Name: ____________________
Into Thin Air:
The Big Questions
Use your notes to keep track of these important issues, or list them on this sheet.
1. Is Krakauer a reliable narrator? Cite as many instances as you can either for or against his
reliability. Include page numbers—they will be helpful later. You could also look at how
his perspective as a Western journalist shapes how he perceives events. Also, how are the
responses and reactions of other characters indicative of a bias? Is their version of the truth
reliable, too?
2. What are some factors that will prevent us from knowing the complete truth of what
happened?
3. Many of the people involved in this story make moral decisions that are either in their own
self-interest or for the good of others, including Krakauer. Some moral decisions are
somewhere between these two extremes. Note examples of as many of these as you can,
and include page numbers again.
Name:_____________________________________
Into Thin Air: Introduction through Chapter 3
1. What is the final death toll during Krakauer’s Everest trip? Why do you think Krakauer
begins the book with the results of the climb?
2. Why is it hard for climbers to be accurate about facts when climbing?
3. What questions does Krakauer hope this book will answer?
4. Give two alternate names for Mt. Everest and their meanings.
5. Who was George Mallory?
6. Who are Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay?
7. Why does Krakauer want to climb Everest?
8. On page 35, what does Krakauer mean when he says that Everest climbers must “up the
ante?”
9. Give some details on these characters: Rob Hall, Andy Harris, Yasuko Namba, Doug
Hansen, and Beck Weathers.
(more)
10. On page 40, Krakauer says that climbers must now shift their trust from their climbing
companions to their guides. Why is this change significant?
Name: __________________________
Into Thin Air, Ch. 4-6
Questions appear in the approximate order that the answers appear in the book.
Chapter 4
1. Give three characteristics of the Sherpas.
2. What percentage of Sherpas has died on Everest?
3. Who is the Rimpoche? Why is he important to the climbers?
4. Name two negative results on the environment cause by the increase in trekkers and
climbers in Nepal.
5. Briefly describe Tenzing’s accident.
Chapter 5
6. What is one strategy that has helped clean Everest somewhat?
(over)
7. Consider the descriptions of Rob Hall and Scott Fischer that begin on page 68. Which
one would you trust to take you to the summit? Why? Explain why you didn’t choose the
other one.
8. At Base Camp, there is ________________ the amount of oxygen that there is at sea
level. At the top of Everest, that level drops to _________________ the amount at sea
level.
Chapter 6
9. What is a crampon?
10. Name two of the dangerous ice and snow formations.
.
Name: _____________________________
Into Thin Air: Chapters 7 & 8
Chapter 7
1. What was Maurice Wilson’s plan to ascend Everest? How did it turn out?
2. Whom did Krakauer see as the strongest guided climber on Everest in 1996? Why?
3. What heroic act did Conrad Anker and Alex Lowe perform?
4. Which of the 1996 expeditions seems least capable to you? Why?
Chapter 8
5. How and why did Krakauer’s attitude about encountering dead climbers change?
6. How are the following people responsible in some way for Ngawang Topche’s death?
Have a good argument among yourselves. Answer with complete sentences, and try to
represent all perspectives from your group. Use the back of the paper if necessary.
a. Ngawang Topche:
b. Ingrid Hunt:
c. Scott Fischer:
7. What does Krakauer think of Sandy Hill Pittman as a person? As a climber?
Name: __________________________________
Into Thin Air: Ch. 9-11
Chapter 9
1. How had Doug Hansen’s physical condition deteriorated and why?
2. Describe the bickering among Rob Hall, the Taiwanese, and South African teams over
fixing ropes up the Lhotse Face. What might this conflict foreshadow?
3. Tell why the Sherpas believe that it was wrong for unmarried climbers to have sex on the
mountain.
4. By extension, why do you think the Sherpas believe that Ngawang is dead?
Chapter 10
5. On pages 139-142, Krakauer examines various motives for people to climb Everest. What
do you think is Krakauer’s motive for climbing? Why?
