Into Thin Air is adventure writer and journalist Jon Krakauer's first hand account of the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster in which twelve people died. It was at the time the deadliest climbing season ever experienced on the slopes of Everest.The book opens with Krakauer already at the summit of Everest. This is not the triumphant scene you would expect however from someone who had just literally reached the goal that has become the universal metaphor for success. Krakauer makes it clear that he is hurting, tired, emotionless. It is clear from the outset that this is no tale of triumph. Krakauer paints a picture that is muted which leaves the reader with little doubt what this story is to be all about.
Having set the tone of the book Krakauer then backtracks, establishing a history of the quest to reach this peak and its importance with climbers and adventurers past leading right up to the events that transpired that lead him to the climb, setting the stage for the story of his ascent, its technical aspects, the characters involved and the things that drive them, motivations that span the gamut from passion to simple greed. Here, especially, Krakauer is critical of the business practices of some of those in the Everest mountain guiding business, especially their willingness to accept large sums of money from adventurers who should instead be discouraged from going due to a lack of climbing experience in places as hazardous as Everest.
The picture Krakauer paints one of a small niche industry too willing to cater to clients he characterizes as adventurous dreamers incapable of weighing their capabilities against the real demands of climbing Everest and the hazards it presents. For example Krakauer recounts a meeting two years prior to the fatal climb with Scott Fischer, owner of Mountain Madness, in which Fischer addresses Krakauer's doubts about his own abilities to take part in an Everest climb. Fischer is dismissive of his fears, saying “Hey, experience is overrated. It’s not the altitude that’s important, it’s your attitude, bro.” (p. 70) Fischer was among the dead in the ‘96 disaster.
The commercialization of the Everest climb is a theme Krakauer returns to repeatedly throughout the book. For example, it is revealed that just at base camp before the real climb even begins Krakauer himself is already at a higher altitude than he has ever climbed to in the past, yet he is far from the least experienced climber among his group.
By chapter we are into a narrative of the climb and we learn that just the journey to base camp presents challenges. Krakauer is constantly expanding our perspective by interspersing the narrative with aspects of the Everest story including descriptions of the physical environment, the effects of altitude sickness to an overview of Sherpa culture. Having reached base camp we also begin to learn about the individuals who will be going along on the climb, including Krakauer's doubts about some of the abilities of team member's who he many need to entrust his very life with. By the time we reach the end of chapter seven the real climb is ready to begin. Krakauer has laid out the grounds for what we already know is about to come.
