Jon krakauers acclaimed account of a disastrous expedition on mt everest this is the true story of a 24-hour period on everest, when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended the worst single-season death toll in the peaks history in march 1996, outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber jon krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated everest guide rob hall despite the expertise of hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day eight people were dead krakauers book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end written within months of the events it chronicles, into thin air clearly evokes the majestic everest landscape as the journey up the mountain progresses, krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other everest trips throughout history the authors own