Into Thin Air

Rating:
Summary: A classic adventure/survival tale!
Review: This book, which recounts the 1996 Everest climbing disaster, surely deserves to be ranked high on the list of all time adventure/survival epics. Normally in situations like this, a respected journalist would be dispatched after the fact to interview the survivors, piece together the evidence, do some post catastrophe analysis, and write an objective as possible account of the whole affair. What sets Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" apart is the fact that he was a participant in as well as a chronicler of the tragedy. In addition to giving us the facts and personalities, he also provides a raw and absolutely compelling first person description of what it was like to be high on the mountain that fateful day. His recounting of the sense of fear, exhaustion, confusion and altitude induced oxygen starvation that he and his fellow climbers experienced is enough to give any armchair adventurer the sweats.

This book was originally intended to be an article for Outside Magazine about the increasingly popular, yet controversial, business of guided climbs on big mountains like Everest. They recruited Krakauer to serve as both client and journalist on Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants expedition, which was regarded as the most professional of all the guide services. Hall, an experienced climber, had led 39 clients to the summit in previous years, and had seemingly turned getting people up Everest into a science.

Krakauer's book begins by describing the start of Hall's 1996 expedition, interspersed with Everest history and lore. In between narrating their hike to base camp and their initial "acclimation" ascents, he tells us of Everest's discovery by colonial Brits in the 1850's followed by early efforts to scale the mountain in the 1920's. In due time, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay would succeed as the first men to the top. For a long time thereafter, Everest was off limits to all but the most elite of the mountaineering world, but in 1985 it all changed when Dick Bass, a 55-year-old wealthy Texan made it to the top with the help of an expert climber named David Breashears. The point was made - anybody could do this, all they needed was cash, perseverance, and basic climbing skills combined with being in decent, but by no means outstanding, physical condition. Thus a new business was born, with expert climbers being more than willing to separate wealthy sporting types from their money in exchange for a shot at the world's most famous summit.

By May 6th, Hall's team had spent almost a month getting their bodies adjusted to the high altitude, and they were ready to embark on the summit itself. On May 9th Krakauer and his companions found themselves in Camp 4 at 26,000 feet, resting in their tents, breathing oxygen, getting ready for the final push. So far everything had gone according to plan, but by mid afternoon the next day, events had become seriously unglued. Hall and competing expedition leader Scott Fischer were stuck near the summit, both having lost control over their respective teams. In addition, a storm was gathering below them, yet somehow it had gone unnoticed. By late afternoon Krakauer and a bunch of others were staggering around, blindly descending, hoping to find their way to their tents before the weather or bad luck killed them. Krakauer was lucky, most of the others weren't. That night, Hall, Fischer, and several others were stranded high on the peak, out of oxygen and completely exposed to horrendous wind chill conditions while, at the same time, a group of clients found themselves huddled on the South Col, a mere ten minute walk from the camp but unable to risk wandering around in whiteout conditions for fear of simply stepping out into empty space. They were eventually rescued by Russian guide Anatoli Boukreev although two of them, Beck Weathers and Yasuko Namba, were so far gone they were simply left for dead. By the end of it all, Krakauer's group had lost Hall and another guide, as well as two clients. Fischer also died, and Weathers and a Taiwanese climber suffered horribly from frostbite.

What are we to make of all this? Well, for starters, whether by accident or design, Krakauer's book is a remarkable piece of work. The pacing is spot on, the tension slowly builds right up to the climax, and then it is released at the very end as we share the survivors' sense of both relief and guilt as they stagger back down the mountain to safety. Krakauer is a gifted writer who not only gives us a gripping first hand look at the risks inherent in extreme high altitude climbing, but he also provides keen observations into the personalities of his fellow climbers, including the Sherpas, who too often in the past had simply been taken for granted. The only gripe (and a minor one at that) is I think he should have skipped efforts to assign blame, and simply told us what happened, leaving the reader to judge for himself. Boukreev seems to get the bulk of the blame, unfairly, in my opinion. Sure, he made some questionable choices on Summit Day, but plenty of other errors were made as well, most notably by both guides and clients who found themselves on the summit much too late, and the failure by all concerned to notice the changing weather. But, that aside, this really is THE definitive account of the tragedy. After all, one can really only do so much Monday Morning Quarterbacking of something like this, and eventually you have to simply accept that, up in the thin air of the Death Zone, Everest will do its best to kill you if you show even the slightest lack of respect for it.

