Jon a leader?

After the deaths of the guides, I believe that Jon was looked up to as a leader. Even though he had no previous high altidude experience, Jon was always hanging out with the good climbers climbing without using the ropes. After the major climbers died, I think it would be assumed that Jon a leader. When the South African expedition had a radio, the climbers asked them to give the radio to Jon. I believe that the responsiblilty of leadership fell upon Jon when the guides died.

If you were injured or sick with a disease would you still want to climb a mountain that you have always dreamed of climbing.

Why the trained, not the rookies.

Why do you think that Andy Harris, Rob Hall, and Scott Fischer, who are clearly more professional, die and not the rookies like Jon and the rest of the clients?

Why the trained, not the rookies.

Why do you think that Andy Harris, Rob Hall, and Scott Fischer, who are clearly more professional, die and not the rookies like Jon and the rest of the clients?

Into Thin Air

If you could summarize this book in one sentence how would you describe it? What parts do you think were important. Jon Krakauer survives to tell his epic tale. Would you risk your life and climb Mt. Everest? Do you want to publish a book?

The book Overall

What do you think about this book after you have finished reading it? Do you like the way the author wrote it? Would you recomend this book to anyone?

Yasuko and Beck

Do you think Hutchinson and the Sherpa's should of brought both Yasuko and Beck to camp four even though they where nearly frozen?

Generosity

Why do you think the IMAX team gave up so much of their oxygen and risked their lives and jeopardized their 5.5 million dollar IMAX video to attempt to save some surely doomed climbers?

Decision

If you had come down with HACE close to the summit, but if you came down you would not be able to go to the summit, and if you went to the summit, there was no chance of coming down, would you see the summit and risk your life, or play it safe?

I personally would want to play it safe because then I would be able to see other things in the world. I would also not go because I would know that I can try again next year.

Give up or Struggle?

On pages 263 and 264, Beck Weathers stumbles back into camp after everyone thought he was dead. He described his experience as being in a dream, and being comfortable until he figured he had to do something about his situation. If you were in his position, severely frostbitten, practically blind, and near death, would you let yourself die, or struggle back to help?

Personally, I would try to make it back to camp. I would not want to die without saying goodbye to everyone I care about, and I would want to make it to the bottom of the mountain and stand in the glory of taking on the mountain. I would try to get back to camp and find a doctor, and if I didn’t make it, I would be content in everyone knowing I didn’t just give up.

Is Woodal a Threat to Himself and Others?

Drew Smith
2/14/07

On pages 228-229 when Hall’s surviving team is trying to borrow the South Africans radio to communicate with camp 2 but Woodall won’t let them use it. What does this show about Woodall? Also, will Woodall make any more poor decisions like this again?

Why was it hard?

Why do you think it was hard for Jon Krakauer to write about his experience on Mt. Everest for Outside Magazine?

Decisions

At the beginning of chapter 19 we hear about when the Sherpa rescue party set out to save the two stranded climbers. When they found them they were still both breathing but they had severe frostbite, in the end they ended up leaving the two to die. By climbing Everest you know that this could very easily happen to you, soo would you ever take the risk to climb Everest? My response is that if you had a good guide and a well conditioned team that I might go up, but if for some reason the weather was bad that year there is no way I would go up. I wouldn’t risk my life by climbing Everest because up on the mountain you have no second chances.

Do you think that Boukreev made a wise decision by leaving his clients and speeding down the mountain to camp? Should he have stayed with them and made sure they take the right passages to get down alive?

Yes, he definitely should have stayed with them. Without a guide the clients were in danger of making many wrong decisions that ultimately came true.

Would You Save Paljor?

On page 252 and 253, the book talks about a Ladakhi climber named Paljor. He had been outside all night without shelter or oxygen, and had suffered severe frostbite. In the morning the Japanese climbing team passed by him. They had seen him lying in the snow, moaning, but they didn't want to give up their chance at the summit by saving him. If you saw a man lying helplessly on the side of the path you were climbing, and you were very close to the top, what would you do?

Would you still want, or be able, to make it?

What would have been your reaction to having your oxygen turned on all the way and then burned up? Would it have affected your ambitions to reach the top?

The 19 dead and missing climbers

After reading about the lost and dead climbers do you think the climbers were not meant for Everest, didn’t have it in them to get back down, or were just in the wrong spot at the wrong time?

