Jon Krakauer was born in 1954, the third of five children, and grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. His father, Lewis Krakauer, a doctor and weekend climber, introduced him to mountaineering when he was eight. He went to Hampshire College, from which he graduated in 1976, and then divided his time between Colorado, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest, working as a carpenter and salmon fisherman, traveling around, and mountain climbing as much as possible.

Krakauer’s father was greatly disappointed that Jon didn’t go into medicine, but Jon was passionate about writing and climbing, and has accomplished many great mountain climbing feats. He has written for Outside, Architectural Digest,The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications, and in 1990 published two books: Eiger Dreams, a collection of mountaineering essays, andIceland: Land of the Sagas, a book of his photographs.

In 1996 he reached the top of Mt. Everest, but four of his five teammates were killed in a storm as they descended from the peak. He wrote Into Thin Air about this calamity, and the general commercialization of Mt. Everest, and it became a #1 New York Timesbestseller. The book has been translated into 24 languages, and has won numerous awards. Into the Wild was published in 1996, also to great acclaim and commercial success, and in 2003 Krakauer published [Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith], which examines the nature of religious passion through the lens of Mormon Fundamentalism, a common religion in the area where he grew up. In September 2009, Krakauer's latest book, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, about the football star turned army hero, was released.

Study Guide

Why does Jon say his mental capacity at the summit was that of a small child?

What two things had Jon eaten in the 24 hrs before summitting?

What was the Nepalese government's plan for limiting the number of expeditions climbing Everest?

What are the jobs Krakauer takes up in order to finance his climbing hobby?

What is the job of the Sherpas in this climb?

What is the Hillary Step?

How much did climbers spend to be taken up Everest?

What ascent of Everest was particularly important to Krakauer personally and why? 

What is the concern of 34 climbers trying to summit the mountain at the same time?

What did Krakauer consider to be important qualities of climbing?

How were these aspects of climbing being thwarted?

The Taiwanese leader changed their summit date to May 10th. What is significant about them choosing this date?

Krakauer started earlier that "Mountain Madness" was fitting name for Fischer's climbing company becasue he was much less disciplined and organized than Hall. Give on example that supports this idea.

Why doesn't anyone trust Anatoli Broukreev? Give on example that supports why many to do not trust him.

Why was the "turn around time" so important?  What would their "turn around time" be?

Who was Rob Hall? How does Krakauer describe his personality?

Who became snow-blind?

Give two quotations that show a character's appearance.

Supply two quotations that show relationships with other characters.

Give two quotations that show character's wants/desires.

Give two quotations that show the character's personality.

What is the nature of  Krakauers interaction with Harris 200 feet above camp?

In Chapter 17, what happens to Hansen and Harris?

Who was supposed to be waiting at the South Summit?

What had axiom been engrained in Krakauer from his years of climbing?

What was wrong with Andy ,and why couldn't he understand the bottles were full of oxygen?

What did Andy accidentally do? How did that impair Krakauer?

What did Adams recognize in the weather?

What souvenirs did Krakauer have in his backpack?

What would happen after 5:00pm?

How did Yasuko almost mess up?

What was causing the traffic jam?

What is survival dependent on in the death zone?

Name two competing teams in the book?

How many climbers lined up in front of Krakauer?

Why was Lopsang feeling sick?

What is happening on the mountain that frustrates Krakauer?

What was the difficulty faced by the author on his way back down?

Where is responsibility for the deaths placed according to the book?

 In the midst of the ongoing disaster, how did the climbers handle their grief and shock?

Why were people confused by the actions of the Himalayan guides?

Beck Weathers and Yasuko Namba were left to die; what was Beck Weathers attitude when Krakauer later contacted him?

Why did Krakauer and Andy Harris have difficulty thinking clearly?

How did you feel about the final revelation that 19 people were trapped on the mountain?

Why was Beck Weathers unable to get down by himself?

Who is responsible for the deaths documented in the book?

 Despite his lack of teamwork in many cases, how does Boukreev show dedication to his fellow climbers?