Rating:
Summary: Very powerful book
Review: John Krakauer gives a harrowing description of one of the most tragic climbs in Mt. Everest history. John Krackhauer gives explicit details about the sport of mountain climbing and the experience of climbing Everest. While reading this book I came to realized that there were people on this climb that should not have been there in the first place. It was like who ever had the money could climb Everest. Many people put down almost $60,000 dollars to partake in a guided expedition. John Krakauer was doing the climb for an article in "Outside" magazine. The guide that he went with wanted him for the publicity. Eventhough these guides ask for a large amount of money, they where trained professionals who did not do anything delibrately to jeopardize the safety of their clients. But, even with skilled guides a lot is dependant on the skills of the indivisual climbers. One climber did not know how to put on her cramptions (specialized cleats for ice climbing) properly. One client was a young female socialite who was only out for adventure. This climb was sad story of selfishness. One leader refused to loan his radio in order to contact the lost climbers. John Krakauer described climbing Everest as an extremely physical and mental challange in which the climbers push themselves to the brink of physical endurance. Many of the climbers were on an adventure of a lifetime. Many paid for this adventure with their lives.

Rating:
Summary: disorganized
Review: Perhaps the author intended for the book to be disorganized to more accurately reflect his mental state. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I also were deprived of oxygen. Perhaps he could have spent a little more time and put more effort into it. Had he done so, I could have rated it more highly, but as it stands, the book was adequate. It does present an accurate picture and provides insight into the highly technical and expensive journey- truly an ideal for the rich. And from the tales told, the foolhardy and inexperienced.

Rating:
Summary: A warning to all those who follow
Review: Jon Krakauer's INTO THIN AIR is a heartfelt memoir, a balanced commentary, and a remarkable work of journalism. The honesty and human insight in this book is so palpable that it truly does read like a confessional. He leaves no ego unchecked, including his own.

INTO THIN AIR apparently has not changed many minds about Everest. The mountain continues to attract a growing number of climbers of dubious experience and motivation. Incredibly, there are a number of foolish reviewers here who actually want to start high-altitude climbing because of this book! That mentality couldn't be further from the book's message, ensuring that the lessons of 1996 will go on unheeded in some corners.

Krakauer's account is about the hubris of climbing this mountain, whether it be the arrogance of Sandy Hill Pittman, the controversy and heroism of Anatoli Boukreev, or the calamities that befell Beck Weathers and numerous others.

There are lessons in every life scarred or ended on Everest. Some of the most instructive of these are contained here in Jon Krakauer's tremendous work. Unfortunately, anyone who is inspired to go to Everest as a result of reading this book may be destined to repeat the lessons of 1996. INTO THIN AIR is not an invitation, nor is it a travelogue. It is a warning.

