Without this background information, Krakauer would seem very biased when describing the dangers that climbing Everest holds during the process. Many bad decisions were made during that day because of the political circumstances during that time. This gives readers an idea of what was going on during that time period so that they could form their own opinions about what happened on the day of the storm. In addition to the beginning of the climax, Krakauer gives a brief history of the area around Everest and the mountain itself. The lack of details in this chapter also gives the reader room to imagine how a “blanket of clouds,” turned into one of the worst storms on Everest. This first chapter draws the reader in and makes them wonder what happens at the end. Nobody suspected that by the end of that long day, every minute would matter”. “None of them imagined that a horrible ordeal was drawing nigh. He realizes what is coming and foreshadows the events to come. Krakauer starts off the book by describing the climax of the story, from his perspective only, which is when he reaches the top of the mountain and sees a giant storm heading his way. As Krakauer does this, he also points out the fact that commercializing Everest impedes on the safety of the climbers by encouraging competition between guides which leads them to make rash decisions. Through his retelling of his original story published in Outside, Jon Krakauer warns daredevils or outdoorsy people about how in the battle between Mount Everest and mankind’s ego, Everest will always win. Although he had written an article about the Mount Everest disaster a year prior to the publishing of this book, it was soon discovered that many minor facts were inaccurate and ultimately, further harmed the family of one of the deceased climbers. In Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer describes what really happened on his journey to the top of the world. This is exactly the moment that Jon Krakauer dreams of, but it is also the moment that almost killed him. Those who climb mountains take this adventure to the physical extreme and push their bodies to the limit for a singular moment of ecstasy at the top.

Throughout history, people have always dreamed of standing on top of the world to look down on everyone, to feel a sense of power and accomplishment above everyone else.

Mount everest book into thin air