Sheer Will vs Thin Air: Analysis of Jon Krakauer and Yasuko Namba's locations after 3:30PM

Terrific, deep research and reasoning. Thank you for investing so much time and thought into this subject to present a penetrating challenge to Krakauer's sensationalist and embellished musings of May 10th 1996 on Everest. He must be feeling very embarrassed. Strange that he has not yet seized the opportunity to fess up and to apologise. Perhaps he feels no remorse? Whatever his motives, he has brought disgrace to himself, his publishers and several, innocent "teammates" from The Climb. Bukreev had to write his book in order to refute Krakauer's wild allegations. That made me really angry with Krakauer. His silence in the face of this overwhelming evidence, carefully compiled, is beyond puzzling. It seems to reinforce the evidence arraigned against him here. As a journalist he has clearly honed the skill of "misrepresenting" events to shine the light of glory on himself. That is tragically cynical and unethical. What will he do now? Thanks again for such excellent investigative reporting. Go well. Greetings from New Zealand.

I just picked up The Climb, think im gonna give it a read. This stuff's pretty cool to learn about

I don’t fault Krakauer for his actions on the mountain. Everyone is at the very edge of life and death up there so taking a decision to go on ahead and taking responsibility for himself and removing himself from needing to be saved is correct.

Building narratives at the expense of others is what he deserves criticism for. Narratives that turn out to contradict and/or not be supported by objective evidence.

I appreciate the work you put down gratefully and looking forward to learn and get new insight about these tragic events.

I'm shocked to find out so much "everything but the truth tape-salad" going on, to hide selfish reasons in high altitudes. It feels like "Into Thin Air" been held up and shaken, making all letters falling down into something looking like a broken cuckoo's nest...

I'm happy you sort them out.

People will do anything to survive, I would climb anyone like a ladder if I was drowning. Suppose if I wrote a book about it, I would be tempted to edit that detail out 💀

JK needs to come online and do a interview/confession here. I wont judge him if he is honest

So why did Sandy Pittman abandon Yasuko like that! 🤬

I remember reading Krakauer's account when it was first published and thinking it a fine example of journalism. Forgive me for the sins of my youth.

Mike, it's entirely possible, even likely, that JK lied because he felt guilty for leaving YN behind
Regardless, his lying due to his feeling guilt still does not make it JK's responsibility to care for YN.
JK was not a guide and/or sherpa and/or professional salaried person

Super sleuth at it again, amazing work! His actions seem more like that of a novice at best, but knowing he was an experienced climber and fully capable to help, but chose not to, makes it even worse in my book.

For future videos I recommend the 2008 K2 disaster. Still not clear what happened .

Can you recommend a book on Mallory and Irvine for a newcomer? Either account of their climb or the search for their remains.

This man really hates Krakauer did krakauer sleep with guys wife

It is really sad that in all the recent videos I saw about that event nobody but you mentioned the contradictions anout the decent or the oxygen story...

I don't put much faith into any accounts from this expedition. If everyone is just about gone in the head due to altitude, how can you really know exactly what happened. But some people just cannot let go of it. Gotta write the story, make a few bucks. It was an unfortunate series of events, so just let go of it.

Krakuer spends the first 2/3rds of his book saying how he’s the best climber out there, then the last 1/3 about how he somehow became the most debilitated.
None of his book stands serious analysis like this. Good work!

This is a remarkable piece of detective work Michael, perhaps your best yet. And I have devoured all of your previous videos.

Thank You for putting this all on record. Anatoly Boukreev is the greatest Hero.

It never ceases to amaze me how captivated people (including myself) are by the 96 storm. It always stuck out to me that JK made it down before everyone else he summitted with. Not because I found it suspicious, just that he made it out fine. I did think he went way overboard in his criticism of Anatoli. He does the same thing to the kid in into the wild. Its such a gross and needless habit of his, criticizing deceased people. Someone else in a comment somewhere said it well about thin air and how his writing style is the main character. Its actually not hard to picture him, skilled as he is, abandoning Namba to save himself. This is a heavy accusation though. I wonder if JK will respond.

