It was just so unnerving because it was dark and snowing, and it was loud up high. 'Not only because of the fact that good friends were up there and a couple of them died in the storm, but also because when you were down lower on the mountain as we were, to watch that storm just come sweeping up and encompass the mountain, and to hear that wind through the night, it was just a fearsome roar. 'It left a lasting impression on me,' said David Breashears, the documentary's Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who was at an Everest camp that night in 1996 shooting an IMAX movie.

Almost 12 years to the day later, a new documentary, 'Storm Over Everest,' set to air tonight on PBS's 'Frontline,' recounts the horrifying tragedy and chronicles for the first time the revelations of climber Sandy Hill, who was characterized in the media at the time as a spoiled, cappuccino-machine-toting socialite.

'A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism.— - As night fell over Mount Everest May 10, 1996, the deadliest storm in the mountain's history roared in to take the lives of five climbers near the summit of the world's tallest peak. 'Into Thin Air ranks among the great adventure books of all time.' - Wall Street Journal One of the inspirations for the major motion picture Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape.Īs the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day, eight people were dead. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall.

Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air 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 in the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history.

Mount everest book into thin air