themselves up for this kind of thing?

In the years since I first picked up this book, I have discovered many other great climbing books in the adventure genre, although Krakauer's remains one of my all-time favorites. For more accounts of the Everest disaster, see also Boukreev's The Climb and Beck Weather's Left for Dead. If you enjoy Krakauer's writing, you might also enjoy Nando Parrado's Miracle in the Andes, a true account of the narrow escape of some members of a Uruguayan rugby team that survived by any means necessary-- and I do mean ANY means necessary--two grueling months in the Andes after their plane crashed in the mountains on the way home from a game. In addition, Joe Simpson's Touching the Void is a similarly remarkable story of a climber who survives unlikely odds after breaking his leg on the side of the mountain Siula Grande in Peru. There are also movie versions of both (Titled Alive and Touching the Void, respectively.) In addition, a movie version is due out soon for one of Krakauer's other wilderness adventure books, Into The Wild. (less)

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05/09/08

Kim rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in May, 2008

Read within the span of 10 hours. This is not a hard read, well, if you take out the subject matter.
I picked this up because 'Into the Wild' has been out or on hold for months at the library so I thought I'd at least get a feel for Jon Krakauer's writing style.
I also have to admit that it wasn't the writing style that sold me, not that it isn't well done, but usually I'm not drawn to 'personal accounts' or non-fiction, in general, unless it is a subject that really fascinates me...more Read within the span of 10 hours. This is not a hard read, well, if you take out the subject matter.
I picked this up because 'Into the Wild' has been out or on hold for months at the library so I thought I'd at least get a feel for Jon Krakauer's writing style.
I also have to admit that it wasn't the writing style that sold me, not that it isn't well done, but usually I'm not drawn to 'personal accounts' or non-fiction, in general, unless it is a subject that really fascinates me. I'm an escapist and sometimes the reality of all this seeps in and rattles me in ways I'd rather not tap into.
This is very much rubbernecking. I knew that there is no happy ending to this tale, yet I was riveted and sickened the whole way through.
I wasn't drawn so much to the feat of the climb or the determination of the climbers but more to their never ending egos and downright obsession. Their fanatical need to conquer. The fact that these people spend upwards of $65,000 to subject themselves to hypoxia, frostbite, and possible cerebral edemas just makes me shake my head and say 'what the fuck?'

Krakauer states in the first chapter that once reaching the summit, a sheet of ice at 29,028 feet above seal level, he couldn't summon the energy to care. He spent less than 5 minutes on the 'roof of the world' with absolutely no spiritual awakening to speak of.
What makes people do this? What drives them to become so consumed with the thought of scaling a mountain that's killed 1 in 4 climbers since the first summit reach in 1953?

Because it's there.

Which, on its own, I can understand, sort of. But, to get there and not feel the euphoria? That's where I become lost. This passage, in particular, floored me:

"People who don't climb mountains...tend to assume that the sport is a reckless Dionysian pursuit of ever escalating thrills.... The ratio of misery to pleasure was greater by an order of magnitude than any other mountains I'd been on. I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain."

The fact that the drive to reach the summit had climbers walking over corpses of their peers also is mind-numbing. To think that some of these climbers were so single-minded that they would assess a fellow climber, make the instantaneous decision that they would be nothing more than baggage and refuse to help them sends me spiraling to that survival of the fittest mentality that makes my stomach curl.
This is a freakin' Darwinian rat race.

I need to research this further, the IMAX film has been netflixed and I'm adding the K2 disaster and other stories to my reading list. What a fun summer this will be. (less)

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07/03/08

Erie rated it:

(review of isbn 9793269170)

bookshelves: book-to-movies, nonfiksi

recommended to Erie by: Enjum

You can always tell you are reading a good book when you find yourself holding your breath during the intense moments. Well, this is definitely one of that book.

