Into Thin Air - Book Review and Thoughts

When I came to page 95 of Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster I saw this quote:

"Unlike your routine life, where mistakes can usually be recouped and some kind of compromise patched up, your actions, for however brief a period, are deadly serious." by A. Alvarez, The Savage God: A Study of Suicide

That quote got me thinking at that time so I took out a piece of paper and put down some notes. Here were my thoughts then:

You can't make excuses in extreme sports because mistakes take lives. Maybe this is one of my attractions to endurance sports because it allows me to go up against others and myself. Then at the end of the day - the excuses I have don't matter. The mistakes that I've made in a race can only be traced back to my own training decisions or race execution. There is no one above or below me on an organizational chart that I can shift the blame to.

In the business world this happens all the time and drives me crazy. What is even worse is that at times results and rewards in the business world don't reflect the aptitude of a person's past. Just look at Bob Nardelli, the recently departed CEO of Home Depot, he did little for shareholders yet he leaves his job cashing in. I don't believe we would see Nardelli performing well in the endurance sports arena.

There are incredibly more risks associated with climbing Everest than competing in a triathlon but racing a triathlon at the least creates an environment where an athlete's mistakes are immediately realized. The is no way to hide behind words and you definately don't get rewarded for doing nothing prior to the event.

One of the biggest lures of endurance sports is that it creates as level of a playing field as there is.... therefore, there are no excuses.

My final thoughts on Into Thin Air

Those were my feelings at that point in the book, but as the book went on I began to wonder if I was right. To say that the book becomes one of the saddest and intense books I've read is an understatement. The scene on Everest has all the drama of a modern day sitcom; the wealthy lady with all her toys and bags, the hippies, the dreamers, the outlaws, the rivalries and even some sex scandals. It is amazing to think that all these things could go on while a climb is taking place or getting ready to take place. My perception leading into this book was that everyone would be so focused upon getting to the summit that their own abilities to climb and helping their teammates with their own climb would be the only concern. I was wrong.

The one thing that this book did discuss some but I would like to read more about are the Sherpas. Those people have a story that shows to me that all things are not really equal in climbing expeditions. The sherpas are hired help and they help people achieve their dreams of getting to the top of the world. Even if it means they drag a climber up there by a rope. Amazing.

As I finished this book, I could really feel the heaviness that Krakauer has in response to the climb. He even talks about how he hadn't come to terms with the lost lives at that point. The ending of the chapters and the letters he shares in the epilogue are very real reactions and show the varied responses that individuals had to the book.

There has not been a day in my life that I've thought about climbing Everest. The closest thing that I've done would be hiking up Pikes Peak - hardly an experience that would allow me to understand the sport of mountaineering. After reading about their situations on Everest and having to make decisions like walking by another climber that is near death in order to maintain your own life - I'm pretty sure the thought of climbing Everest won't be on my goal sheet anytime soon.

If you are interested in reading a compelling and tragic story, a story that is well written and emotional - then I'd suggest you read this book. You won't be dissapointed!