This is the eye-witness account of the May 1996 tragedy on Mount Everest, in which several climbers were killed in a blizzard.
In 1996 Jon Krakauer was sent by Outside magazine to report on the Everest industry, the high-priced expeditions that take novices and experts alike into the most forbidding terrain on the planet. An experienced climber new to high altitudes, got more than he bargained for. On May 10th, an unexpected blizzard hit the summit just as two Americans teams were descending. Eight people, including the two professional leaders were lost and another injured. INTO THIN AIR is one man's reflection on risk and tragedy.