Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer is an American journalist and mountaineer. Born in Massachusetts in 1954, he studied environmental studies at Hampshire College and worked as a carpenter and fisherman before establishing his writing career. His reporting appeared in publications including Outside, The New Yorker, National Geographic, and Smithsonian.

His early books collected climbing journalism and investigated wilderness journeys. He participated in the 1996 Mount Everest climbing season as a reporter, and his account of the fatal storm became Into Thin Air. His subsequent nonfiction has examined subjects including religious fundamentalism, military service, sexual assault, and institutional responsibility. He received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1999.

Several of Krakauer’s shorter magazine essays have been issued separately as audiobooks. These include Mark Foo’s Last Ride and After the Fall, which are also contained in Classic Krakauer. They are individual essays rather than separate full-length book investigations.

Climbing and Outdoor Books

Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains: This collection gathers Krakauer’s reporting and personal essays about mountaineering and other high-risk outdoor activities. Subjects include his climb on Alaska’s Devils Thumb, deaths on K2, ice climbing, and the communities surrounding major climbing areas. Accounts of particular expeditions and individuals examine preparation, ambition, accidents, and the reasons climbers persist despite the possibility of injury or death.

Into the Wild: Krakauer investigates the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who abandoned much of his previous life and travelled through the American West before entering the Alaskan wilderness. Interviews, records, and McCandless’s writings reconstruct the journey and the relationships he left behind. The book considers his ideals, family conflicts, decisions, and preparation while examining how his attempt at independence ended in a fatal period of isolation.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster: Krakauer describes the 1996 Everest expedition in which he participated and the storm that killed members of several climbing teams. His account reconstructs the ascent, decisions near the summit, descent, rescue efforts, and subsequent investigations. It examines commercial guiding, altitude, weather, and responsibility while including his own actions and limitations as a participant. Later editions address disputes over elements of his original reconstruction.

Classic Krakauer: Essays on Wilderness and Risk: Ten essays originally published in magazines cover subjects including climbing, surfing, wilderness programs, volcanoes, and cave exploration. Krakauer investigates the death of surfer Mark Foo, hazards on Everest, and the work of climber Fred Beckey, among other topics. The collection brings together reporting from different periods and locations, linking accounts of particular people with the environments and risks surrounding their activities.

After the Fall: A fatal accident during a climbing class leads to litigation involving the instructor, climbing school, and equipment manufacturer. Krakauer examines the accident and the questions raised about responsibility when a participant dies during an inherently hazardous activity. Issued separately as an audiobook narrated by Scott Brick, this essay also appears in Classic Krakauer; it is not a later full-length mountaineering book.

Surfing

Mark Foo's Last Ride: Krakauer reconstructs big-wave surfer Mark Foo’s final session at Mavericks off the California coast in December 1994. The essay describes the conditions, other surfers present, Foo’s approach to risk, and the circumstances surrounding his drowning. Originally published in Outside, it was later included in Classic Krakauer and released as a separate audiobook, presenting an investigation of one fatal event within big-wave surfing.

Football and Military Biography

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman: Krakauer follows Pat Tillman from his football career to his decision to enlist in the Army and his death in Afghanistan in 2004. Journals, letters, interviews, and field research reconstruct Tillman’s beliefs and military experience. The book also investigates the friendly-fire shooting that killed him and the military’s handling of information afterward, distinguishing his personal history from the patriotic image built around his enlistment and death.

Other Writing

Krakauer’s other investigations include Under the Banner of Heaven, about a murder case and religious fundamentalism, Three Cups of Deceit, about Greg Mortenson and his charitable work, and Missoula, about sexual assault cases and the justice system. These books concern social and institutional subjects beyond outdoor adventure and sport.