Meski gw samasekali buta tentang hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan mendaki gunung, tapi gw sempat punya impian dan hasrat gila untuk mendaki gunung Everest. Setelah membaca buku ini impian dan hasrat tersebut (kalaupun masih ada) kini dipastikan lenyap tanpa bekas. Thanks a lot Mr. Krakauer for make my dream coming to an abrupt ...more

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03/25/09

Greg rated it:

(review of isbn 0679457526)

bookshelves: something-i-d-never-do

Read in April, 2009

I had no idea what shelf to put this on. So I made up a new one, lacking the number of characters needed, this shelf should be called, true stories about things I would never do or try to do. But maybe that is a lie. Like Krakauer I too have had a near death experience while engaged in 'climbing', like the doomed people in this book, my own life was possibly endangered by faulty decisions made by those who are being paid to know better. My own experience is pretty undramatic, and was rectifi...more I had no idea what shelf to put this on. So I made up a new one, lacking the number of characters needed, this shelf should be called, true stories about things I would never do or try to do. But maybe that is a lie. Like Krakauer I too have had a near death experience while engaged in 'climbing', like the doomed people in this book, my own life was possibly endangered by faulty decisions made by those who are being paid to know better. My own experience is pretty undramatic, and was rectified in a few moments, and possibly if my parents had been the litigious sorts I could have bankrupted the Boy Scouts, and still be suing them for the experience and blame every anxiety and problem I have on this moment. That would be a huge lie though (my own experience was at summer camp, I didn't want to rappel, but I was talked into trying it, I was tied in, and as I stepped backwards over the lip so that I was on the vertical part of the rock the knots on my harness and carabiener started coming undoing themselves. I freaked. Some teenage kid had tied me in who was assisting the guy in charge. The real guy in charge retied my harness, I for some reason decided to try it again and actually enjoyed it, not that I ever did it again after that, and probably will never try it again).

Seriously though, this book is about people doing something really dangerous and paying the price for it. It's pretty fucked up on all kinds of different levels, and anyone knowing what it's like to climb into the danger zone of high altitude and then goes and does it anyway so that they can say they have stood on the top of the highest mountain of the world, you can't feel too sorry for (or I can't). Sure it's a testament to the human spirit to overcome obstacles, and being able to do this is something I know I would never be able to do (or want to do), and it's pretty amazing that people can do what it takes to climb these high mountains, but it's also really dangerous and people die doing things like this all the time (historically up until 1996, 3% of all people who climbed just above base camp on Everest died, that's not even necessarily the people who made it all the way up to the final reaches near the summit where the events of this book took place).

What I took from this book is that accidents happen, and they can be awful. That being in really high altitudes seriously fucks with you in ways I had no idea about. I also learned that maybe man shouldn't fuck with nature so much for profit, and that maybe commercialization of things alters the perception of real risks involved. Nature and high altitude don't realize that just because you paid big bucks for the ride up to the top that they should lay off and let your trip be like Club Med. I also learned that certain South African's are dicks, and sadly they didn't get to play as much of a role in the narrative as other groups of people, which is a bit sad because there was something absurdly funny about them. (less)

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06/29/08

Randy rated it:

Read in June, 2008

Jon Krakauer is a student of extreme behaviors and those who engage in them, and he happened to be on Mt. Everest during the notorious May 10-11, 1996, disaster. A series of seemingly minor mishaps, oversights, and questionable decisions kept climbers moving up the mountain hours later than any reasonable turnaround time. At 29,000 feet, that would have been bad enough given cold, hypoxia, and a finite supply of supplemental oxygen, but an unexpected storm that moved in from the south turned a...more Jon Krakauer is a student of extreme behaviors and those who engage in them, and he happened to be on Mt. Everest during the notorious May 10-11, 1996, disaster. A series of seemingly minor mishaps, oversights, and questionable decisions kept climbers moving up the mountain hours later than any reasonable turnaround time. At 29,000 feet, that would have been bad enough given cold, hypoxia, and a finite supply of supplemental oxygen, but an unexpected storm that moved in from the south turned a problematic climb into a catastrophe. Several people died, including two widely regarded expedition leaders. Krakauer was one of the stronger climbers that day; he spent only a few minutes on the summit and was on his way to camp when the storm struck. His account of the disaster is gripping, painful, and angry. Krakauer is not shy about offering up criticism of expedition leaders and some fellow climbers, and he discusses his own feelings of guilt as to one guide who died on the mountain. I know nothing about mountain climbing, and I couldn't put this book down.