(over)
6. How has Krakauer’s attitude towards Beck Weathers changed? Why?
7. Why is Beck concerned that there is a reporter along for the summit attempt?
8. How has Krakauer’s physical condition deteriorated by the time of his return to Base
Camp?
Chapter 11
9. What was the source of the friction between Scott Fischer and Anatoli Boukreev?
10. How had Reinhold Messner’s oxygenless ascents of Everest changed elite climbers’
views about climbing the mountain?
11. What factors make a summit bid on May 10, 1996 a problem at this point?
Name:
Into Thin Air: Ch. 12-15
Chapter 12
1. According to Krakauer, what is being done about the approximately 1,000 discarded
oxygen canisters at Camp Four?
2. See pp. 170-173. What are two of Krakauer’s thoughts about his fellow climbers as they
prepare for the summit?
3. See pp. 176-178. How is this climbing experience different for Krakauer? Does he like it?
Why or why not?
4. ARGUE! Was Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa justified in short-roping Sandy Hill Pittman? Why
or why not?
Chapter 13
5. In this chapter, give two examples of characters who climb out of self-interest rather than
for the good of the team.
6. When Krakauer summits, what are his emotions?
(over)
Chapter 14
7. What mistake does Andy Harris make? Why, according to Krakauer, did he make it?
8. Why does Krakauer feel guilty about how he responded to Andy? To Beck?
9. Name a mistake Beck Weathers made that he would later regret.
Chapter 15
10. What was Scott Fischer’s big mistake with the turn-around time?
11. While Neil Beidleman, Beck Weathers, Sandy Pittman, Yasuko Namba, Lev Schoening,
Charlotte Fox, and Mike Groom are stuck in a storm, where is Krakauer? Where is Anatoli
Boukreev?
12. According to Krakauer, what was one of Boukreev’s mistakes?
13. By the end of the chapter, what has become of Beck Weathers and Yasuko Namba?
Name: ________________________
Into Thin Air Quiz: Ch. 16-19
In this reading, we see the characters making difficult moral decisions. Should they watch
out for themselves to ensure survival, or should they try to help others? Keep this idea in
mind as you work through this quiz.
Chapter 16
1. In what way did Ian Woodall refuse to help David Breashears?
2. What surprising fact does Martin Adams reveal to Krakauer months later?
a. How does this fact affect Krakauer’s credibility as a reporter?
Chapter 17
3. Give one reason why Hall’s colleagues can’t understand why he didn’t stick to the
planned turn-around time.
4. What incorrect answer does Andy Harris communicate to Hall? Why?
5. What decision does Lopsang make on page 239? ARGUE whether this was the right
choice. Record your opinions and reasons below.
6. When Harris dies, what was he trying to do?
7. ARGUE! Should Hall have stayed with Doug Hansen? Why or why not?
(over)
8. Was Ed Viestur’s “lie” on page 243 justified? Why or why not?
9. What risks did Ang Dorje and Lhakpa face when they tried to rescue Rob Hall?
Chapter 18
10. What big mistake does the Ladakhi (Indian) team make?
11. 11.What does the Japanese team do when they encounter the Ladakhis (Indians)?
12. What does Shigekawa mean when he says, “Above 8,000 meters is not a place where
people can afford morality” (p. 253)?
Chapter 19
13. On page 257-259, Krakauer compares his condition to that of his colleagues. What is his
conclusion? If what he claims is true, what might he have done?
14. What are Lhakpa’s reasons to leave Beck Weathers and Yasuko Namba?
15. Go to the dictionary and write the definition for “triage.”
Name: _______________________
Into Thin Air: Chapter 20-End
Ch. 20
1. What was Colonel Madan Khatri Chhetri’s heroic act?
Ch. 21
2. Do Krakauer’s actions on pages 281-282 affect your opinion of him or his reliability as a
narrator? Why or why not?
