Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Jon Krakauer
Jul 2000 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Jon Krakauer
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25 reviews
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5 hr 58 min
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About this audiobook
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The epic account of the storm on the summit of Mt. Everest that claimed five lives and left countless more—including Krakauer's—in guilt-ridden disarray.
“A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism.”—People
A Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Last 30 Years
Reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion, Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996. He hadn’t slept in fifty-seven hours. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,032 feet (the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), some twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top, unaware that a furious storm would soon engulf them from below. . . .
This is the terrifying story of what happened that calamitous day at the top of the world, during what would be the deadliest season Everest climbers had ever seen. In this harrowing narrative, Krakauer takes the reader along with his ill-fated expedition, step by precarious step, from Kathmandu to the summit where—plagued by a combination of hubris, terrible judgment, and bad luck—they would fall prey to the mountain’s unpredictable violence.
With more than three million copies in print, this extraordinary book is considered a paragon of the narrative nonfiction genre. Brilliantly written and supported by unimpeachable reporting, Into Thin Air will by turns thrill and horrify.
“A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism.”—People
A Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Last 30 Years
Reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion, Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996. He hadn’t slept in fifty-seven hours. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,032 feet (the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), some twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top, unaware that a furious storm would soon engulf them from below. . . .
This is the terrifying story of what happened that calamitous day at the top of the world, during what would be the deadliest season Everest climbers had ever seen. In this harrowing narrative, Krakauer takes the reader along with his ill-fated expedition, step by precarious step, from Kathmandu to the summit where—plagued by a combination of hubris, terrible judgment, and bad luck—they would fall prey to the mountain’s unpredictable violence.
With more than three million copies in print, this extraordinary book is considered a paragon of the narrative nonfiction genre. Brilliantly written and supported by unimpeachable reporting, Into Thin Air will by turns thrill and horrify.
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The epic account of the storm on the summit of Mt. Everest that claimed five lives and left countless more—including Krakauer's—in guilt-ridden disarray.
“A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreakin...
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Ratings and reviews
25 reviews
Eclipse Shadows
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August 22, 2022
It was definitely an emotional experience. you can feel the emotion pouring out from Krakauer's voice and the details in the book made it feel all the more real. I felt like I was experiencing it too. even though I cannot feel exactly what those people felt, I still feel a great sense of hurt from hearing and reading the accounts written.
Razel Diel
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April 10, 2025
Absolutely adorable and so good and best of the best of luck and success in life stay safe and enjoy.
Josh Marlow
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September 26, 2019
Good
About the author
Jon Krakauer is the author of Into Thin Air and Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains. His Outside article on Chris McCandless was nominated for a National Magazine Award. He has also won the American Alpine Club Literary Award.
Jon Krakauer is the author of Into Thin Air and Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains. His Outside article on Chris McCandless was nominated for a National Magazine Award. He has also won the American Alpine Club Literary Award.
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