Mistakes That Lead to Tragedies and Precautions That Lead to Success
The best way to bring attention to a problem is tragedy. Unfortunately, this means reform will not happen until the loss or harm of life has already occurred. One example of this was seen in New York, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This fire was the cause of 146 deaths and many more injuries; however, this lead to new law regulating work safety standards. While this is a tragedy that caused reform in 1911, the same method of reform stands today. This can be seen in the novel, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. The novel is an account of what happened on the mountain during the 1996 Everest expedition. While the expedition started off with high hopes and dreamers ready
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In order to continue climbing Everest, many aspects of climbing need to be improved before more people endanger their lives to try and reach the roof of the world. The guides have some areas that need the most reform. During the ascension of Everest the guides made a plethora mistakes that seemed insignificant but only aided in disaster. The guides first mistake is allowing “any bloody idiot [with enough determination] up” Everest (Krakauer 153). By allowing “any bloody idiot” with no climbing experience to try and climb the most challenging mountain in the world, the guides are almost inviting trouble. Having inexperienced climbers decreases the trust a climbing team has in one another, causing an individual approach to climbing the mountain and more reliance on the guides. While this approach appears fine, this fault is seen in addition to another in Scott Fischer’s expedition Mountain Madness. Due to the carefree manner in which the expedition was run, “clients [moved] up and down the mountain independently during the acclimation period, [Fischer] had to make a number of hurried, unplanned excursions between Base Camp and the upper camps when several clients experienced problems and needed to be escorted down,” (154). Two problems present in the Mountain Madness expedition were seen before the summit push: the allowance of inexperienced climbers and an unplanned climbing regime. A third problem that aided disaster was the difference in opinion in regards to the responsibilities of a guide on Everest. One guide “went down alone many hours ahead of the clients” and went “without supplemental oxygen” (318). These three major issues: allowing anyone up the mountain, not having a plan to climb Everest and differences in opinion. All contributed to the disaster on Everest in
Author’s Goal: Jon Krakauer’s goal is to provide an accurate account of the Mt. Everest disaster, and describe the other events and effects the climb had leading up to it. I think he reached his goal because he was able to connect with the reader in many different ways, and he got his message across well. He provides vivid descriptions, details, and facts, all while establishing that he is credible. The author did convince me of his point of view. Now, I understand that climbing Everest is very difficult, and there are numerous challenges people must face and overcome during an expedition.
The book Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer in mainly about groups of people summiting everest. Jon writes for a magazine called Outside. In the end, the magazine company decides to send him up Everest with a group of people led by a Rob Hall, a well respected expedition guide. Jon took a plane to Nepal and eventually made his way to base camp. Every couple of days they would hike up to a new camp and then hike back down to base camp. There are four camps and each time they would hike to a higher camp to get used to the pressure. In chapter 9, they were going to hike from camp 2 to camp 3, and they ran into a powdery snow storm. Rob told everyone to get down over the radio to prevent further injury. In chapter 14 Jon makes it to the summit and then left rather quickly. He encountered many other people pushing for the summit on his way down. While on his way down a storm comes, Beck Weathers refuses to come with him and waits for Rob, and Jon makes it back to Camp 4 with Andy Harris. He wakes up the next morning only to find out that many people have not come down yet, most notably, Rob Hall. Most of Rob’s Client were already at camp 4 because they never went to he summit or even further down at this point. Towards the end of the book, Rob Hall says
“A trans-like state settles over your efforts, the climb becomes a clear eyed dream.” Stated Krakauer in The Devils Thumb. Mountain climbing has become a popular interest for thrill-seekers in modern times. It is an immensely challenging activity, involving strength, determination, and the proper mindset. There are many accounts of mountain climbers heroically reaching the summit of mountains, but none more striking than that of Everest and The Devils Thumb. These are gut wrenching, first hand accounts of some of the greatest feats performed in mountain climbing history, although they are each different in their own way. Krakauer was climbing to find himself amongst the frozen rocks and chest deep snow, and Weihnmayer climbed to push his limits, and to accomplish what many thought to be the impossible.