Rating:
Summary: A Mountaineering book that engrosses even the layman
Review: Jon Krakauer's book, "Into Thin Air" recounts the April-May 1996 Everest expedition of his party. At this time many other Everest treks were taking place. There were many parties that had members that were not qualified to climb this mountain. A storm occured at the same time. All of these factors contributed to the deaths of several people. This originally was an article in "Outside" magazine.
This reviewer is not a mountaineering person. I found myself making time to read this book. The preparation for the expedition, the acclimatization, the various personalities, and the description of Nepal and Everest were fascinating.
If I am in, say, a Doctor's waiting room and see "Outside" magazine and "Better Homes and Gardens"; I will go with "better Homes and Gardens". My mother and my sister recommended this book. This event was in the world news as well. The book was page turner from the first. The author was able to make all aspects of Mountaineering understandable and of interest. You learn that preparing to climb a mountain of Everest's nature is akin to preparing for the Olympics or a triathlon. It is beyond goin to yhe gym 3-5 times a week. It's your life and profession.
The personalities and teams were diverse. When you read the reasons for why the teams/individuals were there, already you are able to detect factors that might be a problem at a later time.
There was the South African team. Their government wanted them to be the first integrated team to climb Everest. Undoubtedly this would have been heartwarming to the folks in Johannesburg to see a multiracial diverse team standing arm in at the summit of Everest. However this is not a reason to scale Everest. I found myself thinking that this team should have stayed home, made a quilt together, then sing "Kumbaya" around the campfire. They were a disagreeable and uncooperative team even in a literal life and death situation.
The Taiwanese teams were another matter. You may have been on a rafting trip or similar expedition. There always seems to be a party that is doing this for "corporate team building". Some teams are there to earnestly build their teams. "You will have a good time and you will all work together!" Then there is the group that is generally all male. The last time they went camping was when they were in Cub Scouts. When they are at the rafting expedition, the guys may have their faces painted and are quite loud and obnoxious. The guides might arrange to have them dumped from their rafts. They blissfully see this as part of an initiation. This almost described the Taiwanese team, barring a few differences. You can find it cute or annoying on a controlled expedition when rafting down the Upper New River in West Virginia. At Everest, Nepal it is deadly not just for themselves but for others as well.
There wer compelling personalities. Andrei Boukreev was the team leader of another expedition. His was a complex personality. If not for him, several more people would have died on this trip. There was the Japanese woman making her first Everest climb. She was focused and goal-oriented. I found myself rooting for her and caring about what happened to her. There was the New York magazine editor. She wasn't on a total vanity trek. I really rolled my eyes when reading that she had to post her progress on the Internet and have all the comforts of her penthouse on hand.
Mr. Krakauer vividly brought his climb to the summit. He described the huge queue of people going up to the summit of Everest. It sounds like standing in line at McDonalds. It was at this time that the deadly storm hit the parties.
This brings us to the country of Nepal. The average per annum income is less than [money]dollars. Much of the government's revenues come from the sale of climbing permits to Everest. Many of the citizens get their income from working as Sherpa/guides and in various hospitality services. Couple this with an increasing number people or teams that have the monetary resources([money]per person) to make the climb but not the physical ability, you have a disaster waiting to happen. the country jon Krakauer described sounded waste strewn. It was even sad to read that along the Everest trail there was human waste, trash, and even dead bodies that no one had bothered to pick up or repectfully bury in the ground.
The Capitalist/Republican in me says, "Hey, these people are adults, they have the right to do what they want, incuding getting killed. If they plunk down their 60K so what! They're not making YOU do it. By the way what do you know about what's good for the Nepalese? Should they be consigned to herding yaks but have an average life span of 25 because they have no access to Western medicine?"
The Socialist/Democrats in my family(there are a few of those) would say, "These climbing team leaders should be made to screen prospective climbers. The country of Nepal should not issue permits, the UN should do this!" Mr. Krakauer's team leader, Rob Hall, probably would have done this. Other teams, you're not so sure. There are no easy answers to the issues that are brought up "Into Thin Air".
The problem that I had with this book was that the author disliked some of the people on the climb. He seemed particularly unfair to Andrei Boukreev. I may or may not want to be stranded on a desert island with Andrei Boukreev, but he does know his climbing and he did save many lives and prevent the tragedy form becoming even greater.
That I could relate some of these events or people to my own situation was a gift and skill of the writer that I appreciated. This book will appeal to all types of readers, not jsut true life adventure buffs.

Rating:
Summary: Death on Everest (Review #1135)
Review: Into Thin Air, recounts the tragic events of the 1996 climb of Mt Everest. What makes this book so unusual and compelling is the uniqueness of having an accomplished writer and climber also a participant in one of the worst climbing tragedies. It offers a rich territory for discussion from the client guided climbing industry to people's role in precipitating the events in the climb. As such, much controversy surrounds this book, which makes it all the more interesting to read. In this book one will find anointed heroes and antiheroes, competition and nationalist egos at stake.

Krakauer provides insights into the climbing expedition process and also what drives people to push themselves to attain this goal. Is it the need for publicity, the need for adrenaline flow because of an otherwise mundane lifestyle, or as for the guides a way to make a living? Krakauer offers up his opinions, which I found to be fair and insightful. A rash of other books, following after this one (see for example The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston Dewalt), certainly contribute to the overall debate. None are as well written as this one.

Each decade only a couple books survive to become classics and this will be one of them (books on the Shackelton Antarctic voyage have a similar interest and appeal). If your looking for drama, tension, great writing, some mountaineering history and a look into the mind set of people who live for the adrenalin rush, then read this book! Don't be surprised if after reading Into Thin Air that you find yourself searching for other books in this category.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting story of humanity
Review: A very haunting account, which ripples were still felt long after I put down the book. I found myself referring to the front of the book and read the 'in memory' list of people whenever I came across a new character. Knowing that this character, whom the author described so vividly, would die eventually and that this was no fiction, made it a rather heart-wrenching read. The author told us about their drive behind their love affair for Everest, their family, their personality, their commendable achievement, how each of them were coping with the preparation for the summit climb etc. I came to get interested, admire, and like these characters. There was a sense of great loss and sadness when I found out that the these characters would perish on the fateful day. Rob, Scott, Andy and Doug were some of the men whom captured your heart but eventually perished.

