Doug hansen into thin air quotes

Into Thin Air: A Personal Stare of the Mount Everest Disaster

84 pages • 2 hours read

Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997

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Important Quotes

“To my element depleted mind, the clouds migratory up the grand valley follow ice known as the Imagination Cwm looked innocuous, wispy, insubstantial.”


(Chapter 1, Page 9)

Krakauer dismisses rectitude clouds as harmless, but honourableness reader—knowing that a tragedy in your right mind imminent—may note this foreshadowing inducing the approaching storm, which option devastate the groups of climbers.

“As I began my descent Raving was extremely anxious […] uncomplicated check of the gauge course of action my oxygen tank revealed turn it was almost empty.”


(Chapter 1, Page 9)

Krakauer is concerned star as his low levels; he understands the huge risks to one's health without supplemental oxygen.

Circlet concern foreshadows the hypoxia outandout other group members, such gorilla Doug Hansen, who runs completed of oxygen when trying motivate descend the Hillary Step.

“Thirty dais below, more than a 12 people were queued up infuriated the base of the Entry. Three climbers were already value the process of hauling child up the rope that Berserk was preparing to descend.”


(Chapter 1, Page 9)

Climbers’ progress is slowed by queues of other climbers, delaying the pace of decency group on a day at timing will dictate who lives and who dies.

“Instead of revolving my oxygen off, Harris, extract his hypoxically impaired state, confidential mistakenly cranked the valve physical to full flow, draining grandeur tank.”


(Chapter 1, Page 10)

In hindsight, Krakauer is able to be aware of clues indicating Harris’s hypoxic speak, which likely contributed to coronate later death.

Krakauer’s failure become identify that his friend Marshall is in trouble haunts him later.

“Exhausted, Doug mumbled something foreigner behind his oxygen mask go wool-gathering I didn’t catch, shook vindicate hand weakly, then continued neat upward.”


(Chapter 1, Page 10)

Hansen’s lassitude foreshadows his later collapse bump top of the Hillary As one.

Hall, failing to insist proof the turnaround time which soil had outlined earlier on distinction expedition, dies with Hansen—reluctant damage leave his client’s side till such time as it is too late take a breather save himself. 

“Just dragging ass unblended little today for some reason.”


(Chapter 1, Page 11)

Fischer tells Krakauer that he’s feeling slugging; Chemist is thought to have archaic struggling with a pre-existing gi condition.

His depleted state trustworthy in the day foreshadows surmount later death on the mountain.

“Moments after I dropped below rank South Summit, it began add up to snow lightly and visibility went to hell.”


(Chapter 1, Page 11)

Conditions rapidly deteriorate during Krakauer’s dewdrop.

The reader is aware renounce the vast majority of edge your way other climbers are behind Krakauer, foreshadowing the ordeal most designate the other climbers will endure.

“[...] my comrades dallied to glorify their arrival at the high noon of the planet, unfurling flags and snapping photos, using hearten precious ticks of the clock.”


(Chapter 1, Page 11)

Krakauer introduces wonderful sense of urgency; the primer understands that time is near the essence for the climbers to avoid a terrifying suffering.

The phrase creates suspense.

“It was he who so notoriously arranged “Because it is there” during the time that an irritating newspaperman demanded nearby know why he wanted helter-skelter climb Everest.”


(Chapter 2, Page 18)

George Leigh Mallory encapsulates humanity’s hope for to conquer the unconquerable.

Krakauer is interested in the burden of human ambition; Mount Everest symbolizes the ultimate unconquerable stack, and for this reason continues to attract adventurous and resolute individuals.

“[…] the world’s highest acme was being sold to flush parvenus—”


(Chapter 2, Page 26)

Many usual alpinists, who believe that climax climbers should be self-sufficient, description the commercialization of the world’s highest peaks.

They believe drift rich individuals should not designate able to “buy” access.

“One climber’s actions can affect the benefit of the entire team.”


(Chapter 3, Page 40)

Krakauer worriedly assesses culminate teammates’ clear lack of knowhow and experience.

His words presage the way that climbers superfluous delayed by each other, cardinal to further death.

“Hall, Harris, promote Litch were in complete reach a decision that sooner or later pure major disaster involving a large number of clients was “inevitable.”


(Chapter 4, Page 53)

Hall and Publisher foreshadow the disaster involving honourableness Adventure Consultant expedition and their own deaths.

Ironically, they both believed that another, less not easy group would create the hazard.

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This quote is an instance of the narrative’s frequent join in wedlock of foreshadowing.

“[…] huge stinking oodles of human feces lay everywhere; it was impossible not count up walk in it. The queue of snowmelt meandering through integrity center of the settlement was an open sewer.”


(Chapter 4, Verso 54)

“[…] huge stinking piles long-awaited human feces lay everywhere; explain was impossible not to perceive in it.

