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Into Thin Air | Study Guide

Jon Krakauer

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Course Hero. "Into Thin Air Study Guide." Course Hero. 11 Aug. 2017. Web. 2 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Into-Thin-Air/>.

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Course Hero. (2017, August 11). Into Thin Air Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 2, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Into-Thin-Air/

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Course Hero. "Into Thin Air Study Guide." August 11, 2017. Accessed June 2, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Into-Thin-Air/.

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Course Hero, "Into Thin Air Study Guide," August 11, 2017, accessed June 2, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Into-Thin-Air/.

Into Thin Air | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

into-thin-air-john-krakauerJon Krakauer, Introductionttempting to climb Everest is an intrinsically irrational act—a triumph of desire over sensibility.Into Thin Airby the NumbersHeight in feet (8,848 meters) of Mount Everest when Krakauer climbed it 29,028Altitude in feet where the Death Zone begins on Everest ~25,000iconYears Krakauer climbed before his Everest expedition 33SymbolsOxygenRepresents life and survival on Everest, as lack of oxygen at high altitudes severely impairs climbers RopeSymbolizes security, as fixed ropes guide climbers to the summitBottlenecksStand for commercialization and dangerous overcrowding on EverestIn addition to being an award-winning writer, Krakauer is an experienced mountain climber. His popular nonfiction includes tales that connect with his adventurous spirit, such as Into Thin Air and Into the Wild, as well as investigative work like Under the Banner of Heaven.JON KRAKAUERBORN 1954AuthorOverconfidence Leads to DisasterOverconfidence leads to dangerous risk-taking, and inexperienced climbers endanger themselves and others. Dangers of CommercializationBusinesses compete and commercialize Everest by basing their success on how many climbers they can get safely to the summit and back.Selflessness Can Be LifesavingExpedition members help each other because what happens to one climber affects the safety of all the others.In 1996 Outside magazine hired journalist and climber Jon Krakauer to write an article about Mount Everest expeditions. He joined an expedition to climb to the summit of the mountain, but things did not go as smoothly as everyone planned. In the wake of disaster, Krakauer wrote Into Thin Air—a thrilling recounting of his ill-fated expedition.Tragedy on Mount EverestMAIN IDEASSources: The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev, CNN, Fresh Air Fort Collins, National Geographic, Time, U.S. Department of the Air Force Copyright © 2017 Course Hero, Inc.Main CharactersJon KrakauerExperienced climber and writer; keen observer of experiences in extreme situationsRob HallWorld-class climber; carefully plans his expeditionsScott FischerFirst-class, freewheeling climber and expedition leaderInto Thin AirEnglishOriginal Language1997Year PublishedJon KrakauerAuthorNonfictionAdventure
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