The main theme of Jon Krakauer’s novel “Into Thin Air” centers on the business of
guided expeditions surrounding Mount Everest. The market for guiding expeditions “has
multiplied at an astonishing rate” (Krakauer, 25) ever since Dick Bass, who garnered very
limited mountaineering expedition “was ushered to the top of Everest” (24) primarily due to his
wealth. In stating such an example, Krakauer believes that the business of guiding wealthy
individuals up to the summit ultimately challenges the main ideals of the sport and deludes the
“self-contained, rabidly idealistic society” (23) of genuine mountain climbers. Krakauer’s
spiritual beliefs in the sport demonstrate that his position of providing a service to those who
could …show more content…
Thus, in an attempt to provide a service to the wealthy and
accomplished, the very traditions of mountaineering such as trust, purity of the sport, and team-
work are disregarded during the clients’ experience as part of a commercial team.
The idea of trust is one of Krakauer’s central motifs throughout the novel, and it is
a core component of mountaineering traditions. However the very notion of the business of
guiding has disestablished the essence of trust among clients. Trust, as Krakauer explains, “is a
luxury denied [to] those who sign on as clients on a guided ascent” (40). For these clients, trust is
limited or even non-existent as they are essentially a “group of complete strangers” (40). As a
result, trust and confidence in their climbing partners is not possible as this is the very first time
they have climbed with one another without the benefit of being able to assess each other’s
strengths and weaknesses. This is even evident in modern times as “there is less
cohesiveness…when people sign up for an organized expedition… they really haven't met each
other and then all of a sudden they're together on one of these climbs” as explained by …show more content…
The failure
to rope up is literally and metaphorically an indication of distrust and doubt among clients and is
a “serious violation of mountaineering protocol” (55). Roping up has been a normal occurrence
for mountain climbers where one climber’s life is directly influenced by the actions of another
climber. Despite these traditions, a commercial venture substitutes trust and faith among
teammates for convenience and speed, indicating that profit expectations are prioritized over
establishing trust and interdependence within the group of clients.
The spirituality and purity of mountain climbing for the clients has been largely
extinguished by the commercialization of the sport. Many of the athletes of the sport believed
that “visionaries who ascended alone, without rope or hardware” (23) were the most admired
within the climbing community. This however is simply not the case for the clients who pay
exorbitant amounts of money to be guided to the summit where fixed ropes and ladders as
guided expeditions surrounding Mount Everest. The market for guiding expeditions “has
multiplied at an astonishing rate” (Krakauer, 25) ever since Dick Bass, who garnered very
limited mountaineering expedition “was ushered to the top of Everest” (24) primarily due to his
wealth. In stating such an example, Krakauer believes that the business of guiding wealthy
individuals up to the summit ultimately challenges the main ideals of the sport and deludes the
“self-contained, rabidly idealistic society” (23) of genuine mountain climbers. Krakauer’s
spiritual beliefs in the sport demonstrate that his position of providing a service to those who
could …show more content…
Thus, in an attempt to provide a service to the wealthy and
accomplished, the very traditions of mountaineering such as trust, purity of the sport, and team-
work are disregarded during the clients’ experience as part of a commercial team.
The idea of trust is one of Krakauer’s central motifs throughout the novel, and it is
a core component of mountaineering traditions. However the very notion of the business of
guiding has disestablished the essence of trust among clients. Trust, as Krakauer explains, “is a
luxury denied [to] those who sign on as clients on a guided ascent” (40). For these clients, trust is
limited or even non-existent as they are essentially a “group of complete strangers” (40). As a
result, trust and confidence in their climbing partners is not possible as this is the very first time
they have climbed with one another without the benefit of being able to assess each other’s
strengths and weaknesses. This is even evident in modern times as “there is less
cohesiveness…when people sign up for an organized expedition… they really haven't met each
other and then all of a sudden they're together on one of these climbs” as explained by …show more content…
The failure
to rope up is literally and metaphorically an indication of distrust and doubt among clients and is
a “serious violation of mountaineering protocol” (55). Roping up has been a normal occurrence
for mountain climbers where one climber’s life is directly influenced by the actions of another
climber. Despite these traditions, a commercial venture substitutes trust and faith among
teammates for convenience and speed, indicating that profit expectations are prioritized over
establishing trust and interdependence within the group of clients.
The spirituality and purity of mountain climbing for the clients has been largely
extinguished by the commercialization of the sport. Many of the athletes of the sport believed
that “visionaries who ascended alone, without rope or hardware” (23) were the most admired
within the climbing community. This however is simply not the case for the clients who pay
exorbitant amounts of money to be guided to the summit where fixed ropes and ladders as