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  • Into Thin Air

  • A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
  • Written by: Jon Krakauer
  • Narrated by: Philip Franklin
  • Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (84 ratings)

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Into Thin Air

Written by: Jon Krakauer
Narrated by: Philip Franklin
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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.

What the critics say

"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)

What listeners say about Into Thin Air

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Sad but insightful

Loved it and if you are an outdoor enthusiast you will as well. No one is above the mountain.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Gripping and frightening. I loved it.

I have never read anything about mountain climbing before and now I know I never want to try it. This book takes you up Everest and into the minds of some of the most driven adventure seekers on the planet. It’s riveting and sad, exciting and horrifying. I couldn’t put it down.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning

I have listened to this audio book 3 times now, and each time I am stunned by the harrowing details of this tragedy. Jon Krakauer‘s chronological and thoroughly researched account of his experience is heartbreaking. He is so earnest and forthcoming with outlining his own mistakes, as well as detailing the many minor slip ups that built up to caused the break down. It makes you ponder what you would do under such immense pressure and hypoxic conditions. Extremely well written, very accessible and totally devastating.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Deeply portrays the conditions of climbing Everest

I am an aspiring mountaineer and the detailed description of this Expedition paints the magnitude and gravity of climbing an 8,000 m peak.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good

good I liked it, I never realized how hard climbing mount Everest is, I think I want to try

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent novel!

This was an excellent novel for not only climbing enthusiasts but the general public. Highly recommended for all audiences!! #Audible1

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling and frightening

I am grateful that Jon Krakauer took the time to write this account of the tragedy on Everest. With his own recollections, and those of others, he has pieced together what happened. Oxygen deprived and fogged by the confusion that killed others, he made mistakes that he hasn't forgiven himself for. Yet he takes responsibility. I hope he can make peace with it someday. As a result, the book has a rather gloomy conclusion... but, then again, how could it be otherwise? The tells the story as Jon experienced it, only revealing what transpired afterwards, as he put the pieces together. It made it compelling. I might want to read it again, with a list of climbers and teams, and a map f the mountain.

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