Into Thin Air

A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

By: Jon Krakauer

Narrated by: Philip Franklin

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in 57 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, 20 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 best seller 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, 35-year-old New Zealander, Hall had summited Everest four times between 1990 and 1995 and had led 39 climbers to the top. Ascending the mountain in close proximity to Hall's team was a guided expedition led by Scott Fischer, a 40-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.

©1997 Jon Krakauer (P)1997 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"Into Thin Air ranks among the great adventure books of all time...a book of rare eloquence and power that could remain relevant for centuries." (Galen Rowell, The Wall Street Journal)

"No added dramatics are needed for the listener to imagine the high-altitude cold, fear, bravado and sense of total isolation felt by all who were trapped beyond help, as well as by those who survived. Franklin’s emulations of the multinational voices of guides, clients and Sherpas bring one still closer to the action." (AudioFile)

Great running book

I listened to this while running and it is one of those stories that urges you to take another step. An inspiring and intriguing story that takes you through the struggle to survive and the heartache of everything you can do just not being enough.

This was one of my favorites

The movie Everest got me to research this tragedy and although I was not a big fan of the movie I really enjoyed this book.

I was interested in the events and decisions that led up to the event as well as what motivates people to want to climb Mount Everest in the first place. Jon was able to put me in his shoes and although I am never going to try become a mountain climber I could definitely see the allure in the conquest. He was also able to provide enough details that I could follow the story and understand what they were doing, but not overwhelm me with irrelevant facts.

The narrator did a great job of keeping the pace and the feeling was appropriate for the situations without becoming campy.

There have been some comments that he was pointing fingers, but he took his own responsibility and he detailed why a person would not be expected to operate 100% irrationally as everything unfolded. I did not come away with a feeling that there was some bad guy that was responsible for everything.

Gripped by this story - really enjoyed everything

If you could sum up Into Thin Air in three words, what would they be?

Gripped by this story - really enjoyed everything everything about it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Into Thin Air?

I felt the author was true to the events that took place as he even stated some things that were conflicting or unsure of due to the high altitude.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Obviously, the call with Rob Hall and his wife.

Any additional comments?

A must read (or listen!)

The Everest Tragedy of 1996. Excellent book.

Outside magazine commissioned mountain climber and author Jon Krakauer to join a guided climb of Mt Everest in 1996 when many lives were lost. Compelling story with many viewpoints on why the disaster occurred. One of the best books ever written.

Great book but not narrated by the author

This is a great book. A very intense and thought-provoking story that will appeal to anyone with an interest in mountaineering.

Editing Problem?

Some sentences were repeated, on occasions more than once. Some words and even sentences have been cut out. Overall a very decent audiobook,

Compelling read/listen.

Gripping and tragic. I already knew about some of this story, but despite knowing the outcome, I was still compelled to keep listening.

Nicely read

Some of the narrator's attempts at New Zealand or Australian accents are quite laughable, falling closer to Irish, but his performance was quite good nonetheless. Excellent treatment of the emotions conveyed in the book.

An objective account and a good read.

this comes across as a much better read than climbers who write books, this is an author who happens to climb. as such, it makes for a much better story. good lessons here in hubris and the compounding effect of (seemingly) insignificant actions.

Still my favorite, 30+ books later

As I think back over the over 30 books I've listened to since joining Audible, this was my first listen and is still my favorite.

Call it voyeurism, curiosity, or whatever you like, but how many times do you get to hear a story from someone who witnessed it first hand and is such a powerful storyteller? Krakauer is gritty, circumspect, and at times raw in this gripping narrative, and to hear him read it makes this a true gem in the audiobook library.

One bit of practical advice, though. While Krakauer does an excellent job of describing the climb and the disaster, as someone with no knowledge of Everest, I found that a little accompanying research on the Internet illuminated his descriptions. I have since purchased a hardback copy of the book and there are maps and photos in there that bring one more level of depth to the book, but I was able to see a lot of the same information by researching the events online.