Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Huge fan of Krakaur’s writing. This one gave me goosebumps many times

Great book - could not stop reading. Fast-paced ending

Woof. I can see why people were upset at Krakauer for his account – but I tend to trust his instinct and journalistic abilities, especially given the circumstances. The events that transpired in May of 1996 on Everest were scary and heartbreaking, though it seems like we'll never be able to prevent our fellow humans from tackling such feats. Krakauer has been my foray into mountaineering; he's definitely worth a read if you're new to the genre.

By turns, engaging, thrilling, and horrifying, Into Thin Air takes you into a realm far above any you've likely ever experienced, where deadly decisions must be made. Krakauer is an astounding writer, and his first-hand account of the 1996 disaster on Everest is heartbreaking. This book deserves its place near the top of the pantheon of nature writing.

This was basically a horror novel.
I've never understood why people want to climb Everest, and after reading of all the deaths and the struggles to achieve this: I understand why they want to say that they have done this challenge against human nature, but I have no desire to do it and never will.
It's a real shame that so many lives have been lost. A real shame.

I had to stop reading this while eating because the stress was giving me stomach cramps. The author's writing is so vivid, so compelling, and the story is truly horrifying. In the Prologue the author explains that he wrote the book so soon after the disaster in part to help himself process everything that took place up there, and I could really feel that come through in his writing (this is not a criticism, it is a compliment). Grappling with the choices everyone made, how people's flaws or prejudices or bravery or tenacity played a role, would absolutely require some heavy-duty processing for a survivor, and it makes for fascinating reading. Highly, highly recommend.

Let me start by saying I have no desire to Climb Everest or any other mountain that requires crampons, ropes, etc. But Krakauer is a terrific writer, and this book will tell us non-mountain-climbers everything we would ever want to know on the subject, and it chronicles the 1996 disaster on Everest that killed so many climbers. High drama, great book, sadly made into a mediocre movie.

Very honest account of the Everest tragedy of 1996. I am fascinated by mountaineers and Krakauer does a great job of delving into the psychology of climbing.

A raw and riveting account of the '96 Mt. Everest disaster, coupled with its reporting within inches of life. Ignorance proved fatal!

Kind of an adventure book.

A sobering, agonizing account of disaster in a beautiful and dangerous place.

me personally i don't have the hubris to climb a mountain that is referred to as a living, breathing entity/goddess more powerful than any mortal being by the people who live on/near it. that's just me tho.

As someone particularly curious about the ways of determining the factors contributing to an incident, this book kept my interest.

It did NOT convince me to try high-altitude climbing.

I read this for school and I'm glad I did! This definitely isn't the type of book I'd normally read on my own, but I really enjoyed it. Tears were shed and the story itself is quite heartbreaking, but it is also powerful and well written. I recommend this book!

Rating: 7.3/10 Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a compelling look into the nitty gritty of Everest expeditions, every detail painstakingly described. A bit too painstaking for my taste but it was still an interesting story. The main problem I had with this book was the nonstop naming and in-depth descriptions of characters who would have almost no impact on the story or better yet, would never be mentioned again in the story. This issue might have had a smaller impact if I was reading the book physically, so I could have flipped back and forth between the pages to keep better track of the characters, but in audiobook form, it was a hopeless endeavor. I had to make a tangible effort just to remember the names of the most important members of Krakauer’s party The story itself was chilling and showed just how quickly things can go wrong on the slopes of the world’s tallest mountain. Something in particular that stood out to me was the author’s honesty about his mistakes in the expedition and how he was all but the reason for a friend’s death on the mountain. Additionally, I learned that oxygen is actually not a necessity for everyone when climbing Everest. It certainly helps, but based on certain genetic factors and intense training, one can climb the peak with no oxygen assistance whatsoever. I always assumed that a ton of oxygen was required at such altitudes. In conclusion, the subtitle for this book is “A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster” and that’s exactly what it is: an account. For better or for worse, Jon Krakauer spares no detail of his run-in with Everest. I would not recommend this book, too much commitment for too little payoff (about two chapters of gripping action)

Мой опыт восхождений ограничивается подъемом на Фудзи - всего 3776 метров, не требует ни особого снаряжения, ни тем более кислорода. Но в целом идея альпинизма мне всегда казалась по-своему логичной: даже дети стремятся оказаться выше всех и играют в "царя горы". Но после этой книги я убедилась, что высокогорный альпинизм это особый вид мазохизма. Страдать от кислородного голодания, холода и их последствий, и все равно карабкаться вверх, а потом еще и вниз (помню, как моя коленка на Фудзи очень протестовала именно на спуске). Книга на редкость субъективная, наверняка в каких-то частях фактически неточная, но на редкость захватывающая. Понравилось, что автор внедрил в нее фрагменты истории покорения Эвереста, это добавило контекста событиям 1996 года. P.S. В русской версии, изданной под названием "В разреженном воздухе" перевод оставляет желать лучшего, местами из текста торчали уши оригинала, например "не такое большое дело" (no big deal).