I think there's lots going on here. Physical exertion, oxygen depravation are significant barriers to good recall, but the biggest factor on memory in these circumstances is going to be trauma (of being in a life and death situation). Research trauma and memory. I think all of these accounts should be treated as at best indicative rather than accurate. Eyewitnesses of traumatic events typically make very unreliable court witnesses.

coward

Wasn't Krakauer a client, not a guide? What obligation did he have?

I loved the book when reading it at publication almost 30 yrs ago. I’ve read ALL of his books and find him an exceptional story teller. Over the years discovering how Krakauer changed much of the narrative on Into Thin Air during the horrific days in 1996….he NEVER openly talked about why. He wrote a story to SELL A BOOK omitting the MOST PROFOUND PART that HE WAS LIKELY PARALYZED with fear unable to go the extra step(s) for whatever reasons to help others and hide in his tent, (explaining years later he went thru years of PTSD due to the climbing experience) to a shameful existence he’s had to live with ever since. Telling the truth about “himself” during the climb just might have earned him the Pulitzer Prize. He short changed the story AND his personal integrity. Sad.

This is off topic but, in the photo showing where Rob Hall and Scott Fischer was found, the location of where the group huddle happened, is that correct?

Wow, I had only read Krakauer's book. Makes me sick I gave him my money. Krakauer is pure evil.....he is responsible for Namba's death, and that could have been written off as just bad judgement,. Except Krakauer wrote a book completely lying about it to enrich himself. He has profited off of leaving someone to die. Disgusting.

He is trying not to look bad, but Krakauer is not a guide, and they were together yet still independent in getting back to camp. He could have got desperate or lost his sense of the situation in the mind fog and lost her. There were a lot of stragglers like Weathers and Pittman, if I were in his boots I would have thought it unnecessary to assist her. There was Groom, Fisher, Hall sweeping up the stragglers, all plans of sweeping inexperienced stragglers back to camp went up in smoke when the 2 leaders of the expedition dropped dead on the mountain like 2 armatures. He didn't want to put blame on the dead leaders/hero's for dying and I suspect it was survival and assumptions the experienced guys will clean things up that caused him to not play hero with a disabled straggler without oxygen. He had a hero and villain narrative, with the dead people are the hero's and the guide that descended the villain. The truth is the one thing worse than descending without helping is being a burden and resource sucker by not descending at all and making calls for help. He looks bad 20/20 hindsight but with all the guides above him he should not have been needed. He should have told his story and state of mind, but it would have made the guys who died look bad for abandoning their responsibility, their responsibility is more important than summiting or dragging a dead man to the summit 3 hours late. Bring back yourself and clint, give him his money back if you feel bad, neither has any feeling about summiting or money dead. The feeling of summitting or money come later and not at the desperate survival moment, if there is no later what is the point.

I don't know why I'm so drawn to tales of mountain climbing, as I'm terrified of heights & can't even look at photos of people on cliffs or rock climbing without feeling sick.
I read Into Thin Air as soon as it came out, and I can't overstate how disappointed I am to be finding out how much of his story was total fiction.

This was epic for the book of Esther reference alone. Every single time.

Excellent analysis. I wouldn't necessarily blame Krakauer for wanting to save his life. These decisions come at a cost and survivor guilt is part of that. It's more about the fact that he "upgraded" the story to make himself look better.

Hindsight. Groom should have short roped Namba to Krakauer. I was on a winter climb once and had the leader short rope, one of the climber to me on the descent because the team had just helped him come back from hypothermia

Hindsight. Groom should have short roped Namba to Krakauer. I was on a winter climb once and had the leader short rope, one of the climber to me on the descent because the team had just helped him come back from hypothermia

You make a compelling case Krakauer's version is not lining up in regards to his perhaps leaving Yashuko.

