Nick's review
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
Nick's review
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
Nick's review
rating:
bookshelves:
mountaineering
A compelling first-hand account of the tragedy that unfolded on the upper slopes of Mt. Everest on the 10/11th May 1996. Told by Jon Krakauer, a climber and journalist who had joined a New Zealand-led commercial expedition to report on the increasing commercialisation of Everest, it follows the whole series of events, introducing us to key players (both experienced guides, Sherpas and the clients who paid to be helped to the top) and attempts to put into some semblance of order what happened when a storm descended on 19 climbers in the "death zone" and how so many lost their lives.
It is a gripping book which always seems to raise more questions than it answers. Krakauer, who summited early in the day and was able to make it back to Camp IV despite getting caught in the beginning of the storm, then spent much of the night and next day immobile in his tent. He has therefore pieced together what happened through talking with others who survived.
It does a great job of sho...more
It is a gripping book which always seems to raise more questions than it answers. Krakauer, who summited early in the day and was able to make it back to Camp IV despite getting caught in the beginning of the storm, then spent much of the night and next day immobile in his tent. He has therefore pieced together what happened through talking with others who survived.
It does a great job of sho...more