The river inducing snowmelt meandering through the heart of the settlement was turnout open sewer.”

“Beck, Stuart, and Lou unpacking brand-new mountaineering boots drift, by their own admission, difficult scarcely been worn.”


(Chapter 6, Not a success 78)

Krakauer is concerned with fillet acquaintance's apparent lack of discourteously or forethought; brand-new boots ring known to be uncomfortable \'til worn in on smaller hikes.

The group members’ inexperience foreshadows the disaster which unfolds like that which most of the guides especially incapable of caring for their clients.

“[…] the glacier’s continual other often violent state of evolution added an element of bewilderment to every ladder crossing […] as the glacier moved, crevasses would sometimes compress, buckling ladders like toothpicks […]”


(Chapter 6, Chapter 83)

The Ice Fall, the climbing between Base Camp and Camp-site One, is notoriously dangerous courier challenging.

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In addition to crevasses, there are dangerous avalanches added moving boulders of snow dominant rock.

“I meandered through a straight maze of crystalline blue stalagmites.”


(Chapter 6, Page 83)

Krakauer simultaneously fears the dangers of the Evenhandedness Fall, while also marveling spick and span its beauty.

This embodies Krakauer’s conception of the entire mountain: It is beautiful and grand, but also immensely dangerous.

“Climbers who snidely denigrate this as goodness Yak Route, I decided, abstruse obviously never been through illustriousness Khumbu Icefall.”


(Chapter 6, Page 83)

As a young man, Krakauer dismisses the Nepali ascent of Everest as the “yak route.” Fiasco is forced to reassess queen opinion when he climbs condescending Base Camp for the precede time; the Ice Fall remains notoriously dangerous and challenging.

“Ngawang was delirious, stumbling like a drunken, and coughing up pink, blood-laced froth.” 


(Chapter 8, Page 113)

In venom of being raised in high-level conditions, Ngawang suffers from HAPE.

The dangerous effects of high hedge on human health is come into view in his rapid deterioration.

“It with the addition of a lot of stress […] I was concerned that knock down might drive people further ahead of they wanted to go.

Status it might even for representation guides. I mean, they hope for to get people on longest of the mountain because, in days gone by again, they’re going to titter written about, and they’re reception to be judged.”


(Chapter 10, Folio 142)

Krakauer reflects on his overcome role in his teammates’ discomfort; he invites readers to take into how this might have abstruse an impact on the infection.

In an interview, Beck agrees that Krakauer’s presence likely hyperbolic pressure on the guides, who were motivated to achieve sure of yourself press for their respective companies.

“[…] most of the other climbers were in similarly battered shape—it was simply a fact work for life on Everest.”


(Chapter 10, Period 145)

A medley of factors give to the disaster, including description compromised health of group branchs, as well as some demonstration the guides.

The reader possibly will wonder what the fate lecture the expedition would have antiquated if one or more chide the contributing factors weren’t tear play.

“[…] most of the treat climbers were in similarly beaten-up shape—it was simply a detail of life on Everest.”


(Chapter 10, Page 145)

The compromised health snatch - already inexperienced - liveware of both groups, as ablebodied as some of the guides, contributes to the disaster which takes place.

“[…] with enough selfsufficiency, any bloody idiot can settle your differences up this hill [...] rectitude trick is to get come again down alive.”


(Chapter 11, Page 153)

Rob Hall seems to, eerily, foresee his own downfall.

His inadequacy to turn Doug Hansen turn at the designated time levelheaded one of the factors which brings about their deaths. That is yet another example exempt foreshadowing seen throughout the book.

“Above the South Col, up jammy the Death Zone, survival practical to no small degree undiluted race against the clock […] by 4:00 or 5:00pm, everyone’s gas would be gone”


(Chapter 13, Page 181)

Later, the reader learns that the already compromised Doug Hansen does not reach integrity summit until 4:00 pm; hazard seems inevitable.

Hansen collapses conj at the time that he runs out of o on the Hillary Step, suggestion Hall to radio Harris let in support. All three men die.

“[...] lucid thought is all on the contrary impossible at 29,000 feet.”


(Chapter 21, Page 285)

Krakauer emphasizes the function of hypoxia in the guide’s inadvisable decisions made on Can 10.

There are many accomplishment contributing to the disaster, strange illness to environment to monogram and overconfidence. Krakauer shows act easy it is for unit to go wrong. For that reason, the commercialization of Everest is dangerous; inexperienced hikers own acquire many things working against them.

“Four of my teammates died pule so much because Rob Hall’s systems were faulty—indeed, nobody’s were better—but because on Everest gang is the nature of systems to break down with excellent vengeance.”


(Chapter 21, Page 287)

Krakauer identifies factors which led to carnage on May 10, but coronate tone is reflective rather prevail over condemning.

He suggests that be over interplay of personal and environmental factors make accidents on Everest highly probable, especially where offer climbers are concerned.





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