ETA--I was so fascinated by the book that I looked up dang near everything I could find online about the disaster. I'm not the only one; PBS Frontline ran a special just last month about some of the survivors. Krakauer's book angered a few other participants from his climb; however, their criticisms go to peripheral matters (did guide Anatoli Boudreev behave responsibly in descending before his clients? Was one of the sherpas too busy attending to a Manhattan socialite to perform his other duties properly? Did Krakauer himself collapse while descending the mountain? Could Krakauer have left his tent on the South Col and helped Boudreev's heroic rescue effort on the night of May 10?) and not to the major issues raised in the book. There appears to be broad agreement that Rob Hall and Scott Fischer allowed other concerns, personal and commercial, to take precedence over getting their clients down off the mountain safely. Also, Fischer's judgment may have been seriously impaired by a high-altitude ailment. Moreover, the number of deaths on Everest suggests that there are plenty of people climbing the mountain who have no business being there in the first place. (less)

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09/24/07

Chris Heaney rated it:

Read in September, 2007

I don't know how I feel about this book, an account of an expedition to Everest that killed several people. It made me angry when I suspected it would just end up being disaster porn, but Krakauer manages to pull through in the final pages and evoke the wrenching guilt of the survivors, the loss and unanswered questions. That hit me pretty hard.

So why three stars? I wanted more about the people who died, more in other people's voices, and less straight narration of events. (Or perha...more I don't know how I feel about this book, an account of an expedition to Everest that killed several people. It made me angry when I suspected it would just end up being disaster porn, but Krakauer manages to pull through in the final pages and evoke the wrenching guilt of the survivors, the loss and unanswered questions. That hit me pretty hard.

So why three stars? I wanted more about the people who died, more in other people's voices, and less straight narration of events. (Or perhaps just a mix of the two.) I do understand the simple ordering of what happened was necessary, even cathartic for Krakauer (or perhaps it gave him no resolution), but I wanted something more like a testament to the individuals up there, like he did for McCandless in Into the Wild.

Also, as always, I'm torn between thinking that this kind of exploration is wonderful and that it's just another code-driven bloodsport inflicted by the wealthy upon the world (and its sherpas), and which folks like Krakauer end up making a lot of money from.

Still, it's a fast read, sharply told, and a good meditation on disaster and guilt. And it has a scary and sad epigraph worth sharing, on how one explains any sort of disaster:

"I shall be inevitably be asked for a word of mature judgement on the expedition of a kind that was impossible when we were all up close to it... On the one hand, Amundsen going straight there, getting there first, and returning without the loss of a single man, and without having put any greater strain on himself and his men than was all in the day's work of polar exploration. On the other hand, our expedition, running appalling risks, performing prodigies of superhuman endurance, achieving immortal renown, commemorated in august cathedral sermons and by public statue, yet reaching the Pole only to find our terrible journey superfluous, and leaving our best men dead on the ice. To ignore such a contrast would be ridiculous: to write a book without accounting for it a waste of time." -- Apsley Cherry-Garrard, "The Worst Journey in the World," an account of Robert Falcon Scott's doomed 1912 expedition to the South Pole(less)

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07/23/07

Donkeybaby rated it:

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: adrenaline junkies

This is the third book of Krakauer's that I've read now, and I want to say I like it least - but, it is definitely the strongest subject matter and the closest we get to him as a narrator. Climbers die on the way down from Everest, most after peaking. They died mostly from human error, brought on by altitude sickness and a bad case of chip on the shoulder. Makes me simultaneously want to climb mountains and never climb mountains. There's something simple about the narrative style of Krakauer's b...more

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02/01/09

Matt rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Fascinating book. Krakauer has a style of prose that captivates and brings the story and the people very much to life. He's an exceptional journalist, and documents every moment from multiple perspectives and with an exactness of time.

This story is tragic and horrible. Strangely, it makes Mt. Everest more appealing to me, but in terms of staggering danger that comes with it. It really speaks to humanity, to morality, the pursuit of dreams and danger and adventure. There are heroes an...more

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02/29/08

Greg rated it:

This is a riveting first-hand portrayal of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster where eight people died in a single day. The fact that the story is a real-life account makes it all the more compelling. After reading this book, I became enthralled in learning more about high-altitude mountaineering and even attended several lectures by prominent climbers.

