Into Thin Air

A personal account of the Mount Everest disaster

Plot

When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in over 57 hours and was reeling from oxygen depletion. Twenty other climbers were pushing for the summit, and no one had noticed the clouds filling the sky. Six hours later, and 3,000 feet lower, Krakauer collapsed in his tent. The next morning he learned that six of the climbers hadn't made it back. Into Thin Air is the true story of the deadliest season in the history of Everest. Written with emotional clarity, Krakauer's account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.