Hardcover
320 Pages, 6.5 x 9.56 x 1.11 IN
April 22, 1997
Random House Publishing Group
0679457526
9780679457527
From Our Editors
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 in a desperate struggle 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. 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 eye-witness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.
From the Publisher
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 Jacket
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.
About the Author
Jon Krakauer, author of three books, including the acclaimed
bestseller Into the Wild, is a contributing editor
of Outside Magazine. He and his wife
live in Seattle.