I recently realized I love real-life adventure tales. Memoirs of extraordinary journeys that are true tales. Into Thin Air is one such telling of a trip to climb Mt. Everest by a journalist writing about the commercialization of Himalayan adventures. Things go horribly wrong and the result is one of the worst years in history for climbers. I’ve never wanted to go to Everest (well, maybe base camp could be fun) but after reading this I feel cold just thinking about it.

Gripping and tragic. Everest has been an obsession of mine since I was seven; the same thrill that draws climbers in draws me in to read about it. This is an extremely well written tale about terrible events, and I couldn't stop reading.

i went into this without knowing anything about the 1996 everest expedition but i knew something really bad was going to happen, so it was just reading/building up to that and then when it happened, made me question mortality and life and now im a little sad

Such a riveting read. I love nonfiction books like this where I get really and truly absorbed into what I'm reading and this was no exception. I have long been fascinated by those who attempt Everest and while I have no desire to do the same, I am obsessed nonetheless. This book also has made the cold wind of my first Canadian winter seem not so bad when I consider that I'm not 8,000 meters in the air being whipped around by insane winds. Would never climb Everest but would read ten more books about it.

incredibly surprised by how much i enjoyed this book. I picked it up on a whim, assuming it would be enjoyable enough and give myself a break from thrillers and bad Amazon books. I'm not an outdoors/hiking person but this was an engaging and fascinating read. I found it hard to put down.

Disregard my single status update. This book definitely does NOT drag. In fact, it happened to pick right up on the page after my status update. Sorry. Anyway, this book is a horrifyingly descriptive and detailed account of the Everest disaster straight from the mouth (well, fingers, since it's typed) of a man who was there and witnessed each part. Into Thin Air gives you a new perspective on perseverance, dedication, and what it truly means to be alive and kickin'. Anyway, my thoughts. Hm. How to begin? Looking back, I can't really pinpoint why I was driven away from the book at first. Having not read too much nonfiction (well, nonfiction in the form of actual novels. Textbooks excepted.), I suppose I was put off by the technical nature of the prose. So much detail! I'm not really sure what audience Krakauer intended this novel for. Other mountaineers? A common passerby? The heavy description of each climb that each person of the Outsider team at the beginning was rather dull and perhaps not necessary. Yes, we know that each member has their own qualifications and whatnot to be on the team. Get on with it! The rest of the book, however, had me like this: Seriously. I was not prepared for this. The heartbreak! So many dead at the end (I'll leave it at that for spoilers) and so many hardships they suffered. Guh. Definitely worth the read. Seriously, guys. Seriously.

"Into Thin Air" lag schon sehr lange auf dem Stapel der Bücher, die ich unbedingt lesen wollte. Nachdem ich vor einigen Jahren schon von "Into The Wild" begeistert war, wundert es mich, dass es abermals so lange gedauert hat. Wie vermutlich viele hat auch mich der Mythos Mount Everest schon seit der Kindheit begleitet, auch wenn ich natürlich niemals auch nur in die Nähe einer Besteigung kommen werde. Zudem interessieren mich Katastrophenberichte bzw. deren Aufarbeitungen. Jon Krakauer ist ein Meister seines Fachs. Es ist der Erlebnisbericht der tragischen Unglückskette, die im Mai 1996 bei der Besteigung des Mount Everest ein gutes Dutzend Menschenleben einforderte. Krakauer, ein erfahrenener Bergsteiger, war als Journalist des "Outside"-Magazins auf die Expedition geschickt worden, um über die Kommerzialisierung der Everest-Besteigung zu berichten. Was erst nur ein Artikel war, wurde schließlich zu einem Buch, um der Tragödie in allen Details gerecht zu werden, wie Krakauer schreibt. Krakauer berichtet über die Geschichte der Everest-Besteigungen, seine Klettererfahrungen, berühmte und bedeutende Bergsteiger und die Entwicklung hin zu kommerziellen Everest-Besteigungen, sodass man ein rundes Bild hat, bevor es überhaupt richtig losgeht. Was diesen Erlebnisbericht so stark macht: Es liest sich so gut wie ein Roman und bleibt trotzdem extrem faktisch, nüchtern und sachlich. Fast alle überlebenden Beteiligten kommen zu Wort und tragen zu einer Aufarbeitung bei, die nur wenige Fragen offen lässt. Krakauer ist zudem selbstkritisch, ehrlich und beleuchtet auch seine Rolle als Journalist: Hat seine Anwesenheit dazu geführt, dass Risiken eingegangen bzw. anders gehandelt wurde, damit Krakauer über eine erfolgreiche Expedition berichten kann? Klare Empfehlung!

fantastic book about the tragedies on Everest in the spring of 1996

This is one of those books that I think everyone— literally every single one of you!!— should read. I was shocked I was moved I was horrified and I learned a lot and what more can you ask of a book. Jon Krakauer sure knows how to write I’ll tell at that much. There was no shying away from the ugly in this, it is what it is, and it is a tragedy! All time favorite.