Into Thin Air

I listened to the audiobook version, which is read by the author. I recommend that others try the audiobook version. Certainly, Jon Krakauer's account of a disastrous attempt to reach Mount Everest's summit is compelling in its own right, but to hear the author tell us his story adds another layer. His writing style is excellent; clear, but verging on poetic.

The account starts out with the author's personal history in not only climbing, but also in Mt. Everest; the author's father was good friends with a famous climber. You can hear the excitement of a little boy imagining wild adventures few can attempt.

This book was an attempt to excise survivor's guilt that time had not assuaged. In fact, in an article released last year in conjunction with the film debut of “Everest,” for which he was not consulted, and “Prophet's Prey,” related to his more recent work, “Under the Banner of Heaven,” it's clear that the guilt lingers.

“But he wants one thing to remain clear: Summitting the mountain isn't a point of pride — it's a regret. “Everest is not real climbing. It's rich people climbing. It's a trophy on the wall, and they're done,” he says. “When I say I wish I'd never gone, I really mean that.””

Some reviewers have complained that the author could have done more to help some of the hikers who needed help getting back to base camp after the storm hit. It's clear that the storm that hit the climbers as they returned from the mountain's peak created conditions that nearly eliminated visibility and heightened the extremely low temperatures and lack of oxygen. Jon, although an experienced climber, was not a high-altitude expert and did not seem to be in a fit state to guide seriously impaired hikers back to camp. Yet, can we say that any of the non-guides had any business rescuing others while suffering from hypoxia? Many Sherpas could not be roused for the same task during the storm, so what can a peanut gallery ensconced in comfy chairs really say?

Others have criticized the author's assessment of what did and didn't go right that day. I plan to track down Sandy Hill Pittman's and Beck Wethers' accounts as a supplement. But, can any single person be held responsible? I suppose you could argue that any person who decides to attempt to climb Mt. Everest is putting their life on the line. Mr. Krakauer posits that the leaders of two of the expeditions attempting to reach the summit that day may have succeeded had they followed their own strictures about turn-back times and attention to both the abilities of themselves and their clients. Had Fischer paid attention to the resurgence of his parasite and its weakening effects or had Hall stopped trying to get a client atop the mountain who had previously failed, would they be alive? We will never know. But, check this book out; there is much to think about and learn.