Mount Everest is 29,092 feet tall. Imagine climbing this mountain with little to no experience. Would you survive? In the nonfiction novel Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer and his recruited crews try climbing this mountain. With many deaths along the way to the top, readers are quick to blame characters in the book. However, character stands out from the rest: Krakauer. In the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer is the most responsible for the other character’s deaths because he recruited and dragged along inexperienced mountain climbers, pushed them harder than they should’ve been pushed, and watched them suffer.
Rob Hall, a full-time professional climber who climbed Everest four times, was the main director of the Everest climbing service that led Krakauer and a victim of the events of May 1996 (34, 181). Mike Groom, a guide and survivor. Andy Harris, a guide and a victim to Mount Everest. Doug Hansen, a client that was with Hall the day the storm hit. Beck Weathers, a doctor with an appetite for climbing mountains also a survivor. Stuart Hutchinson, a client that had to step in as leader when Hall and the others got stranded on the mountain. Ang Dorje Sherpa, a helper that had refused to fix the ropes for the climbers (187). Jon Krakauer an eager mountain-climber also the narrator and author of the book. Yasuko Namba, group member that got lost on the way down the mountain and unfortunately is left for dead (223). The last person I included, Makalu Gau Ming-Ho was not from this same expedition group but I included him because he had been abandon by his Sherpa and had been rescued by members of Hall and Fischer’s team, he was the leader of the Taiwanese climbing group
In the book “Into thin air” by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer sought to report and write about his climb up mount everest. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he did not and could not have predicted the barriers and conflicts that were inflicted upon him, by the mountain and it’s atmosphere. Due to these barriers and conflicts, it would be naive to say that the main conflict wasn’t man vs nature. Nevertheless, Krakauer had the worst experience of his life, climbing and fighting against the physical and mental effects of Mount Everest.
The expedition guides show arrogance and pride while trying to climb Mount Everest. At one point Scott Fischer states that he has "built a yellow brick road to the summit" (Krakauer 86). Fischer has great pride in his ability to climb Everest he developed arrogance towards the mountain. It is foolish to think that someone
When people often take on the challenge of climbing Mt. Everest, they are aware of the risks that comes with it. One of the biggest controversal disasters that occured on Everest is the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster. A group of many, includng the author of Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer, were all caught in a storm when almost nearing the summit whivh concluded to 8 deaths and a story others could never tell. In the sstory, it shows a large point of veiw of what happened through the trip, and a majority of people had to find who to to blane for what had happwned. Aftter readind and understanding, i choose to believe that Jon Krakauer and the Nepal government are responsible for the deaths that occured during the disaster on 1996 Besides the weather, the suffering still did occur, which showed the true colors of the poeple. Krakauer and Nepal pressured a choice of good and evil during this trip with caused the deaths to make the others partially at fault.
This novel takes you from the base of Everest to the summit and then back down again. Each camp and elevation brings new people and challenges. Jon Krakauer is a journalist recruited to write an article about the commercialisation of Everest, little did he know that the weeks that followed would haunt him forever. Even with experienced guides, Sherpas and climbers an unexpected and violent storm turns a smooth expedition into a chaotic disaster.
