Into Thin Air discussion

I can't blame anyone for how they handled the situation. Everest is what it is - not a safe place! Everyone was in a daze from altitude sickness and I imagine it was incredibly difficult to even think rationally, let alone save others. I do appreciate Krakauer's apparent honesty for what went wrong, and feeling some culpability. It was courageous on his part to include a couple negative letters directed at him from the victims' family members, on the last few pages. Though one has to wonder how self-conscious everyone was, concerning their "performance", having had a journalist there, scrutinizing every move. There is mention of that, and I wonder how that may or may not have affected everyone's decision making during critical moments. Again, Krakauer was forthright in admitting that, and deserves merit. Both Hall and Fischer's conscientious competition for business may have doomed them both.

Sandy Pittman was also reporting - for Vanity Fair, I think. The people who saved some of the people were from National Geographic. So Krakauer wasn't the only one around doing reporting.

Have you tried The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev. He was trying to defend himself from what Krakauer had said about him on this same trip. He later died on a mountain-climbing trip, possibly K-2.

Beck Weathers's book, Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest, was also pretty interesting. Got a little technical when he was talking about his operations. But, otherwise, pretty interesting.

Jan C wrote: "Sandy Pittman was also reporting - for Vanity Fair, I think. The people who saved some of the people were from National Geographic. So Krakauer wasn't the only one around doing reporting.

Have y..."

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll check them out.

I believe Jon Krakauer gave a great account from his own perspective, and I believe Anatoly Boukreev gave a great account from his own perspective. Everyone interested in Everest or mountaineering or adventure sports in general needs to read both books to get the whole picture. I enjoyed reading both books. Jon's book is more riviting, however it appears to contain errors, which require reading Anatoly's book for further clarification. The world of mountaineering lost two great leaders that day in May 1996, Scott Fischer and Rob Hall.

LOVE this book. Fascinating to read the other books about the climb-all the different perspectives on the same event. Anatoli's 'The Climb' Beck Wethers' 'Left for Dead' & 'Touching my Father's Soul' by Jamling Tenzing Norgay to name a few. Had to keep going back and rereading Into Thin Air after reading each of the other books.

Krakauer definitely does the best job of telling the narrative in such a way that it draws you into it, better than anyone else. You are walking in his boot-steps and breathing the same thin air.

You need to know his little mistakes though, so therefore Boukreev's book is critical as well.

I really do not believe Weathers belonged on the mountain at all that day. Imagine all the right wing grief he gave everyone else all during the hike, only then to be dragged out face-less and hand-less.

Weathers typifies the conformist-dependent crowd in any adventure-sport event, who does not possess the slightest amount of self-initiative to think in the least for himself. Ergo he should have taken Krakauer up on his offer to guide him out. That would have helped them both. Weathers would then have his real nose and both hands now, and Krakauer would not be all broken up with survivor's guilt that he did not stop to save anybody else.

I do not blame Krakauer at all; I think he did a great job. He also proved he was the only one who belonged on the mountain that day.

Karl - sounds like your anti rightwingbias is coming out against beck. He was far more physically prepared than sandy Pittman. JK 'guilt' had little to do with beck and much to do with Andy Harris....
Agreed beck should have left with JK though......

Hi, April.

I was referring to all the grief that Krakauer mentioned that Weathers gave others during the trek, from the right wing on politics.

Anyone who asserts that their own views are superior, is also suggesting that everything they do, their judgment etc, is also superior. Or else the logic stream falls apart.

Weathers subsequently demonstrated that his own reasoning was flawed and weak, or else he would have taken Krakauer up on Krakauer's offer to guide him back to Camp 4. Weathers instead chose to wait for someone who never made it back (Rob Hall) and then became a major burden to Hall's guide. Very bad judgment. Zero initiative.

I believe in tolerance and co-existence. But you are correct, those may actually be liberal values.

Just because someone comes from Texas and was brainwashed in Texas does not preclude deferring to or respecting other people's more liberal views of politics etc. My point being that Weather's flawed thinking became obvious by the time the trek and climb were over with. I hope he takes himself less seriously now.

Karl - Did you read Weathers' book? He makes in the book that before he went to Everest he was already mountain-crazy. On the verge of divorce because of the mountain-craziness, etc.