But I never got the sense that Krakauer said or implied "it was all Pittman's fault". He certainly said argued her inexperience and media prominence, and the pressure that may have exerted on the guides to push ahead when not advisable, was a factor. But unless I'm not remembering something from his book he never lays it all at her feet in any such manner as snarkily implied.

Groom and Krakauer ... it really gets to the heart of the Namba descent matter. My view is that, in general, Krakauer did not have a responsibility to Namba or any other client because he was neither a Guide or Team Leader. Did Krakauer have Groom's blessing to head out ahead and by himself leaving Groom ( a guide ) and the Team Leader ( Hall ) and Harris ( guide ) to caretake any stragglers? Only those two know whether Krakauer had Groom's approval. One factor that is potentially not in Krakauer's favour is Groom giving his Oxygen bottle to Krakauer. Was getting additional oxygen an implied change in role for Krakauer ( Groom may be implying to Krakauer ... here's my oxygen buddy, "now I have none" so you better use the Oxygen wisely and also help the other climbers because, with no Oxygen, my ability to help/guide goes down considerably ). We are guessing how Namba was left alone. Groom knows. It is up to Groom to either say exactly how Namba ( his charge ) was left alone or say that it is in the best interest of all to leave 1996 matters alone. The finger would point to either Krakauer ( not a guide ) or to Groom ( a guide ). Left unsaid is that all of Fischer's team and client's survived except for Fischer ( Fischer went into the climb overly tired and perhaps somewhat sickly is my understanding ) while Hall died, his guide Harris died and two of Hall's clients died. On top of the deaths on Hall's team, Hall's client Beck Weathers was left for hours and hours and hours standing around in the death zone awaiting Hall to return to him to guide him down. One has to come to an understanding that Hall struggled to lead that day thus his team and guides did not get the leadership the situation required.

So glad I found this channel, but now I've binge watched all the videos I'm hungry for more.

‘an unorthodox passing move….” Pure Australian humour there

Great stuff. But one thing:
YA-SU-KO. not Yasko.
I always knew that Krakauer fudged many points to alleviate his own survivors guilt, but never realized to what extent.

Hi Michael Tracy ... i just watched an interview with Sandy Hill and i was wondering if you had seen it ? That poor woman has suffered so much as a result of these best selling books painting her in a very unfair way to put it mildly... Harvest Series Podcast Surving Everest and Social Death with Sandy Hill ... let me know if you have seen it ... thanks for all the great work you do separating the facts from the fiction .!!

I am curious if you have (or will) deduced Andy Harris' fate? From what can be gathered from all online sources, in all but Krakauer's accounts he disappears on the descent and then either is confirming going up to Hall and Hansen or Rob mentions he is gone at 4:43 am, May 11. Krakauer meanwhile makes him acting crazy and then puts some stupid pointa about acting or failure to act. Also, in summit journals from that time, it was said that Japanese Association reported finding Harris' body near Camp IV.
Where Ang Dorje was on the descent is also unable to be deduced via online sources.

These videos are excellent research, and as far as I can tell, accurately illuminate key details of the events that actually occurred. But I am struck again, as I was back in 1996/97, at the utterly chaotic and disorganized guiding situation. Clients going up, down, every which way on their own or in combination with other people. Guides either sticking (responsibly) with one client or another, never mind about the other clients in their party; others just climbing up or down, staying unnecessary HOURS on the summit when there is a storm coming (whether they knew it or not - there is ALWAYS a storm coming in the high mountains). Telling people to do one thing or another (e.g., telling Beck Weathers to just stay at a particular spot, period), without any contingency plan or schedule. It's so incredibly random. To me, utterly incredible for a guiding organization or individual guides to run a climb this way. Finally, multiple guides and clients left other people on their own on several occasions through the whole saga, both on the way up and down. Unless at risk of imminent incapacity and death yourself, as long as someone is on his or her feet, you just do not leave them out in the mountains. Period.