This was a story about men's irrational passion with the challenge of Everest and the folly which led to the men's demise in her arms. There were a lot of 'what ifs' and the desperate wish that one could turn back the clock. With hindsight, many things appeared to be so clear, so easily preventable. But logical and wise judgement was a precious but lacking element in such irrational passion to conquer.

You don't have to know or love mountaineering to appreciate the book. As a layman to mountaineering, I was constantly fascinated by the interesting information and insights littered throughout the story. The writing style was rather unpretentious and sincere. At times, I felt that the author was frustrated that mere words were not reflective of the dire situation and grievious feelings. It is also a story offers great insights to humanity and behavioural traits. It must be hard to find equally trying and intense circumstances to bring out the best and worst of mankind. I hope it enlightens me in some ways and I look forward to more such reading experience.

Rating:
Summary: Go ahead and vote me unhelpful, but this is a bad book.
Review: I decided to write this review the morning after I made a bravest attempt of my life- to read a 400-page book about people trying to climb a really high mountain, and how people died attempting it. True that it is no ordinary mountain- it is the highest geological point on this planet. Still it nags me to just think about how a person "in his right mind" can write a very thick documentary about mountaineering, or what he claims himself as an "odd, immutable aspect of my personality," and what almost brought he and his female house-mate apart. It is evident that Krakrauer does not really think of dangerous mountaineering activities as odd; if he did, he would not have written a book about it and advertises it to the entire reading public.

As for the book itself, I have discovered, after boldly fighting my numerous attempts put the book down and never pick it up again, that at least the first few hundred pages of this book are the most life-threateningly boring materials I have encountered in my life. Details after details- every single sentences everybody had said, regardless how inconsequential and content-less, such as "hi Pete, how are you doing this morning?" goes in the book. Also included in abundance, word for word, are downright indecent maledictions, taken in various forms of "Jesus f**king Christ! My feet really hurt!"). Since everything the author put in a book is supposedly what he think is important, we can conclude that the main concern of the author is not to tell us what lessons he learned from his extrodinary experience; his main concern is how to turn a 10-page travel log into something that is 40 times thicker, and sells.

So why does over 95% of those who read this book gave it so high a rating? The answer is probably that, feeling terribly bored with life, Kraukaur has found many allies in our modern, over-industrialized society. Since most people who read this book are from this society, they tend to be bored with life themselves and would therefore feel sympathy for the author

Similarly, since people who would spend 6 hours a day writing reviews on Amazon.com about books they've read are probably among those who are most bored with life, it justifies the overwhelmingly high rating of Krakauer's manifest on Amazon.com.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read!
Review: This is the first book I had read about Mt. Everest and I greatly enjoyed it. Krakauer does a good job of describing the events as he experienced them during the tragic climbing season of 1996. I have no climbing experience, but while reading this book I felt that I gained a greater knowledge and appreciation of high altitude climbing. You don't have to be a climber to enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Man Against the Elements--1990s Version
Review: Jon Krakauer's account of the Spring 1996 attempts on Everest disclosed the very personal side of mountaineering. It introduced the myriad of guides and clients whose obsessions with Everest ultimately became a disaster. The book is richly detailed in the dreams of both the clients who sought to add to Everest to their list of life's accomplishments, and of the competing guides who sought to either retain their premier position as guide to Everest, or usurp that position from the front runner. The story is about how a struggle to get to the top of a mountain was to become the only important thing in life,--and how life became threatened, and ultimately ended, because of it. Jon described part-time climbers, novices, as well as highly seasoned Himalayan climbers and their daily, and hourly struggle against the elements to take the summit. The story accurately portrays the near-lax attitude about tackling one of Earth's extreme frontiers and how mother nature, and the elements can and did strike back to remind us all of the insignificance of man. Jon's ability to be there in the midst of the operation and better yet, to relate the story to others, is what makes this a very special book that should be enjoyed by more than the arm-chair adventurer. It is to be enjoyed by anyone who shares this planet and has an interest in man and his challenges in life. I personally believe that many victims never read "The Ascent of Everest" by John Hunt, expedition leader in 1953. It should have been mandatory reading.