When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early
afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and
was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As
he turned to begin his long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet,
twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top.
No one had noticed that the sky had begun to fill with clouds. Six
hours later and 3,000 feet lower, in 70-knot winds and blinding
snow, Krakauer collapsed in his tent, freezing, hallucinating from
exhaustion and hypoxia, but safe. The following morning, he learned
that six of his fellow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp
and were desperately struggling for their lives. When the storm
finally passed, five of them would be dead, and the sixth so
horribly frostbitten that his right hand would have to be
amputated.
Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in
the history of Everest by the acclaimed journalist and author of
the bestseller Into the Wild. On assignment for Outside Magazine to
report on the growing commercialization of the mountain, Krakauer,
an accomplished climber, went to the Himalayas as a client of Rob
Hall, the most respected high-altitude guide in the world. A rangy,
thirty-five-year-old New Zealander, Hall had summited Everest four
times between 1990 and 1995 and had led thirty-nine climbers to the
top. Ascending the mountain in close proximity to Hall's team was a
guided expedition led by Scott Fischer, a forty-year-old American
with legendary strength and drive who had climbed the peak without
supplemental oxygen in 1994. But neither Hall nor Fischer survived
the rogue storm that struck in May 1996.
Krakauer examines what it is about Everest that has compelled so
many people -- including himself -- to throw caution to the wind,
ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves
to such risk, hardship, and expense. Written with emotional clarity
and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eyewitness
account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular
achievement.
Into the Wild is available on audio, read by actor Campbell Scott.
"From the Hardcover edition."
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Into Thin Air
Fri, 30 May 2014 | Review
by: Peter C.
This is a stupendous book. I read jot from cover to cover. Its not to be missed. This is a perspective u must see. An amazing read. You must read it!!!!!!
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