Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air recounted the tragic incidents on Everest in May 1996, when eight commercial climbers on a summit push died in a storm. Krakauer, an experienced journalist, was on the mountain at the time and witnessed much of the drama firsthand. The bestseller made him famous but also caused him headaches because of the controversy around some of his reporting and interpretation of events. Nearly 30 years later, the pain continues, adapted to the age of social media.
“In August 2024, I learned from comments in my Instagram feed that a YouTuber is aggressively maligning my book,” Krakauer wrote on social media last week.
This should be just another day on the Internet battlefield, except that the YouTuber, Michael Tracy, has 131,000 subscribers. That number seems to increase with every incendiary video he uploads. No wonder he has posted 16 videos — so far — disparaging Krakauer’s book and accusing him of lying about the events.
Attack & win
Tracy posts videos devoted to Everest, accompanied by his off-camera narration. In them, he shares his opinions about issues related to the highest mountain on Earth. At times, he engages in provocative topics like Everest vs Doctors: Which is more likely to kill you?
Yet his most successful posts analyze the mountain’s two best-loved historical episodes among U.S. audiences: Mallory and Irvine‘s ill-fated 1924 ascent, and recently, the 1996 disaster.
Mallory and Irvine’s final summit push on Everest, with all its unanswered questions — starting with whether they summited before perishing — has created its own mini-industry of books, documentaries, studies, and also contemporary expeditions trying to solve part of the mystery.
Tracy’s videos analyze what is known and speculate about possible outcomes. Often, they also include aggressive remarks toward other researchers, climbers, and Mallory and Irvine aficionados. As usual in the online world, harsh words tend to draw audiences rather than discourage readers, and some of Tracy’s posts have tens of thousands of views. His plunge into Everest 1996 has likewise garnered great viewing numbers.
One of Tracy’s YouTube videos. Photo: Screenshot
Old controversy
This is not the first time that Krakauer’s account of the events of May 10-11, 1996, has caused controversy. Since its publication in 1997, its critics have included both climbers who were on Everest at the time (ExplorersWeb founders Tom and Tina Sjogren among them) and members of the wider community.
They have pointed to inconsistencies in the narrative, some of which Krakauer has acknowledged and corrected in subsequent editions.
Most of all, many opposed Krakauer’s harsh criticism of Anatoli Boukreev for not using supplementary oxygen while guiding on the mountain. Boukreev actually warned other guides when disaster approached and risked his life to save three stranded climbers. The Kazakh, who died in a later mountaineering accident, also published his version in his own 1997 book, The Climb. In the 1999 paperback edition of Into Thin Air, Krakauer softened his views toward Boukreev in a postscript.
Everest Base Camp at night. Photo: Adventure Consultants
Krakauer counters
Krakauer says that Tracy’s videos are damaging his reputation and has decided to fight fire with fire by opening a YouTube channel and posting his own series of counter-videos. He says on social media that he wants to “debunk as many of [Tracy’s] dishonest claims as possible.”
Basically, Krakauer wrote a detailed refutation of Tracy’s allegations. He then translated text into voice and added images, videos and graphs for YouTube. So far, Krakauer has posted five chapters in this series. (The latest went up today.) He says there are eight chapters in all.
The first chapter of Krakauer’s YouTube series about Everest 1996. Photo: Screenshot
… and so does Tracy
Just hours ago, Tracy posted a new video (for subscribers only) as a response to Jon Krakauer under the title The Subtle Art of Distraction.
“Krakauer has repeatedly altered his account of events over the years, and inconsistencies appear in his interviews, book editions, and public statements,” Tracy insists.
The controversy around Everest 1996 is likely to continue indefinitely.
