Rating: 
Summary: A good first read of the May, 1996, disaster
Review: Briefly, Krakauer's account of the events is no doubt accurate, but in spite of the quality fo the actual writing, the analyses and conclusions drawn leave something missing. Perhaps Krakauer's own judgment was simply altered on the mountain, as well, preventing a completely clear view of the events.Krakauer's observations don't always jive with those of the other climbers on his and other expeditions, and after re-reading the book recently, I feel Krakauer himself wasn't in position at the right time to justify the conculsions he makes. Nonetheless, a good read, but only in conjunction with other books on the same issue. Boukreev's "The Climb" is a far better account, and serves as an excellent follow-up to "Into Thin Air".
Rating: 
Summary: Tragic
Review: Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air is an incredibly brutal and honest recollection of the events that led to tragedy on Mount Everest in May 1996. With an unflinching eye, Krakauer relates the brashness of inexperienced climbers, the ambivalence of underpaid Sherpas, and the blind ambition of the over-aggressive guides, hungry to make a name for themselves and corner a piece of a market that caters to the rich and inexperienced climber. Mountain climbing, we learn, is no longer a sport of determination, of man against nature, but rather the sport nouveau for the rich and bored. It seems that anyone with enough cash can hire a team of professionals, much like Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants or Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness teams, to literally drag them up a mountain. There are a number of factors that led to the disaster on Everest on May 10-11, 1996, and Krakauer is infallible in his attempt to uncover them all. He blames no one and at the same time blames everyone. In his attempt to expose the truth and to lay some questions to rest, Krakauer bravely opens himself to criticism from survivors and families of the victims, which he addresses. It is impossible to read this book and not feel shock and regret for everyone involved.
Rating:
Summary: A Towering Memoir of Everest
Review: Reporter Jon Krakauer took an assignment from Outside magazine to write a piece on the guided expeditions up Mount Everest being offered by experienced climbers. A climber himself (albeit one with no high-altitude experience), who had long dreamed of scaling Everest, Krakauer joined a tour led by the New Zealand climber Rob Hall. He made it to the summit only minutes before an unexpected blizzard struck the mountain. Hall's wasn't the only group on Everest, and before the storm was over, he and nine other climbers had died. "Into Thin Air," an expansion of the 17,000-word piece Krakauer wound up writing for Outside, is Krakauer's first-person account. It is also the realization of a man who has gone as far as he could in pursuit of a habit that almost killed him. Krakauer says that writer friends urged him to get some perspective on the experience before writing this book. He couldn't, he said, because it "was gnawing my guts out." Though "Into Thin Air" came less than a year after that trip, it didn't weaken Krakauer's reporting skills. He's scrupulously fair and honest about his co-climbers and guides. He records acts of selfishness and foolishness as well as acts of bravery, sometimes all from the same person. Mr. Krakauer writes indelibly, agonizingly, on the physical torment of existing, let alone exerting yourself, at high altitude. He's brilliant on the particular brand of masochistic asceticism that drives mountain climbers. He doesn't take the easy position that only experienced climbers should be allowed on Everest; he knows that anyone has to be slightly crazy to attempt it. Describing a hike he took to accustom himself to the higher climate, he writes, "There, at the head of the Cwm [pronounced koom] ... I came upon (a) body in the snow, or more accurately the lower half of a body. The style of the clothing and the vintage leather boots suggested that ... the corpse has lain on the mountain for at least ten or fifteen years ... the shock ... wore off almost immediately... It was as if there were an unspoken agreement ... none of us dared acknowledge what was at stake here." It's the highest praise I can give "Into Thin Air" that Krakauer has faced without self-protection what, finally, was at stake. His story contains what must be one of the essences of hell: the unceasing potential for things to become worse than you fear. Staying up half the night to finish "Into the Air," I spent the other half trying to push it out of my mind. I don't even want to think about what Jon Krakauer sees when he closes his eyes.
Rating: 
Summary: Into Thin Air
Review: The book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster. An adventurous expedition to the summit of Everest in May of 1996. Krakauer's report of the disaster in this book are recollections of the events that transpired on Mt. Everest. This one expedition took the lives of thirteen climbers due to the radical change in the weather. Mt. Everests summit is at an altitude of 29,028 feet, ruefully the cruising altitude of most jet airliners. Krakauer also goes into great detail about the history of Mt. Everest from the first expedition, to the clean up of the mountain, to some of the present day expeditions. This is overall a good book. It is slow going at times and the vocabulary is very extensive, yet the excitement of the book is worth it. We do recommend reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Feat Gone Wrong
Review: I very easily gave this book 5 stars. I have not read an adventure story that beats the thrill of Into Thin Air. The first thing I read was the dedication, '...and in memory of...' Oh wow I thought, this is for real. That set the tone for the rest of the book. The story of the Everest disaster is one that I'll remember for quite a while. Krakauer does a remarkable job telling his story. I hike a lot on the Appalachian Trail, and for someone to thru hike the whole 2,100 mile trail seems like a totally enduring experience. But compared to a trip to summit Mt. Everest, it seems like a little hike through the woods. Kraukauer tells of all what is involved to summit the monster. His detail of climbing and the elements gave me a headache and took me straight to the mountain. This is truely one supurb storyteller, telling an even more exciting tale of accomplishment and disaster.