3. See page 283. Do you agree with Krakauer that he was responsible for the outcomes of
these events? You might consult pages 296-298 for some more perspectives.
4. What is hubris? Do you agree with Krakauer’s conclusions? Why or why not?
Postscript
5. Describe, in a couple of sentences each, three key points that are different in Krakauer’s
Into Thin Air and Boukreev and DeWalt’s The Climb.
Name: ______________________________
Ethical Decisions
In our reading of Into Thin Air, we’ve looked at how climbers and their support staff had
to make tough moral decisions that often hinged on two choices: whether a person should live for
himself or herself, or try to help others, despite consequences that could affect more than one
person.
Take two episodes from your book. Describe the situations that led to the ethical
problems, and then describe the problems and the possible choices the people involved faced. Do
you think these people made good or bad decisions? Defend your answer.
THE BIG IDEA: LIVING FOR YOURSELF OR HELPING OTHERS
Many of the people involved in the 1996 Everest disaster make moral decisions that are either in
their own self-interest or for the good of others. Some moral decisions are somewhere between
these two extremes.
Air (95-96): Krakauer judges Pete Schoening to be the most accomplished climber in the 96
expedition. Notes his decades of experience; cites in particular his time on K2, the most fatal
mountain, when Schoening saved 5 climbers he was roped to when they slid into a crevasse.
Schoening manages to dig in his ice ax and arrest the fall, saving everyone, including himself.
He could have disengaged from the line when he saw what was happening, but he helped them
instead of saving himself. (This incident is so famous that climbers refer to it as “The Belay.”)
Air (97): Conrad Anker and Alex Lowe attempt to summit Mt. McKinley. Are at 14,400’ when
they learn a Taiwanese team is caught in a storm at 19,400’. Anker and Lowe abandon their
summit bid, streak up to 19,400’, and recover the Taiwanese one by one by dragging, carrying,
pulling them to 17,000’ where a helicopter could evacuate them.
Contrast these incidents to Touching the Void, where British climber Simon Yates,
struggling to pull up injured fellow climber Joe Simpson, cut the rope when he became
exhausted, believing his companion to be dying or near dead. Joe fell into a crevasse and broke
both legs while his friend descended to base camp. Later Joe fell deeper into the crevasse and
found a way out, pulling himself along by his elbows. A few days later, Joe crawled close to base
camp, where his friend Simon heard his cries for help. Joe later praised his friend’s actions and
said he would have done the same thing, regardless of whether Simon lived.
Now let’s look at some other examples from our books.
Selfishness


Taiwanese and South African teams won’t help Hall fix ropes so all can climb
Ian Woodall of S. African team refuses to help with rescue efforts: won’t lend radio,
food, personnel, emergency supplies







Beck Weathers doesn’t want a reporter on the trip because he doesn’t want to look
foolish or make his mistakes public.
Sandy Pittman brings too much gear (cappuccino machine, for instance)
Anatoli Boukreev stays in bed while others climb. He comes up 5 hours later. Fischer had
paid him $25,000 to be a guide. Later, however, Boukreev searches for missing climbers
and saves three lives.
Others leave Weathers for dead three times. Jon Krakauer talks to Weathers but does not
insist that he descend.
Jon Krakauer stays in camp, in his sleeping bag, while others are trying to rescue
climbers.
Those who have sex on the mountain offend both the Sherpas and the goddess.
Japanese climbers ignore dying Indian Sherpas to get to summit.
Selflessness




Beck Weathers lets Makalu Gau be the first person evacuated on the helicopter. There is
no guarantee that the helicopter will land for Beck a second time.
Sherpas are risking their lives rescuing climbers and few Westerners are.
Despite previously ascending both without oxygen and the clients Fischer paid him to
guide, Anatoli Boukreev later rescues stranded climbers
The IMAX team abandons the $5.5 million film project to become a rescue team.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay: First Successful Summit of Everest, 1953