Into Thin Air
Vocabulary

1 use

Glancing around the helicopter's capacious interior, I tried to fix the names of my teammates in my memory.

capacious = large in capacity

1 use

How can it be explained, not only to loved ones left behind, but to a censorious public?

censorious = critical

2 uses

Unable to grasp the benefits of the inflatable chamber and terrified of it, Ngawang asked that a Buddhist lama be summoned, and before consenting to being zipped into its claustrophobic interior, he requested that prayer books be placed in the bag with him.

claustrophobic = causing fear of being closed in a confined space

1 use

...was loudly derided by knowledgeable mountaineers...

derided = laughed at or made fun of—while showing a lack of respect

1 use

Now I dream of ... the smell of soil crumbling between my fingers, and the brilliant green of plants that I diligently nurture.

diligently = with hard work and care

1 use

Her eminent companions on the 1994 attempt said nothing disparaging about Pittman, at least not in public.

disparaging = critical and disrespectful

1 use

"I will tolerate no dissension up there."

dissension = disagreement

1 use

In the Icefall, though, expediency dictated that each of us climb independently, without being physically connected to one another in any way.

expediency = the need to be practical

1 use

If the name of Hall's business, Adventure Consultants, mirrored his methodical, fastidious approach to climbing, style, Mountain Madness was an even more accurate reflection of Scott's personal style.

fastidious = giving careful attention to detail

1 use

People were drawn to Fischer's energy and generosity, his absence of guile, his almost childlike enthusiasm.

guile = cunning (shrewdness and cleverness) and deceit

2 uses

Mountaineering, she understood, was an essential expression of some odd immutable aspect of my personality that I could no sooner alter than change the color of my eyes.

immutable = not subject or susceptible to change

1 use

Hall was careful to keep us to a more indolent pace that gave our bodies time to adapt to the increasingly thin air.

indolent = slower (lazy)

1 use

Arising lethargic and groggy after my sleepless night at Camp Three, I was slow to dress, melt water, and get out of the tent on Thursday morning, May 9.

lethargic = lacking energy

2 uses

In pondering how this disaster could have occurred, it is imperative to remember that lucid thought is all but impossible at 29,000 feet.

lucid = clear thinking

3 uses

Experienced guides would later question his decision to descend so far ahead of his clients—extremely unorthodox behavior for a guide.

unorthodox = not ordinary (not adhering to what is commonly accepted)

2 uses

The root of the problem is believed to be a paucity of oxygen, compounded by high pressure in the pulmonary arteries, causing the arteries to leak fluid into the lungs.

paucity = an insufficient amount

2 uses

The consequences of a poorly tied knot, a stumble, a dislodged rock, or some other careless deed are as likely to be felt by the perpetrator's colleagues as the perpetrator.

perpetrator = someone who did something wrong or illegal

2 uses

He was tough, driven, stoic.

stoic = seeming unaffected by pleasure, pain, or emotions

2 uses

Rob wanted to make a public statement to defend himself, but he realized that going up against such a venerated figure in the media was a no-win situation.

venerated = respected and revered

2 uses

Above 26,000 feet, moreover, the line between appropriate zeal and reckless summit fever becomes grievously thin.

zeal = enthusiasm