I will not contribute my hard earned cash to a right wing loud mouth who is not smart enough to get himself off Everest in one piece. No, I did not read it. No, I will not buy it.

I did read Krakauer and Boukreev however. The duality and tension among them is painful, and I respect them both.

I didn't buy the book either. Someone gave it to me when they were getting rid of some books. I read it to see what kind of excuses this jerk would give for even being on the mountain. He, like many others, had little business being there.

Wow. So you and I completely agree Jan, it looks like.

In the various adventure sports, broadly defined as anything exciting that can get you killed, the participants really need to realize they must prepare themselves both mentally and physically, and not just one or the other, for the trek and ordeal they are putting themselves through.

Everest is certainly like that. So is the Andrea Doria. So is a grizzly hunt in Canada or a tiger hunt in India or a lion hunt in Africa. Anything where the event can bite you back.

I guess Weathers thought he could rather just buy anything for himself. And because he was able to pay his $65 thousand that year, that also entitled him to pontificate on his right wing dogma as well.

He was left for dead because there were too many people on Everest that day who did not belong on the mountain, for the guides to nurse-maid, and he was the least of all those who belonged there.

He was blind, for crying out loud, and not even smart enough to take Krakauer's offer to lead him back off the mountain. "No I'll just wait here." Bad idea.

Namba and Pittman and Gau did not belong on the mountain either. Pittman was really lucky she made it back alive and in one piece. Gau did not make it back all in once piece. Namba did not make it back at all, very sad. Namba faced her death with courage, very typically Japanese, as we have learned from history about this proud and courageous culture. Pittman cried like a little baby.

I also truly wish Krakauer had gotten the chance to save at least one person's life that day as well. He offered, but Weathers turned him down.

Krakauer did a fantastic work of writing this whole story for the rest of us to experience vicariously. Of course he got grief for it as well, from the friends and family of those who did not survive that day.

I hope Krakauer is over the trauma by now. It just turned out to be one of those times when he was called to go above and beyond as a journalist and writer, and as such he did a really great job -- a fantastic book and a relevant issue for anyone on any adventure trek in any adventure sport.

Pittman should ever have climbed. She belongs in Vanity Fair not on Everest.

I felt like I had experienced the entire climb and felt very empathetic with him as to the full tragedy and how it effected him deeply. He is one incredible writer.

I love this book. Let's not forget that we are all human and no one knows how they will respond in the face of tragedy. I respect Krakauer for sharing his story with us.

I have read the climb and it is a very good and well written book. But I think I believe Krakauer more then Anatoli.

I believe them both, to a certain extent, and give them both credit for seeing things a slightly different way, from their own perspectives.

Jon Krakauer obviously sincerely believes that Anatoli Boukreev abandoned his clients that day, rather than shepherding them back. And that is practically a fact.

But although Boukreev's clients suffered as a result of it, none of them died. Only Scott Fischer died.

Krakauer presented a lot of testimony that a guide should be using oxygen and carrying extra for the benefit of his clients. Boukreev did not. Those are practically facts also.

Had Fischer lived, then Boukreev would likely not have been blamed much for his oxygenless antics. But Krakauer was there to journalize everything, and it became quite an eventful day for everybody. The books by Krakauer and Boukreev have immortalized the event for history. Never before has a disaster waiting to happen been journalized so completely, and it has a relevant impact for all the other "adventure sports" as well, like rock climbing, scuba diving, backpacking, private aviation, skydiving, automobile and boat racing, all the other crazy-brave thrills.

Well sometimes like you said people most of the time need oxygen, but many still think there to good to use oxygen so they don't.

And I would go with What Krakauer said, I also believe that every guide that is going to lead a climb like that big of one especially should carry around food for them and a little extra in case someone gets hurt kind of like Beck Weathers.

And more than Fisher died. It was Fisher,Hall,and that one chinese american lady.


Well a few years ago I heard on the news that this one rock climber was climbing and he had a little slip and fell and smacked his head on this big rock and died from it. So yeah you could say they are dangerous "sports".

Have you tried The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev. He was trying to defend himself from what Krakauer had said about him on this same trip. He later died on a mountain-climbing trip

I have read both books and believe you have to read both books and then believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Both books are very well written and would recommend both to anyone.