Biography

Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954, in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American writer and mountaineer employed by Outside magazine and currently living in Seattle. Jon Krakauer has published numerous articles in major monthly publications such as National Geographic and Rolling Stone. His fame stems in particular from his account, Into Thin Air, which recounts, from his perspective, the tragic events that occurred during his ascent of Everest in May 1996. This expedition ended with the deaths of eight of its participants. A heated controversy erupted with guide Anatoli Boukreev, whose account of the Everest expedition differs significantly from Krakauer's in many respects.