Ever wondered what it's like to be on the world's highest peak, without incurring the massive expense and life-threatening risk that such endeavours can entail? If so, I highly recommend Into Thin Air by Jon Kracauer. This gripping first-hand account of the 1996 Everest disaster shows us how Everest has become perilously over-crowded.It's no surprise that the bad atmosphere up there has got even worse over the years. It's also undeniable that the over-crowding, coupled with the commercial imperative to get paying customers to the top, has made an already hostile environment even more dangerous.
One thing's for sure, I'm going nowhere near Everest. Big money and big mountains simply don't mix.