The story is compelling in spite of - not because of - the author. I am personally repelled by Jon Krakauer. Krakauer injects an ampl...more

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06/30/07

Trevor rated it:

Read in July, 2002

I've never physically experienced climbing Everest, but I feel like I have. Krakauer's ability to describe the events in simple (sometimes brutally simple) language made my lungs hurt sometimes. But that is only part of the reason this book was amazing.
The first part of the book is a fascinating history of mountaineering and Everest. Krakauer's talents as a journalist pay off as he is able to describe this history in such a compelling way.
But the book runs deeper. Krakauer has ...more

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07/31/08

Ryan rated it:

I really really liked this book as well. I think mostly because it was a true story that I loved it. I think everyone should read it and then we should all get together and go climb Everest. Let me know who is in I will call and make reservations.

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06/21/08

Kelly rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in February, 2001

Well written. This chronicles the 1996 tragedy very well. I taught this book for many years, and students enjoyed it. I like how the book makes me question who is a celebrity and who is a hero and what are our moral obligations to help others.

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06/11/08

Sara rated it:

(review of isbn 0679457526)

Read in January, 2005

While it was a well written book, I had trouble getting beyond my anger at the needless loss of life.

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12/14/08

Jenni rated it:

This is one of those books tha tI loved while I hated it. It ts the real story of climbing mount everest ant the people that died in the 1996 season. I can honestly say that I now wonder why anyone would ever have the desire to climb that mountain. Everyone on that mountain had to face a moral challenge that I couldnt possibly believe anyone would desire. Hiking past the bodies on the mountain was bad enough, but then to have to chose to leave living people behind because it was probably too...more

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10/27/08

Andrew rated it:

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Andrew by: my mom
recommends it for: Anyone

I read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Krakauer has also written the bestseller Into the Wild, and sometimes contributes to Outside Magazine. He lives in Seattle with his wife. This is his true story about the harrowing adventure of his summit to the top of the world, Mount Everest. But more horror than adventure awaits Jon as he summits on the deadliest season the mountain has ever experienced. After losing both of his guides, he is on his own trying to keep not only himself alive b...more I read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Krakauer has also written the bestseller Into the Wild, and sometimes contributes to Outside Magazine. He lives in Seattle with his wife. This is his true story about the harrowing adventure of his summit to the top of the world, Mount Everest. But more horror than adventure awaits Jon as he summits on the deadliest season the mountain has ever experienced. After losing both of his guides, he is on his own trying to keep not only himself alive but the other members of his team too.

I enjoyed Krakauer’s style of writing. He doesn’t use complicated words or ideas but he easily gets his thoughts across. It makes a very good read that is never confusing or nonsensical. I also enjoyed how Krakauer put a quote before each chapter that directly related to the events that happened in the chapter. The quotes really helped to bring deeper meaning to the story and characters. He also often elaborated so much on a character that sometimes a single chapter could be just about that character. It gave me a much better feel of people. Lastly, Krakauer doesn’t just use his own recollection. He interviewed at least a dozen people in writing this book to make sure it is as accurate as possible, and often quotes their words, making it seem like you were there with him.

A couple of things were not done so well by Krakauer though. Although I said he elaborated very much on characters and their story, it often took away from the story itself and left you forgetting where you had previously left off. Even though he elaborated very well on some characters, others I felt were left out, and I had to keep asking myself who this person is and what he was like. It seems as though Krakauer elaborated much on the minor characters, but never gave us a clear picture of what the main characters were like. Krakauer also seemed to be adverse to suspense. I know this is a nonfiction book, but it would be much more fun to read, especially toward the end, if he had included a little more suspense. Not to say the book wasn’t a fun read, it’s just that he seemed to throw all the cards out on the table, creating an anticlimactic feeling when you already know if the person is going to live or die.