Rating:
Summary: A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing.
Review: Have you ever been in a life or death situation? Some say that your perception is altered. Others say that your adrenalin kicks in and your mind is totally clear. Or maybe it could be a little bit of both. The book "Into Thin Air" By John Krakauer tells about first hand accounts of heroics and clouded decisions made by the expeditioners. When Krakauer was given the assignment by the editor of Outside Magazine to go to the base camp of Mount Everest and write about the commercialization of the expeditions, he thought, he would climb it while there. Upon arrival in Nepal he made a steadfast friendship with his guide Rob Hall (a world renowned climber). The other ill-fated expedition's guide was Scott Fisher. Upon departure for the summit the expeditioners' fate was foreshadowed by the clients' disregard for the safety and welfare of the other members. From beginning to end this book was fraught with tragedy and misfortune. In the early beginnings of the story an excellently skilled Sherpa (guide) fell to his death. Everything seemed to go down hill from there. An unexpected storm caught everyone off guard and claimed most of the climber's lives after they ignored deadlines and were hours away from safety in camp. At the end many lay dead in one of the most tragic Everest expeditions ever. This is one of the most phenomenal and heart wrenching books that one will ever read. It was fabulously written and it superbly described the horrible tragedy that took place on the fateful day of May 10th, 1996. I recommend this book to the advanced reader who doesn't mind some bothersome detail.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: From Base Camp to the Summit, I was enthralled. Into Thin Air, John Krakauer's adventure tale of the Everest climbing disaster in 1996, was wonderful. The events of this climb were a haunting memory for Krakauer and this book was his way of getting them off his chest. In 1996 John Krakauer was asked by Outside magazine to accompany Rob Hall, an accomplished Everest guide, on a mission to the highest peak in the world in order to write an article about the growing commercialization of Everest. Climbing Everest was an ambition since boyhood for Krakauer. So in the spring of 1996 he went to Nepal, where he met his nine climbing companions, and three guides. John Krakauer did not easily bond with any climbers except for one forty six year old postal worker from Seattle named Doug Hansen. Most of his companions were wealthy people with little actual climbing experience. Even so, the group climbed successfully until the last stretch to the summit. On the final summit climb many mistakes were made and the blame cannot be pinned on one person, but the lack of oxygen caused a lack of good judgement. Only six of Krakauer's companions returned to base camp. The agreed upon turn back time of 2 o'clock was not abided by and there were people reaching the summit after 5 p.m. It was impossible to reach the camp in the dark during a blizzard. Thus, the lives of two of the group's guides, including head guide Rob Hall, were lost. Doug Hansen and three other climbers were also killed in the storm. When one approaches this book, it cannot only be thought of as a book about climbing. Into Thin Air is about people and how important it is to have a mental and physical balance. Once the group was in the "death Zone" above 24,000 feet, brain cells were lost and the physical element of Everest became just as dangerous as the mental element. True to Krakauer's original assignment, this book is about the commercialization of Everest and the people like Krakauer's companions who try to buy the accomplishment of climbing Everest instead of earning it. John Krakauer has an excellent writing style, both informative and thrilling at the same time. Into Thin Air is Krakauer at his best. This book is great for outdoorsmen and city boys alike. It shows how critical every decision is on the top of the world.
Rating:
Summary: Best Adventure Book Ever Written
Review: If you have ever seen snow, been in the woods, or felt rain, you have to read this book. This book is not only for adventure junkies. It is for anyone who loves a gripping tale. Although it is nonfiction, it is a page turner if there was one. Really, this is the most amazing nonfiction book that I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping tale
Review: Krakauer is both an excellent storyteller and a experienced outdoorsman who participated in a doomed Everest expedition and lived to tell the tale. A tragic situation, and ironically the perfect formula for a great adventure tale. Many things went wrong on the climb, for which many of the expedition's members share the blame. This is to be expected on a dangerous climb which encounters an unexpected obstacle, in this case the killer storm. In the book Krakauer goes to great lengths to make it clear that he himself is culpable, but his self-flagellation gets a bit tiresome after a while. Overall, Krakauer handles the material well. There are a lot of elements here besides the thrill of the climb. The personalities, motivations, and responses to crisis are the most gripping parts of the story. But Krakauer resists the temptation to beat us over the head with a lot of psycho-analysis and opinion; he just recounts the events and lets the story speak for itself. Into Thin Air is a gripping tale of adventure and danger. One wonders what effect the book will have. Will readers take Krakaur's tale as a warning and avoid "unnecessary" perils like climing Everest, or will every stairmaster jock with $65k to blow head to the Himalayas looking for adventure?
Rating:
Summary: Very hard to put down.
Review: A friend of mine recomended this book a few years ago. He told me that he could not put the book down. I figured I'd give it a shot, and figured it would be nice to read about an actual occurance. When I look back at the books in my life that were the hardest to put down, this is one that will come to mind. I remember reading this book and being just absolutely SHOCKED at what people put themselves through to climb this mountain. I recomend this book to anyone who has ever had to persevere something, or may have to at some time in the future. I was getting ready for a military style 15 day training, and this book helped me prepare for it. I figured if those people on that mountain can endure what they did, then what I was going to go through was nothing. I guess that goes for life in general as well, no?
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