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

“As I began my descent I was extremely anxious […] a check of the gauge on my oxygen tank revealed that it was almost empty.”

Krakauer is concerned about his low levels; he understands the huge risks to one's health without supplemental oxygen. His concern foreshadows the hypoxia of other group members, such as Doug Hansen, who runs out of oxygen when trying to descend the Hillary Step.

“Thirty feet below, more than a dozen people were queued up at the base of the Step. Three climbers were already in the process of hauling themselves up the rope that I was preparing to descend.”

Climbers’ progress is slowed by queues of other climbers, delaying the pace of the group on a day where timing will dictate who lives and who dies.

“Instead of turning my oxygen off, Harris, in his hypoxically impaired state, had mistakenly cranked the valve open to full flow, draining the tank.”

In retrospect, Krakauer is able to identify clues indicating Harris’s hypoxic state, which likely contributed to his later death. Krakauer’s failure to identify that his friend Harris is in trouble haunts him later.

“Exhausted, Doug mumbled something from behind his oxygen mask that I didn’t catch, shook my hand weakly, then continued plodding upward.”

Hansen’s exhaustion foreshadows his later collapse on top of the Hillary Step. Hall, failing to insist on the turnaround time which he had outlined earlier on the expedition, dies with Hansen—reluctant to leave his client’s side until it is too late to save himself. 

“Just dragging ass a little today for some reason.”

Fischer tells Krakauer that he’s feeling slugging; Fischer is thought to have been struggling with a pre-existing gastrointestinal condition. His depleted state early in the day foreshadows his later death on the mountain.

“Moments after I dropped below the South Summit, it began to snow lightly and visibility went to hell.”

Conditions rapidly deteriorate during Krakauer’s descent. The reader is aware that the vast majority of all other climbers are behind Krakauer, foreshadowing the ordeal most of the other climbers will endure.

“[...] my comrades dallied to memorialize their arrival at the apex of the planet, unfurling flags and snapping photos, using up precious ticks of the clock.”

Krakauer introduces a sense of urgency; the reader understands that time is of the essence for the climbers to avoid a terrifying ordeal. The phrase creates suspense.

“It was he who so notoriously quipped “Because it is there” when an irritating newspaperman demanded to know why he wanted to climb Everest.”

George Leigh Mallory encapsulates humanity’s desire to conquer the unconquerable. Krakauer is interested in the theme of human ambition; Mount Everest symbolizes the ultimate unconquerable mountain, and for this reason continues to attract adventurous and determined individuals.

“[…] the world’s highest summit was being sold to rich parvenus—”

Many traditional alpinists, who believe that mountain climbers should be self-sufficient, critique the commercialization of the world’s highest peaks. They believe that rich individuals should not be able to “buy” access.

“One climber’s actions can affect the welfare of the entire team.”

Krakauer worriedly assesses his teammates’ clear lack of expertise and experience. His words foreshadow the way that climbers are delayed by each other, leading to further death.

“Hall, Harris, and Litch were in complete agreement that sooner or later a major disaster involving a large number of clients was “inevitable.”

Hall and Harris foreshadow the disaster involving the Adventure Consultant expedition and their own deaths. Ironically, they both believed that another, less experienced group would create the disaster. This quote is an example of the narrative’s frequent use of foreshadowing.

“[…] huge stinking piles of human feces lay everywhere; it was impossible not to walk in it. The river of snowmelt meandering through the center of the settlement was an open sewer.”

“[…] huge stinking piles of human feces lay everywhere; it was impossible not to walk in it. The river of snowmelt meandering through the center of the settlement was an open sewer.”

“Beck, Stuart, and Lou unpacking brand-new mountaineering boots that, by their own admission, had scarcely been worn.”

Krakauer is concerned with his acquaintance's apparent lack of preparation or forethought; brand-new boots are known to be uncomfortable until worn in on smaller hikes. The group members’ inexperience foreshadows the disaster which unfolds when most of the guides are incapable of caring for their clients.

“[…] the glacier’s continual and often violent state of flux added an element of uncertainty to every ladder crossing […] as the glacier moved, crevasses would sometimes compress, buckling ladders like toothpicks […]”

The Ice Fall, the climb between Base Camp and Camp One, is notoriously dangerous and challenging. In addition to crevasses, there are dangerous avalanches and moving boulders of snow and rock.

“I meandered through a vertical maze of crystalline blue stalagmites.”

Krakauer simultaneously fears the dangers of the Ice Fall, while also marveling at its beauty. This embodies Krakauer’s conception of the entire mountain: It is beautiful and majestic, but also immensely dangerous.

“Climbers who snidely denigrate this as the Yak Route, I decided, had obviously never been through the Khumbu Icefall.”

As a young man, Krakauer dismisses the Nepali ascent of Everest as the “yak route.” He is forced to reassess his opinion when he climbs above Base Camp for the first time; the Ice Fall is notoriously dangerous and challenging.

“Ngawang was delirious, stumbling like a drunk, and coughing up pink, blood-laced froth.” 

In spite of being raised in high-altitude conditions, Ngawang suffers from HAPE.

The dangerous effects of high altitude on human health is apparent in his rapid deterioration.

“It added a lot of stress […] I was concerned that it might drive people further than they wanted to go. And it might even for the guides. I mean, they want to get people on top of the mountain because, once again, they’re going to be written about, and they’re going to be judged.”

Krakauer reflects on his own role in his teammates’ discomfort; he invites readers to consider how this might have had an impact on the disaster. In an interview, Beck agrees that Krakauer’s presence likely increased pressure on the guides, who were motivated to achieve positive press for their respective companies.

“[…] most of the other climbers were in similarly battered shape—it was simply a fact of life on Everest.”

A medley of factors contribute to the disaster, including the compromised health of group members, as well as some of the guides. The reader may wonder what the fate of the expedition would have been if one or more of the contributing factors weren’t at play.

“[…] most of the other climbers were in similarly battered shape—it was simply a fact of life on Everest.”

The compromised health of - already inexperienced - members of both groups, as well as some of the guides, contributes to the disaster which takes place.

“[…] with enough determination, any bloody idiot can get up this hill [...] the trick is to get back down alive.”

Rob Hall seems to, eerily, predict his own downfall. His failure to turn Doug Hansen around at the designated time is one of the factors which brings about their deaths. This is yet another example of foreshadowing seen throughout the book.

“Above the South Col, up in the Death Zone, survival is to no small degree a race against the clock […] by 4:00 or 5:00pm, everyone’s gas would be gone”

Later, the reader learns that the already compromised Doug Hansen does not reach the summit until 4:00 pm; disaster seems inevitable. Hansen collapses when he runs out of oxygen on the Hillary Step, prompting Hall to radio Harris for support. All three men die.

“[...] lucid thought is all but impossible at 29,000 feet.”

Krakauer emphasizes the role of hypoxia in the guide’s inadvisable decisions made on May 10. There are many factors contributing to the disaster, from illness to environment to character and overconfidence. Krakauer shows how easy it is for something to go wrong. For this reason, the commercialization of Everest is dangerous; inexperienced hikers have many things working against them.