# 20 Years Ago Today: Into Thin Air, 1996 Mount Everest Tragedy, Rob Hall, Scott Fischer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 11, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-ago-today-into-thin-air-1996-mount-everest-tragedy-rob-hall-scott-fischer/754555 "2016-05-11T16:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-ago-today-into-thin-air-1996-mount-everest-tragedy-rob-hall-scott-fischer/754555/1 "2016-05-11T16:33:36Z")
On the morning of 11 May 1996, several people had died when trapped on the South Col of Mt. Everest (along the south col and southeast ridge route above the Khumbu Icefall; route, map and description here, [The South East Ridge Route and route map](http://www.vmeverest09.com/route-map/)). Many more people learned of the tragedy after Jon Krakauer published his book, Into Thin Air. The pull of the summit, tugging people beyond their abilities to their death, is an intriguing dynamic. I’ve read Into Thin Air maybe 6-7 times over the years, it is a quick and gripping read, and I’ve also read most everyone’s first person accounts if they’d written a book. I’m currently starting Lene Gammelgaard’s book. She was the first Scandinavian woman to summit Everest via that route[FONT="] [FONT="]on[/FONT] Fischer’s expedition. Did anyone else get pulled into this drama as it unfolded (me, only after it happened) or otherwise a fan or critic of Into Thin Air?[/FONT] ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-ago-today-into-thin-air-1996-mount-everest-tragedy-rob-hall-scott-fischer/754555/2 "2016-05-11T17:09:36Z")
I remember when it happened, and have read Krakauer’s book. Can’t believe it’s been 20 years! ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-ago-today-into-thin-air-1996-mount-everest-tragedy-rob-hall-scott-fischer/754555/3 "2016-05-11T17:22:01Z")
I was a subscriber to _Outside_ at the time and read his initial account, then read the full book as soon as it came out. I was fascinated by the controversy around Krakauer’s own position as one of the guided clients that contributed to some of the problems on Everest, and by the changes in his narrative (in his initial account, he described seeing one of his fellow climbers near the relative safety of Camp 4 and then disappearing, but after discussions with other climbers he realized he wasn’t fully cognitive and had seen someone else). Since that book, I’ve taken a more active interest in mountain climbing stories. And as a counterpart to _Into Thin Air_, I recommend reading [_High Crimes: the Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed_](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1924981.High_Crimes). Even though _Into Thin Air_ describes tragedy and poor choices on Everest, it still presents a rosy view of conquering the mountain and its beauty when things go right. _High Crimes_ is much more about the seedy side, camps strewn with garbage and sewage, violence, and not a place of beauty at all. The downside of the book is that the author is very sensationalist and an unreliable narrator - when he describes how awful some people are, it made me wonder how they would have described him. The prose is a bit much in places too. Still worth checking out if the topic interests you. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-ago-today-into-thin-air-1996-mount-everest-tragedy-rob-hall-scott-fischer/754555/4 "2016-05-11T17:31:21Z")
A huge turning point for me. _Into Thin Air_, which I’ve read at least a dozen times, inspired me not only to read other books about Everest and this tragedy, but also to expand to other mountains (I read six books last year about climbs on K2), and other adventures (technical diving, smoke jumping, wilderness explorations, etc.) Probably a third of all the books I’ve read in the past 20 years were selected as a direct result of reading _Into Thin Air_. A moment to remember all of those who died on Everest in 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-ago-today-into-thin-air-1996-mount-everest-tragedy-rob-hall-scott-fischer/754555/5 "2016-05-11T23:34:06Z")
I have recommended the book to many people over the years. It’s one of those that sticks with you, and I have thought about what drives people to take such risks, and the ethics of it. I was saddened by the losses in that book, and fascinated by the very well-written story.