Famed Outdoor Writer Shares Take On Backcountry Riding

Jon Krakauer, the American mountaineer and journalist-turned-best-selling-non-fiction-writer known for his popular books Into The Wild and Into Thin Air, recently posted an understated reflection on what the outdoors mean to him.

"On my splitboard tour this morning I spent 6 hours wandering up and down the Divide. When I got home, everything I’d been so worried about seemed like no big deal."

It might not come as a surprise that Krakauer still ventures out into the wild to find a place of mental stillness decades after his initial interest in the mountains.

His entire life has revolved around exploring--and documenting--the outdoors.

Raised in Oregon, after college, Krakauer worked as a carpenter and commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska before embarking on a career as a writer.

He is the author of 8 books, including Into the Wild, Into Thin Air (which was one of three finalists for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction), Under the Banner of Heaven, Where Men Win Glory, and Missoula.

He also provides philosophical reflections in conversation that pull at the heartstrings of avid readers (hey, it did for me).

Give Krakauer's conversation with American writer Cormac McCarthy a listen below. 

Into Thin Air is likely on the reading roster of POWDER readers: Krakauer recounts the true story of "a 24-hour period on Everest, when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended in the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history."

The story is also of interest from a journalistic perspective. Krakauer, in March of 1996, was sent by Outside magazine on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day, eight people were dead.

I can't even imagine the weight that must take on a person, witnessing so much trauma on what is supposed to be a life-changing moment.

However, Krakauer obviously pushed through the difficult trip, and in 1999, he received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. According to the award citation, “Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer.”

He also remained changed by the incident, giving back to the people who assist climbers of Everest today.

"In the aftermath of the 1996 Everest tragedy that was the subject of Into Thin Air, Krakauer got involved with the American Himalayan Foundation in order to repay some of his personal debt to the courageous Sherpas who did so much to assist him and the other survivors of that calamity."

"Presently he serves as the board chair of this extraordinary organization."

He also expresses concerns about the commercialization of Mount Everest and mountain tourism at the expense of the Sherpas safety.

Most recently, though, Krakauer expressed goodwill in his post celebrating the backcountry, writing, "three cheers for our public lands."

Thank you, Jon Krakauer, for your body of work and shared outlook on life. You continue to inspire all of us who live to be in the outdoors.

Related: Lake Tahoe Hit With The "Biggest Storm Of The Season"

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