More! More! More! I am not a climber and yet am forever captivated by documentaries and acted-out recreations of actual expeditions. It must have been the moment the motion picture Everest was released, that a non-climbing climbing fan like myself first caught wind of what controversial and contradicting stories had been told of what happened on the 1996 climb; particularly the climbing community bitter that the film mostly relied on Krakauer’s version. NEVER have I seen such detail by detail, side by side; moment by moment, comparison as you have so clearly done in these series of videos. I am subbed and notifications filled in and just waiting for your next one! Thank you for all this info and making it so easy to follow along. 🙏🏼💜

I read “Into Thin Air” years ago. I thought it was a true account of what happened. After seeing this video, I’m going to take it down from my library shelf and throw it into the trash. I’ll replace it with ”The Climb”. Thank you for revealing this coward.

Hearing these discrepancies is so interesting because I'm pretty sure the only version I ever heard was Krakauer's. I was always a bit skeptical of his views on Sandy Pittman, maybe it's because I'm a woman, but I always felt like she was getting flack for no reason. I also never understood Rob Hall and Doug Hansen's death. I've never been up there, but as far as I remember, the reason I heard was that Mr. Hansen had tried the climb numerous times and had put all of his money towards his dream of climbing Everest. He was somewhat super determined to keep going and Rob Hall was doing him a favor or took pity on this man who had a hard time climbing, and decided to keep going up with him to support him, even though it was too late in the day. A decision that can seem kindhearted, but I thought that it was a fool's decision, especially for someone as experienced as Mr. Hall.

I do have a question because I'm not sure if it wasn't explained or if I didn't hear, but what was the stunt/prank thing they wanted to do on the summit? Was it just never explained clearly what really went down?

Thank you for the videos, it's very interesting to listen to. As always, it seems like the words of those who have the least to gain or lose seem the most trustworthy.

Wow. Accepting this version makes the rivalry/hatred between Krakauer and Boukreev so easy to understand: no wonder Krakauer, who abandoned his teammate, hated Boukreev, who seemed to do the same at first but then went back out, risked his life, and saved a bunch of people.

Article in the Guardian today about BOTH Mallory and Irvine's bodies now "missing". Chinese authorities fingered as possible culprits. Beijing Olympics mentioned.

Whoa, the last line is really unfortunate.

I am struggling here with the blaming of Jon for the plight of Yasuko when we know that above them Rob, Andy and Groom were getting caught up in a tragedy of most likely Rob's causation due to decisions he was making regarding Doug Hansen. I think it is reasonable that Rob's clients would have assumed that if they were struggling they could sit put and get helped down by Groom, Andy and Rob. Rob in fact told Beck to wait for him. This may in fact have been what they were told before they started. To say in hindsight that Jon could have known that Rob and Andy would never return to help anyone is a little unfair. So many elements went wrong that day but to me I always turn the spotlight on the guys running these shows.
Then remember the storm hit in all its fury after Jon has completed his climb and it was the storm that was the cause of Yasuko then dying due to her, like others, getting trapped on the south col not knowing where camp was.
To say that all comes back to actions of Jon hours earlier feels like unnecessary.
Also, it sounds like many climbers past Yasuko and "left her". All would have assumed Rob and Andy would have taken care of her when they were arrived.

What astounds me is that more people don't understand this is what much of periodical journalism and non-fiction writing is: find a sellable hook, which means drama and very clearly drawn, pantomime-level heroes and villains, create a roughly accurate superstructure of a story, and then add details to fit, the truth or lack of which have literally zero importance. People, I guess, assume if something makes it into xyz magazine or is published by xyz publishers, surely it must all be true. Sorry, nope. Not hardly. Few are as ruthlessly dishonest as an ambitious feature journalist/non-fiction writer. Except maybe their editors and publishers.