Even though the climbers understood that climbing is no easy task to accomplish, they witnessed miracles that only humans can perform such as that of Beck Weathers still being alive after becoming blind in his right eye with no one to watch after him as he started walking in the wrong direction (316). While preparing for and being on this mountain climb, the mountain trekkers experienced emotions only humans facing struggles can feel with such intensity. The author experienced determination when he wished to quench is mountain-climbing thirst even with his few credentials and he felt belief as he wore a Xi-stone and hoped his partner Doug would reach the summit with him (113, 159). The author, who probably never felt these human emotions on a regular basis with such fervor, only experienced them when he was faced with the struggle of climbing Everest. As the author climbed Everest, he realized several things that he would not have had he not climbed Everest. When forced to be the ice chopper in place of a Sherpa, Krakauer understood that even as he goes under gruesome conditions as a climber, and life in general, some people have to do even more labor than he
Instead of risking their lives for their own glory, they do it to help others reach the summit and for the benefits that follow. Besides a natural love for climbing mountains, finances push them to attempt these expeditions over and over. There are reasons guides like Andy Hall feel high pressure to succeed and as Krakauer explains,, “he was savvy enough to understand that the more attention he got from the news media, the easier it would be to coax corporations to open their checkbooks” (32). Hall uses his media attention to fund trips to Mt. Everest and would do whatever it took to help an important climber reach the top and which is essentially where he finds his sense of accomplishment and media attention. Guides like Scott Fischer have to make a name for themselves first, and initially might do so unsafely. Don Peterson speaks of Fischer with awe, proclaiming, “It didn’t matter how much pain he was in- he would ignore it and keep going,” referring to Scott Fischers six months of traveling with “an open suppurating wound” (63). It is possible that with such desperation to succeed and be well known as a climber, guides would risk their lives by ignoring injuries and health. Its evident that even the most skilled still face challenges but continue to pursue a dangerous lifestyle for
Paige Toler Ms. Francis Writing February 19, 2018 Mountain Rescuers Do you believe people have the right to be part of rescue services when they put themselves in danger. No, people should not put themselves at risk. Robert Siegel agrees because of all the dangers. Many rangers have died while saving people. Most of the rangers was not skilled, fell, and died. Robert Siegel says that helicopter rescues are increasing in the mountains of Nepal. There are many risks for the climbers and the pilots that rescue them. There is many dangers. They cannot help people going up the mountain unskilled. The security is very expensive and many people that rescue do not survive, according to Helicopter Rescue Increasing on Everest. The text states, “Something that is part of the issue is that the rescue
You wouldn't believe that two of the best climbing guides on Mount Everest could be so different. Both guides are brilliant men clever in the ways of climbing, but with two personalities both on either end of the spectrum. One guide is logical and organized when planning any climb while the other approaches things haphazardly leaving plans in disarray. The two guides, Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, from Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air, exhibit these two personalities throughout the progression of the book. Rob Hall is the organized guide who always plans ahead while Scott Fischer is rash and spontaneous. One could also claim that because of Rob Hall's expert planning skills, his responsible nature, and his abilities and experience with
As an experienced mountaineer, Krakauer’s childhood dream had been to climb Mount Everest. This lingering dream was triggered with a full blast when he accepted the offer of being on Rob Hall’s leaded expedition as a reporter for Outside magazine. Krakauer had to change his attitude from a free-willed climber to an obedient client on the team and was concerned about his other fellow clients when they were first acquainted. “ In outlook and experience they were nothing like the hard-core climbers with whom I usually went into the mountains”. (Krakauer 39) In previous years, Krakauer had always climbed alone or with some trusted friends. He came to realize that one must completely rely on the guide instead of other clients on a guided expedition. After meeting the other clients, Krakauer develops a sense of superiority as he is one of the most experienced climbers on the team. It shocked him when the author found out that clients Beck Weathers, Stuart Hutchinson, and Lou Kasischke never tried on their mountaineering boots beforehand and Hutchinson even failed to notice his crampons (steel spikes that are attached to the bottom of boots to help with ice climbing) did not fit his boots. As the expedition drags on, Krakauer became more acquainted with the rest of his team members and has a change in mindset. “I learned that between the demands of their families and their high-powered careers, few of my fellow clients had had the opportunity to go climbing more than once or twice in the previous year…. But maybe I’m just being a snob, I scolded myself.” Krakauer admits through this context that he is deeply concerned about his inexperienced teammates although he realized that it is not up to him to worry about such things. He came to realize that although many other clients were extremely unexperienced, their goal to summit the
Summiting Everest commands visions of grandeur and personal heroism for some, but to many sherpas tasked with the greatest workload and the most to lose, Everest represents a hard, economically necessitated risk. In a climbing culture driven by commercialism, sherpas are arguably some of the most experienced and well adapted climbers on Mount Everest, yet have little to no say in addressing the issues of safety or working conditions that are brought on by commercial motives. Initiating transformational leadership can solve many of the symptomatic problems of commercialization. By affording more influence to experienced sherpas, embracing the intellectual stimulation of safety challenges, inspiring clients’ independence, and individually