Questions About Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

by Jon Krakauer (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (15)

Raghavendra Nandyala It is very difficult to bring bodies and involves too much risk because of the environment. Descending carrying a weight with almost no air and obstru…moreIt is very difficult to bring bodies and involves too much risk because of the environment. Descending carrying a weight with almost no air and obstructed vision is a big task.(less)

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Does this book read like a novel or like a documentary?

J.H. Moncrieff Novel, definitely. I found it almost impossible to put this book down. While there is quite a bit of technical info, as Karis said, I never found it t…moreNovel, definitely. I found it almost impossible to put this book down. While there is quite a bit of technical info, as Karis said, I never found it too much or that it slowed down the story.

And I'm not typically interested in mountaineering at all. Krakauer's story is one of humanity and survival at its heart.(less)

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Anyone can recommend a good book on Mount Everest? I notice that books on offer are either some sensationalist accounts of single cases or part of some "nature" textbooks. Ideally, I want to read something more general, maybe some interesting topography and a number of different cases about climbs in one book? Thanks in advance, if there be any replies.

Seelenstaub This is probably not what you're looking for, but Michelle Paver's 'Thin Air' is an incredible book about a couple of people climbing everest and mayb…moreThis is probably not what you're looking for, but Michelle Paver's 'Thin Air' is an incredible book about a couple of people climbing everest and maybe (or maybe not) encountering a malevolent ghost. It's completely fictional, of course, but it's based on real expeditions and captures the experience amazingly.(less)

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what is the importance of the 8000 meter mark in climbing?

Laura That's when you enter into the death zone. Without bottled oxygen, your brain starts to die. The amount of oxygen above 8000 meters is about 1/3 of th…moreThat's when you enter into the death zone. Without bottled oxygen, your brain starts to die. The amount of oxygen above 8000 meters is about 1/3 of that at sea level, and when the pressure decreases it makes it harder for air to get into your lungs. This is what causes most cases of HACE and HAPE, and is why proper acclimatisation is so important.(less)

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If someone enjoyed Krakauer's Into the Wild, would they enjoy Into Thin Air as well??

Edwin Yes and no.
While they are both accounts of mishap and death in wild places, the events of Thin Air happened despite years of training, experience and…moreYes and no.
While they are both accounts of mishap and death in wild places, the events of Thin Air happened despite years of training, experience and involved the entire community on Everest (aka Chomolungma), whereas Into the Wild is a character study of a single individual trying to understand how he ended how he did, alone.

When I read Thin Air I was a whitewater guide trying to glean how this happened and how it might apply to my life.

When I read Into the Wild it was as a fellow lover of the backcountry trying to glean how this happened to someone with which I have so much in common.(less)

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Unanswered Questions (1)

...the theme song of the movie, though?

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