INTO THIN AIR by Jon Krakauer
VOCABULARY
1) Mt. Everest – the highest mountain on Earth
2) Jon Krakauer – the author of Into Thin Air
3) Rob Hall – age 35, a New Zealander who was head guide of the 1996 expedition; his
wife was pregnant
4) Doug Hansen – age 46, a postal worker who held down 2 jobs to pay for his dream to
climb Everest
5) Andy Harris – 31, a New Zealand guide who had never climbed Everest before
6) Scott Fischer – age 40, an American climber and guide
7) Anatoli Boukreev – a Russian guide who worked with Scott Fischer
8) Summit – the top
9) Heeded – p.8 - pay attention to
10) Cwm (koom) – p.9 - is a Welsh term for valley
11) Serrated – p.9 – jagged
12) Rappel – p.9 - to descend a very steep cliff on a rope by short, swinging drop
13) Queue – p.9 - a line up
14) Squander – p.10 – waste
15) Terrain – p.10 – landscape
16) Wheezed - p.11- breathe with a whistling sound
17) Lhotse Face – 4th highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest by the South Col
18) Dally – p.11 – waste time, hang around
19) Plausible – p.15 – believable
20) Theodolite – p.15 – an instrument used in measuring
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21) Himalaya – p.15 – a mountain chain in Nepal
22) Stature – p.16 – size
23) Sir George Everest – Mt. Everest was named after him
24) Mountaineering – p.17 – sport, hobby, or profession of climbing mountains
25) Acclimatize – to adapt to climate change
26) Altitude sickness – (AMS) – caused by exposure to air pressure
27) Belay – controlling the rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far
28) Crampons – metal parts worn under boots to provide traction on snow and ice
29) Crevasse – a huge crack formed by 2 glaciers colliding
30) HACE – high altitude cerebral edema – a severe, fatal form of altitude sickness
31) HAPE – high altitude pulmonary edema – fluid accumulates in the lungs and is often fatal
32) Seracs – a block of ice (even house-sized) that may topple with little warning
33) Jumar – a mechanical device used for ascending a rope
34) Striated – p.17 – striped
35) Arduous – p.17 – strenuous, difficult
36) Regime – p.18 – government
37) Zeal – p.18 – enthusiasm
38) Expedition – p.18 – trip, journey
39) Sherpa – p.19 – a highly skilled mountaineer, a porter
40) Hilary and Tenzing – p.20 – 1st men to ever stand atop Mt. Everest
41) Ascent – p.21 – go up
42) Descent – p.195 – go down
43) Bivouac – p.22 – a temporary camp
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44) Decade – p.23 – 10 years
45) Machismo – p.23 – male pride
46) Prestige – p.23 – reputation, honor
47) Denigrate – p. 23 – belittle, put down
48) Deterrent – p.26 – prevention
49) Abscond – p.26 – run off with, escape
50) Knot – p.18 – one nautical mile (the speed of a ship)
51) Lavatories – p.33 – bathrooms
52) Starboard – p.33 – right side of a boat
53) Gregarious – p.33 – outgoing
54) Raconteur – p.33 – storyteller
55) Brouhaha – p.36 – confusion
56) Behemoth – p.38 – enormous, huge
57) Commercialization – the emphasis on money and profit
58) May 11, 1996 – 8 people died on Mt. Everest
59) Yasuko Namba – p.134 – Japanese, age 47, oldest woman to reach the Everest summit
60) Beck Weathers – p.140 – a pathologist from Dallas
61) Base Camp – p.174 – where climbers rest for a few days to acclimatize to reduce the risks
and severity of altitude sickness
62) Khumbu Icefall – is located just above base camp. It is a massive icefall at the head of the
Khumbu Glacier and can consist of huge blocks of ice as big as large houses.
63) Shale – p.193 – fine-grained rock
64) Outside magazine – sponsored Jon Krakauer to climb and write about the expedition to
the top of Mt. Everest
65) Flummoxed – p.194 – confused
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66) Supplemental – p.195 – extra
67) Lucidity – p.196 – clarity
68) Hypoxia – p.196 – the body fails to absorb oxygen so the person can’t breathe
69) Lacerate – p.199 – cut
70) Purge – p.210 – get rid of
71) Dehydration – p.217 – lack of fluids
72) Fatigue – p.258 – tiredness, exhaustion
73) Befuddled – p.259 – puzzled
74) Hector – p.261 – bully
75) Camp 1 – at the top of the icefall
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