Jon Krakauer Writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer, photographed in New York City in August 2015. (more) Jon Krakauer American writer and mountaineer Written by Laura Payne Laura Payne is a freelance writer whose work covers many topics. She is a former Wayne State University linguistics instructor. Laura Payne Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 20, 2026 •History Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954, Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.) American writer and mountaineer widely known for his bestselling non-fiction books Into the Wild (1996) and Into Thin Air (1997), both of which have been adapted into movies. He was a member of a 1996 expedition that attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest during the then-deadliest climbing season in the mountain’s history; Into Thin Air is an account of those tragic events. Krakauer has...

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