Search - Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

From the dust jacket: "When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin has long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet, twenty 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 felow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp and were in a desperate struggle for their lives. When the storm finally passed, five of them would be dead, and the sixth so horribly frostbitten that his right had would have to be amputated."

A gripping account of some of the darkest days atop Mount Everest. Building the story of a crowded mountain full of professional and celebrity climbers and culminating in just a few short hours of events that led to the deaths of a few. A highly recommended read for those who can only admire the people who take themselves to the ultimate extreme.

True account of the tragic Mt. Everest climb from one who was there.

Great read! Gripping account of the author's personal experience on the disastrous Everest climb. I tore through it in just a couple days. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys personal adventure stories.

This book is riveting, one of the best books I've ever read. Jon Krakauer is an excellent writer, and after I read this book, I devoured everything I could find on the Mt. Everest Disaster that fateful May day. You absolutely will not be able to put this down until you are done, so call in sick and start reading. It's unbelievable what people put their bodies through, and it made me appreciate having a warm bed and a toilet nearby.

Excellent book! In fact, this is one of my all-time favorites. Krakauer wastes no time on boring stats but just gets right into the story. The writing is immediate, vivid, enthralling. The story is incredible, triumphant and tragic. I have re-read and recommended this book many times.