Into Thin Air : Personal Account of the Everest Disaster – Jon Krakauer

Condition : Good.
Pan Books, 1998, Medium-format paperback – Mountaineering – 293pp. ISBN 9780330353977.

Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest, when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended in the worst single-season death toll in the peak’s history.

In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day, eight people were dead. Krakauer’s book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape.

As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author’s own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions.

‘Into Thin Air ranks among the great adventure books of all time.’ – Wall Street Journal
‘A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgement and of heartbreaking heroism.’ – People.

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