Bottled Oxygen

If you were at camp four and you only had a bottle of oxygen would you play it safe and stop or would you continue to climb. If you continued to pursue your goal to reach the top of the world would you use the bottled oxygen on the way up or on the way down? Explain your choice with examples from the text and/or real life situations.

Would you change your decision to climb Mt. Everest after reading this book?

If you were a mountain climber who wanted to test out his/her ability to climb Everest, would you change your mind after reading the book. You don't have to be finished with the book to answer the question, you only had to have reached the tragedy. I would not change my mind. If I was going to attempt to summit Everest I would have known there was going to be some risk involved. Reading the book might shock me, but in the end I would try climb Everest. It would be such a great feeling to be standing on top of the world, and if I felt I was up for the challange, I would do it.

Would You Have Returned Alone?

Do you think that Madsen made a wise decision in leaving Yasuko and Beck and returning to Camp without them? I think he did make a good decision, because Yasuko was probably already dead, and he could not see where Beck was anymore. Even if he had managed to get Yasuko back alive, she probably would have died later anyway. If he had continued to look for Beck, he himself would probably have died and wouldn’t have been able to the others what had happened to Yasuko and Beck. It would have been hard to leave them, but I think that Madsen made a wise choice.

Would You Turn Around?

On page 152-153 it talks about Goran turning around just around 60 minutes away from the top. This act showed good judgment because he knew he would be too tired. If you were just minutes from the top, like Goran, would you turn around? I personally would not turn around. Even though it could be unsafe I would not like to go back down and have not made it to the summit, when I could have easily.

Into the Storm

Would you have gone into the storm to try to find Tim Madsen and the others? I personally would have gone into the storm and looked for the missing climbers. Even if i didn't find them though, at least I could say I tried. But, if I did find the climbers, I would have a sense of pride because I found the climbers that might have otherwise died in the terrible storm.

What would you have said?

On page 174 Doug wanted to descend down Everest after making it close to the summit, even knowing on his last attempt at Everest he had to descend 300 feet below the summit. Not wanting Doug to do this to himself, Rob caught up to Doug and had a small conversation with him, and Doug got back in line and continued his ascent. What do you think that Rob had said to Doug, and what would you have said?

Rob Hall or Scott Fischer?

Say you had to climb Mount Everest, if you wanted to or not. And you had some experience, not a lot, but enough. And knowing what you know about Scott Fischer and Rob Hall, whose team would you climb on? Rob or Scott?
Me personally, I would choose Rob Hall. I would choose him because he has everything planned out. And he seems like he has a plan for everything. And he has made it to the top of Everest 5 times before. Even his climbing name sounds strong, Adventure Consultants; not like Scotts, Mountain Madness. Scott doesn’t plan things out he just goes with the flow. And he has not made it to the top of Everest every time. That doesn’t make me feel too safe. Also if I don’t have much experience, I would choose Rob.

Would You Climb Everest?

If you were a pretty good mountain climber and you got an offer to climb Mt.Everest with a guided group, would you accept it?
I would not. I wanted to climb Mount Everest ever since I heard that it is the tallest mountain in the whole world, but I never expected there to be so much suffering. I never knew the altitude sickness could be extremely life threatening. I never thought of the headaches or the digestive problems. I would also be extremely disturbed to see corpses by the road. I know that climbing Everest would be very exciting and interesting, but it is not for me.

What would inspire or drive you to climb Everest? Why?

Spirits of Everest

Chapter 9 states that Everest has spirits inside the mountain that control your fate. My question is would you believe the sherpa culture and be obedient to the spirits of Everest, or would you not believe in anything abstract on the mountain and just go along with your business? What I would do is be obedient to the spirits of Everest because the chapter stated that one of the sherpas, Ngawang Topche died after some of the clients on Scott's team angered the spirits of Everest. It is important to have the spirits on your side when ascending Everest because the final summit push has to involve a lot of luck. But it is your choice to make.

Why the History Lesson?

Into Thin Air has been full of mini history lessons about Mt. Everest. Do you think that the information in the lessons help you understand the book better? If not why? My personal opinion is that these lessons are crucial because without the history you wouldn't know about two things. 1. Hall's past experience on the mountain and 2. You wouldn't have a basic grasp of information about the main topic of the book: Everest.

Clarks Question?

Do you think that all members of the team will reach the top despite their differences, or will some make it, and others die, and others still get injured and stop?

Starter Question

Please respond to the following question:

Why are things that are dangerous to try more exciting to accomplish?

This will be the discussion blog for Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.