my essay on "INTO THIN AIR" by Jon Krakauer

Into Thin Air: Anatoli Boukreev
Anatoli Boukreev was a Russian guide and a character that causes many problems. Anatoli’s mistakes not only affect the clients on his expedition team, they also affect his leader, Scott Fischer. Even though he gets paid well to do his job, he is unable to accomplish his duties. He is selfish and does not pay much attention. Boukreev had previously attempted to climb Mt. Everest in 1995 along with Scott Fischer. In Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer writes about a story that happened in 1996 as this year was one of the most devastating years in the history of the mountain. There were many mistakes made, but Boukreev’s had the largest effect on the expedition team.
The lack of leadership Boukreev showed, was one of the most crucial mistakes Boukreev committed. "He didn’t watch out for other people. He just wasn’t a team player. Earlier, I'd told Scott that I didn't want to have to climb with Toli high on the mountain, because I doubted that I'd be able to count on him when it really mattered" (Page 155). Many of the clients that were in the same expedition were all put at risk since Boukreev did not follow Scott Fischer's orders. Because he was so preoccupied with other things, other people were forced to step up and fix all of the mistakes Boukreev committed. Scott Fischer, being the leader, was forced to cover up for the errors, which wore Fischer out, and he eventually died
Anatoli Boukreev was an experienced climber. He had over twenty years of experience, which is why Fischer chose him to be a guide. He had climbed Mt. Everest the year before and he decided that he would not need oxygen while he was climbing. "...I was surprised Fischer had given them (Boukreev and Lopsang) permission to guide the peak without it, which didn’t seem to be in their clients' best interest. I was surprised to see that Boukreev didn’t have a backpack-customarily a guide would carry a pack containing rope, first-aid supplies, crevasse rescue gear, extra clothing, and other items necessary to assist clients in the event of an emergency" (186), Boukreev had completely ignored this, even if he was a senior guide. The skills that a leader should demonstrate are good communication and determination, which Boukreev did not have. This gave off the idea that he was just a guide for his own sake.
Boukreev made it to the top first, and instead of guiding and assisting other clients, he descended the mountain on his own and only took care of himself. "But Boukreev's refusal or inability to play the role of a conventional guide in the Western tradition exasperated Fischer... a disproportionate share of the caretaker duties for their group, and by the first week in May the effort had taken an unmistakable toll on Fischer's health" (Pg 156). Since Boukreev was too busy worrying about himself, Scott Fischer has to keep fixing his problems to make sure the clients were safe. When Scott was climbing down the Southeast Ridge, he was having a very difficult time doing it. Lopsang was ahead of him, so when he reached Fischer, he tied him to a rope and guided him down. Then, Lopsang decided to leave Fisher 1,200 feet above the South Col. "I go to Anatoli tent." reported Lopsang.” I tell to Anatoli, 'Please, you go up, Scott is very sick, he cannot walk.' Then I go to my tent, just fall asleep, sleep like a dead person." (Pg 241) Scott was told that he would get Anatoli and a Sherpa to come rescue him, but Boukreev never rescued him. This caused Fischer's condition to worsen even more, and he ended up dying.
Many clients were having a difficulty descending the mountain. Boukreev began to climb to help those in need and attempted to find the climbers who were lost. But, Boukreev did not know where they were or in what condition they were. Boukreev went back down to get other peoples help but no one was available. When Boukreev started climbing again, he reached a group of clients, but because they were all in bad shape he could only help one at a time. Boukreev started guiding a client down and told Madsen he would be back soon. Boukreev left Yasuko Namba, Beck Weathers, and Madsen behind. “Toli came back a little bit after that and grabbed Sandy, so I just packed up my stuff and started waddling after them, trying to follow Toli’s and Sandy’s headlamps. By then I assumed Yasuko was dead and Beck was a lost cause.” (Pg 223) Boukreev being a senior guide was expected to get the largest amount of people down, and he was unable to do so.
In conclusion, Anatoli Boukreev, an experienced climber and Russian guide shows a lack of leadership skills during their attempt to reach the top of the mountain. Boukreev was paid well to get the job done, but he did not do his job. Upon reaching the top, he climbed down and was not there to help those in need. Scott Fischer was then forced to fix all of Boukreev’s mistakes, which wore him out eventually killing him. Boukreev was a senior guide, he should have known to carry all the essentials, oxygen and a backpack, along with him in the case of an emergency. Boukreev did not obey these needs and was selfish. The mistakes Anatoli committed created tension between the other guides and the clients, and his mistakes put many people at risk