‘Everest season has gotten off to a terrible start’ worries ‘Into Thin Air’ scribe Jon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer, author of 'Into Thin Air,' has expressed concern over the current Mount Everest climbing season, which he describes as having a 'terrible start' due to the prolonged closure of the Khumbu Icefall. The delay has set back climbers' acclimatization schedules by about 15 days, raising safety concerns for summit attempts in late May. Krakauer, reflecting on the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Everest disaster, continues to grapple with the trauma and remains deeply invested in the mountain's climbing conditions.
- ▪The Khumbu Icefall was closed for weeks, delaying climbers' acclimatization by approximately 15 days.
- ▪Rope-fixing teams reopened the Khumbu Icefall route, but the delay may lead to poorly acclimatized climbers and overcrowding during summit attempts.
- ▪Jon Krakauer survived the 1996 Everest disaster in which eight climbers died across multiple expeditions.
- ▪Krakauer's bestselling memoir 'Into Thin Air' has been re-released in a new edition marking the 30th anniversary of the tragedy.
- ▪Krakauer still experiences PTSD from his 1996 Everest experience and worries intensely each climbing season.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Lifestyle ‘Everest season has gotten off to a terrible start’ worries ‘Into Thin Air’ scribe Jon Krakauer By Hailey Eber Published May 3, 2026, 11:00 a.m. ET Jon Krakauer, 30 years after surviving Everest’s deadliest day, still worries about the climbing season. Everest’s season is off to a “terrible start” due to a Khumbu Icefall closure, delaying acclimatization. Krakauer’s bestselling memoir, “Into Thin Air,” about the 1996 tragedy, has a new edition. It’s been 30 years since Jon Krakauer survived one of the worst disasters on Mount Everest. But every spring, when climbing season on the world’s tallest peak hits, he still worries. “I get this knot in my stomach. It sort of hit its peak around May 10,” he told The Post in an exclusive interview. “This year it’s worse than ever . . .
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at New York Post.
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