Into Thin Air

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 the perilous descent from 29,028 feet (roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds...

Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed Outside journalist and author of the bestselling Into the Wild. Taking the reader step by step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly pinnacle, Krakauer has his readers shaking on the edge of their seat. Beyond the terrors of this account, however, he also peers deeply into the myth of the world's tallest mountain. What is is about Everest that has compelled so many poeple--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.


From the Paperback edition.

• Into the Wild
• Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest
• After the Wind: 1996 Everest Tragedy - One Survivor's Story
• Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
• The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest
• Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day
• Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
• The Summit: How Triumph Turned To Tragedy On K2's Deadliest Days
• Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains
• K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain