May 10 marks the 30th anniversary of the horrific blizzard that swept across Everest’s slopes, claiming the lives of 8 climbers in a single night. It was one of the deadliest disasters in mountaineering history at the time. By the end of that climbing season, a total of 12 people had died on Everest.
The tragedy occurred at the dawn of the commercial Everest era, when many Western climbers believed they could “tame” the world’s most dangerous mountain with professional guiding services. Scott Fischer, founder of Mountain Madness, once described that ambition as building a “yellow brick road straight to the summit.”
“Survivor’s Guilt”
Writer Jon Krakauer was present on that fateful 1996 climb as a client of Adventure Consultants, led by New Zealand guide Rob Hall. After the disaster, his article in Outside magazine was expanded into the book Into Thin Air, which quickly topped the New York Times bestseller list.
However, instead of deterring people from Everest, the book inadvertently fueled the commercialization of the mountain, according to National Geographic.
When Krakauer returned to Everest as a journalist in the 2010s, mass casualties had become familiar: 4 climbers died in 2012 despite clear weather, the 2014 icefall collapse killed 16 Sherpa porters, and the 2015 Nepal earthquake-triggered avalanche killed at least 19 at Base Camp.
In a new foreword to the reissued Into Thin Air, Krakauer reflects on Everest’s changes over three decades.
He recalls idolizing legendary climbers like Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld in his youth. But as Everest opened to commercial guiding in the early 1990s, he sensed a major shift.
According to Krakauer, businessman Dick Bass’s Everest summit created the perception that anyone with money could climb the mountain. Soon, more people hired professional guides.
In 1995, Outside magazine asked Krakauer to join an Everest expedition to write a story. He initially declined, not wanting to spend two months at Base Camp, but eventually trained and joined the 1996 climb.
“I once believed my book would destroy the commercial Everest industry in its infancy. But then I realized it was the best advertising Everest ever had” , he said.
The Haunting Decisions of Rob Hall
Krakauer has long carried survivor’s guilt, believing his presence on the mountain may have influenced guide Rob Hall’s decisions. According to him, Hall felt pressure to get as many clients to the summit as possible due to competition with Scott Fischer’s Mountain Madness team, whose members were younger and fitter.
Rob Hall persuaded client Doug Hansen to continue climbing despite his poor condition. Hansen reached the summit at 4:00 p.m., far too late for the safe turnaround rule, then exhausted himself on the descent. The chain of events that followed left many stranded in the blizzard. Hall made the same call with Doug Hansen – who later died on the descent.
Krakauer remains haunted by the death of Andy Harris – the guide who accompanied him on the mountain. When he encountered Harris near the South Summit, Krakauer realized his teammate was disoriented from oxygen deprivation but failed to insist on dragging him down.
“If he had been my climbing partner rather than my guide, I would have said: ‘Andy, something’s wrong, we have to go down now.’ But clients aren’t allowed to interfere too much” , the writer recalled.
He also admitted to providing incorrect information to Harris’s family, mistaking another climber for him in the chaotic weather. This led Harris’s family to believe he was still alive.
“I felt terrible for telling Andy’s parents a story that wasn’t true” , he said.
Everest Today: Safer but Still Dangerous
Three decades after the disaster, Krakauer believes Everest is now “statistically safer,” largely due to abundant supplemental oxygen, fixed ropes from base to summit, and a surge in the number of guides.
According to him, before 1996, an average of 1 in 5 climbers who reached Everest’s summit died. From 1997 to 2025, that rate dropped to 1 death per 68 successful summits. Last year alone, 866 people reached the summit and 5 died.
However, Krakauer warns of the risk of a “mass casualty event” as the number of people on the mountain grows. He notes a large ice block in the Khumbu Icefall could collapse at any time, while hundreds of people pass through it daily.
“Traffic jams on Everest are no longer dozens of people but hundreds” , he said.
The Changing Role of Sherpas
According to Krakauer, the role of Sherpas has also transformed dramatically. Once seen primarily as porters or assistants, many major climbing companies are now run by Sherpas.
He considers Sherpas now the best and most experienced guides on the mountain, but they also face greater risks, forced to carry massive amounts of oxygen above 8,000 meters for clients.
Krakauer also mentions other controversial changes: using xenon gas for altitude acclimatization, helicopters transporting gear through dangerous icefall zones, and high-end camps with satellite internet, large beds, and espresso machines.
He believes Everest is becoming more of a tourism product than a pure mountaineering challenge.
“Most clients don’t really want to climb Everest – they just want to be able to say they climbed Everest” , he said.
Still, Krakauer insists that wild routes remain for true climbers, such as Reinhold Messner’s oxygen-free traverse or other rarely attempted extreme climbs.
30 Years, Still Not Over It
At 72, Krakauer says he has softened toward those who want to conquer Everest, but still doesn’t believe it’s the right decision.
“It was a foundational experience of my life, but not in a positive way. I’m ashamed I climbed Everest. I wish I’d never gone” , he said.
The writer says PTSD and survivor’s guilt still haunt him after 30 years.
“Every May 10 is difficult for me. Doug and Andy were close friends. I still have their photos above my desk. I haven’t been able to get over it” , he said.
Primary Sources:
Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air (1997) – New foreword for the 2026 reissue
National Geographic – Reports on the 1996 Everest disaster and changes over 30 years
Outside Magazine – Krakauer’s original article on the Everest disaster
Himalayan Database – Statistics on Everest deaths and summits
Jon Krakauer interviews – People Magazine, 2026