Even though Krakauer sometimes gave away the ending, Into Thin Air is an excellent and exciting read. Anyone interested in increasing their general knowledge of the world’s highest point will definitely enjoy reading Krakauer’s detailed descriptions of every slope and crevasse on the mountain. Also, those that enjoy looking a little deeper into a book will definitely enjoy Krakauer’s quote before each chapter. They really give more meaning to the book as a whole. Lastly, anyone just looking for a good read should really take a look at this book for its easy-to-read style and heart wrenching decisions and struggles.
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08/11/08

Bobbi rated it:

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: weekend athletes, people who like well-written books

In the spring of 1996, Outside magazine proposed to send writer Jon Krakauer to the Base Camp of Mount Everest to write a feature-length article about the commercialization -- and the consequent trashing -- of the world's highest peak. Krakauer, an avid hiker, decided that it would be miserable to go only to Base Camp and not reach the summit. After some haggling, Outside magazine made a deal with guide Scott Fischer to take Krakauer to the summit with his outfit, Mountain Madness. Then Rob...more In the spring of 1996, Outside magazine proposed to send writer Jon Krakauer to the Base Camp of Mount Everest to write a feature-length article about the commercialization -- and the consequent trashing -- of the world's highest peak. Krakauer, an avid hiker, decided that it would be miserable to go only to Base Camp and not reach the summit. After some haggling, Outside magazine made a deal with guide Scott Fischer to take Krakauer to the summit with his outfit, Mountain Madness. Then Rob Hall, the head of Adventure Consultants, made the magazine a better offer. Off Krakauer went to Everest with Hall, only to encounter Fischer's group at the foot of the mountain. As the names of their companies suggest, Hall was a careful, methodical guide - as much so as one can be who is crazy enough to (repeatedly) climb Mount Everest -- while Fischer was much more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type guy. Hall and Fischer, while professional rivals and a study in contrasts, teamed up on an expedition in which the weather and the incompetence of most of the other people on the mountain ultimately cost both of them their lives. Of the handful of people from their combined expedition who made the summit, Krakauer was one of the few who survived. Guides, Sherpas and guests all perished on the mountain that spring. Krakauer's description of the journey, and of the storm of May 10-11, 1996 which kicked off the deadliest season in the history of Mount Everest, is nothing short of riveting.

Jon Krakauer is a stunningly good writer. Apparently, he's not a bad hiker/alpinist either. As to what kind of human being he is, well, that's another matter. Not long after his return from Everest, and while in the throes of a toxic mix of survivor's guilt, PTSD, the need to get some things off of his chest, and just plain exhaustion, he wrote Into Thin Air, an account of a disaster caused in equal parts by incompetence, selfishness, unavoidable weather conditions, and just plain bad luck. It's interesting to read, even though the end is already known. At the end of the book, Krakauer invites the reader to join him in asking unanswerable questions about what sort of man he is and whether he made the right decisions while under mental and physical strains that most of us cannot even accurately imagine.

Tortured self-analysis aside, Krakauer is a man of strong opinions. He spares no one (well, maybe himself, just a little) in his assessment of the deadly storm on May 10-11, 1996 that took a dozen lives on Mount Everest. Whether criticizing dilettantes from Manhattan or Dallas or South Africa or Taiwan, he is relentless in his assault on the commercialization of Everest that has led to folks thinking that they can be pretty much hauled up the world's highest peak if they pay enough money. He's also not fond of big-mouthed Texans, of which I am one. (NOTE TO SELF: Do not go hiking with Mr. Krakauer. If you do go hiking with Mr. Krakauer, for goodness' sake, don't tell him where you are from and don't express any potentially controversial opinions around him. The consequences could be really, really bad. Just ask one Beck Weathers, M.D., who,if he were a cat, might only have a life or 2 left after his Everest trip.).

Krakauer is candid about the weaknesses of the leaders of the expedition, Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, while at the same time expressing his admiration for their skills and heroic efforts. He is also unstinting in his criticism or the members of the Taiwnese and South African expeditions and of a guide named Anatoli Boukreev, as well as others who failed to act when doing so might have saved lives.

This book made me hungry to research more about the heroic IMAX crew, as well as other accounts of the Everest disaster. It also made me more convinced than ever that people who try these kinds of things are totally nuts.

A great book to read on the treadmill or, if you're me, walking around the indoor track like Mr. Magoo. I dare you to try cutting your workout short while reading.(less)

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07/22/08

Philip rated it:

bookshelves: memoirs

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Philip by: doug
recommends it for: pretty much anyone

I promised myself that when I wrote a synopsis of Into Thin Air it would not contain the words perilous, arduous, or ill-fated because those words have a limiting effect on a book of this calibre.
Yes, it recounts an ill-fated Everest expedition. Yes the climb is alredy fraught with peril. It is an adventure story, but in it's honesty it's quite a bit more.

