Into Thin Air

Buy at AllPosters.com

Into Thin Air is the personal account of a real-life climb of Mt. Everest by the adventure journalist Jon Krakauer. The six-week expedition began in dusty Kathmandu where the eight clients of Adventure Consultants Everest Expedition met their guides. Two weeks by plane and by foot brought them to Base Camp at 17,600 feet. From there, they would spend four weeks acclimating to the altitude before making the push to the 29,028-foot summit.

Just before midnight on May 9, 1996, the expedition departed camp bound for the summit of Mt. Everest. Krakauer takes us along on every agonizing step of the climb where we witness the horrifying consequences of human folly combined with unpredictable weather. Weeks of living in tents with sub-zero temperatures and low oxygen levels had taken their toll. In the midst of an unexpected, bitter storm high on the mountain, we watch as exhaustion and hypoxia-induced confusion result in poor decisions, leading team mates to succumb to hypothermia and delirium. In spite of selfless heroism by some, we stand by helpless to motivate others whose cold-hearted refusal to help in any rescue efforts shock us to the core. By the end of the ordeal, a total of 12 men and women were dead, making the spring of 1996 the single deadliest season on Mt. Everest since man first set foot on the peak.

Buy at Allposters.com