Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Working as a journalist for "Outside" magazine, Jon Krakauer was approached to accompany an expedition to Mt. Everest. He would remain at Base Camp and report on the negative impact commercialization was playing on the mountain. A long-time mountaineer himself, Jon’s long dormant dream to ascend the world’s highest peak resurfaced. Unable to quiet it, he asked his editor to postpone the assignment and to sign him up as a client rather than a reporter. So, in the spring of 1996, Jon Krakauer set out with Rob Hall’s Adventure Consultants in their quest for the summit. Little did he know that this change of plans would alter his life forever. By the time he would return, nine fellow climbers would be dead, in the cruelest season in Mt. Everest history. At a staggering 29,028 feet on top of the world, a blizzard takes place with winds in excess of 100 MPH, stranding experts and novices alike. Who will get down alive? Who will perish in nature’s wrath?

Guiding us every step of the way, Krakauer puts his journalistic skills to use, explaining the climbing lingo, bringing the landscape and its treachery into vivid focus, and offering the story from varying perspectives. The result is a riveting adventure of harrowing disaster. You’ll shiver in the frigid wind-ravaged storm, tremble at the peril of dizzying heights, and feel like you’re a part of the unfolding drama. Read this breathtaking, true account of the selfless heroes, the inexperienced blunderers, the brave Sherpas, the fearless guides, and the grief-stricken survivors of "Sagarmatha", mother goddess of the earth’s victims.

While Krakauer has given the truth to the best of his knowledge, the lack of oxygen that high altitude wreaks on the brain left a good portion of Everest’s disaster fuzzy at best. Some of the key players in this saga have refuted details of Krakauer’s account. To read their viewpoints and Jon’s response to their flack, visit the following website "http://mountainzone.lycos.com/climbing/f..."

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Best places to buy this book online (from Best Book Buys) Note: Prices include S&H and are subject to change

1. Paperback (Used) half.com "http://www.half.com/" $2.90

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