Although it is a non-fictional work, many of the literary conflicts that make for good narrative are present. T...more

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07/20/08

fbuser712533955 rated it:

Read in July, 2008

This book is a harrowing account of the 1996 Everest disaster, when a single storm killed several climbers. The author, a reporter assigned to cover one of the doomed expeditions, recounts the story in intricate detail with the assistance of several interviews conducted both during the expedition and with the survivors. Written within a few months of the disaster, while the author was still in the grip of what is surely PTSD, the shock and horror is overwhelming at times.

Controversi...more This book is a harrowing account of the 1996 Everest disaster, when a single storm killed several climbers. The author, a reporter assigned to cover one of the doomed expeditions, recounts the story in intricate detail with the assistance of several interviews conducted both during the expedition and with the survivors. Written within a few months of the disaster, while the author was still in the grip of what is surely PTSD, the shock and horror is overwhelming at times.

Controversially, he also enumerates the issues which combined led to the deaths of both world-class alpinists and less qualified hobbyist clients. Lack of radios, failure to set fixed ropes on time, ignoring turnaround times, and most infuriatingly, the insistence of the poorly qualified South African and Taiwanese teams to attempt a summit bid on a different day than they had originally planned, which compounded bottlenecks. He does not, however, discount the role of the weather and hypoxia. Interestingly, he proposes to ban supplemental oxygen, even though survival rates are higher among summiters who use it.

As a testament to the devastating effects of hypoxia on judgment, the author details the evolving story of Andy Harris. Descending towards Camp 4, the author originally believed he had spoken to Andy Harris and seen him within meters of the camp. The news of his safe arrival was relayed to his family despite any corroboration of the author's account. Awakening the next day, the camp realized that Harris was not actually in camp and a search party commenced. The author came across tracks leading to the Lhotse face and, not realizing that they belonged to another guide who was at that time attempting a rescue of climbers higher up, believed that Andy had fallen to his death from the Col. Some months later, during an interview with another survivor, the author realized that he hadn't spoken to Harris at all, but rather to his interview subject, even though the two men were several inches and dozens of pounds different in build. The author is haunted by his mistakes, which inadvertently caused Harris' family suffering. However, it is hard to blame the author for mistakes in perception at the elevation and physical state in which he was. (less)

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05/25/08

Joe P rated it:

Read in July, 2008

This was my second Krakauer book, and my first book on this particular event.

It always seems strange to me when I read a book while already knowing the ending. Such was the case in this book. Krakauer does a great job of describing the entire trip in great detail - from the planning stages, to the early weeks at Base Camp, and finally to the summit push. Interspersed in his narrative are seemingly hundreds of tangents, introducing us to nearly all of the climbers on the mountain...more This was my second Krakauer book, and my first book on this particular event.

It always seems strange to me when I read a book while already knowing the ending. Such was the case in this book. Krakauer does a great job of describing the entire trip in great detail - from the planning stages, to the early weeks at Base Camp, and finally to the summit push. Interspersed in his narrative are seemingly hundreds of tangents, introducing us to nearly all of the climbers on the mountain, and telling us stories of Everest conquerors (and victims) of decades past. The tangents were sometimes unwelcome, interrupting a particularly interesting storyline. But they are necessary diversions, since personalities and motivations certainly help explain some of the questionable decisions made on the mountain that day. Did Rob Hall remain high on the mountain to help Doug Hansen reach the summit, one year after turning him around near the top, putting both climbers in death's view? Was Hall silently competing with maverick guide Scott Fisher to see how many clients each could get to the summit? These questions and literally hundreds more are asked throughout the book. Sadly, very few are answerable.

This book gets an easy four stars from me. I was entirely engulfed by the story, even spending hours after my last page researching other accounts, ordering 'The Climb' (guide Boukreev's account of the same events), and promising myself to watch the IMAX movie Everest, which I'd seen 6 years ago without prior knowledge of the tragedy. The pit in my stomach is still there, primarily from the chilling exchange between Rob Hall and his pregnant wife, as he sat alone at the South Summit, awaiting death. That conversation, as with many of the events that took place during this trip, will remain with me for some time.

I credit Krakauer's honest, open, and inquisitive storytelling for not only entertaining me, but for injecting these human beings and their stories into my psyche. (less)

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