Compare And Contrast Bukreev And John Krakauer

As we read about what unfolded at Everest on May 9 and 10, 1996, there was a tragic disaster that struck every mountaineer on the Earth, a storm that killed 12 climbers and left much more wounded. Today, readers see the argument between Jon Krakauer, the author of Into Thin Air, and Anatoli Boukreev, a Russian climber who co-wrote The Climb in which they disagreed on multiple events that lead up to the disaster. These two books by two survivors of Everest who experienced different viewpoints of what transpired in the storm above Camp Four argued on who was more credible. When we look at who is more persuasive in their books the readers tend to observe three key points: their knowledge and expertise in climbing, their character, and their goodwill.

But the most credibility of what actually happened on Everest goes to Jon Krakauer who was more convincing in his arguments over Anatoli Boukreev.
On the mountain, there is no moral or value at that high of altitude but there is a skill that has to be used to climb to the summit and descend down back to Base Camp.

When Krakauer was climbing Everest he was on an assignment for the Outsider, an outdoor adventure magazine. Krakauer was very proficient when it came to writing and it helps him record what happened on top of Everest which proves his credibility. Krakauer had “written more than sixty pieces for Outside over the previous fifteen years” (Krakauer, 27) On the other hand, Boukreev had no experience in writing and didn’t take note of the events, so his accounts cannot be trusted. Krakauer is “... not only a highly respected writer but a very talented climber” (Vietsters). Even though Krakauer lacks the same amount of climbing skill and mastery than Boukreev, Jon has still completed difficult and strenuous climbs while writing for the magazine,such as the Moose's Tooth, Devils Thumb, and ice climbs in Canada and Colorado. Arriving to Everest is very intimidating especially if “I’d [Krakauer] never been higher than 17,200 feet (28,Krakauer)” which was very hard for climbing a mountain that is above 29,000 feet. While climbing Everest, Krakauer presents skilled jargon while climbing

Everest. He expresses impressive climbing vocabulary like “harnesses, rig safety tethers, and fit crampons” (Krakauer, 78). When a person journeys up to Everest, the air tends to get very thin and its very hard to think, breath and operate. When ascending to the summit, Boukreev chose not to use supplemental oxygen which was “unwise for a guide to climb without oxygen ….You've got to be at optimum levels. If there's a crisis, people without oxygen are much more susceptible to cold, hypothermia, frostbite. You can't spend time waiting for others.” (nickvanderleek.com). Before both expeditions were on there way to the top, Boukreev “developed certain intuitions and my [Boukreev] feelings were that things were not right.” (Boukreev, 121) Even though he saved three people from the painful death of hypothermia, Boukreev did not present his feelings to his team which could’ve prevented this catastrophe. Boukreev was one of the world's most renowned climber yet he showed some unusual climbing characteristics while ascending and descending the mountain. Krakauer shows more expertise on this expedition than Boukreev while reporting in more detail and accounts of what befalls up on the peek.
Krakauer exhibited emphatic character before he and his group started climbing up the tallest mountain in the world.

He arrived at Base Camp with a smile on his face and was ready to defeat the majestic yet dangerous peak. While high up on the mountain, there were many harsh side effects that can blur reality to fantasy. When writing Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer does admit that there were “a few of the details I’d [Krakauer] reported were in error” ( introduction, Krakauer) and even though he could've had inaccurate statements, he further explained what happened on the mountain than Boukreev shows in his book. When Krakauer was asked for help on the mountain by Beck to descend to Camp Four he felt that he wasn’t in the right position to navigate because he wasn’t a guide. When asked later if Boukreev tried to help Weathers as a guide Beck said that "Anatoli Boukreev certainly did not play a role in getting me off the mountain. The only role he played was stepping over my body."(Beck Weathers, link) As Rob Hall’s team was going up the icefall, Krakauer really sees the beauty of how this mountain is created and this shows that he himself respects this work of art and doesn’t see it as the top of the world but the most beautiful yet dangerous place. After the disaster on top of Everest, Krakauer reached out to families of the members that died and did whatever was necessary to comfort them and help them out in any way possible. When he met with Rob Hall’s wife, Jan Arnold, she

offered comfort and showed sympathy as a person who has climbed Everest before. Jon Krakauer tried to reach out to Fiona McPherson, Andy Harris’s girlfriend, but she was angered and baffled because of her impression that Jon played a role in Andy Harris’s disappearance. High on the mountain, there were different attitudes and relationships with Jon Krakauer and Anatoli Boukreev. Many believed that Krakauer had a better disposition than Boukreev because he “just wasn't a team player” (nickvanderleek.com) and while his teammates were struggling for survival, Anatoli was in his tent relaxing and drinking hot tea. As we can see what Krakauer has shown that his story is more plausible when it comes to his approach to his teammates and how he provided comfort to the families who were hurt during the incident.
Jon was more credible because of his reason and goodwill for writing this book. As Krakauer was writing many people who were pro-Boukreev believed that Jon only wrote this book for the money and fame. Actually, Krakauer said that he wrote this book because he “wanted [his] account to have a raw, ruthless sort of honesty” (introduction, Krakauer ). His book was meant to show what materialized on top of Everest and to help the reader visualize what occurred in his perspective. After Into Thin Air was published, Boukreev was outraged that he was the villain in the story. Anatoli was “puzzled... by his [Boukreev] depiction in Krakauer's book and wanted to get his version on the record”. He wrote The Climb with co-author DeWalt and in the book that had “a number of responses to Krakauer's book” and wrote his book as revenge to Krakauer. The co-author, DeWalt, had no climbing experience and has never been faced with writing a book at this length. Jon Krakauer’s goodwill for writing this heartbreaking story is preferable to Boukreev’s book base on he wanted the information to become known.
Through these skills and tactics that Krakauer has shown he is more credible than Boukreev. Jon Krakauer showed his expertise in climbing as well as writing by using skilled words, his character toward his team and toward the people who were hurt by the outcome of the event. Krakauer’s goodwill of writing this book is for good reason and not out of hate toward Boukreev but to show an honest belief of what happened on Everest. Krakauer showed many points during the journey and after the climb to prove that his reports and accounts are more convincing. He showed great character, excellent expertise in writing as well as climbing and his goodwill from his book Into Thin Air and other accounts.