In 2003, Krakauer expanded his journalistic writing with Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, which examines the nature of religious zealotry through the lens of Mormon fundamentalism, a common religion in the area where Krakauer grew up. In 1999, the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded Krakauer an Arts and Letters Award for Literature. The book became a #1 New York Times bestseller, won numerous awards, and was adapted into a television movie. Following this tragedy, Krakauer wrote Into Thin Air, criticizing the commercialization of Mt. Tragically, a storm claimed the lives of four of Krakauer's five teammates as they descended from the peak. In 1996, Krakauer joined an expedition to climb Mt. The book has been translated into 30 languages, and in 2007 was adapted into a film directed by Sean Penn. The book tells the story of Chris McCandless, a 22-year-old who gave up his possessions to live on his own in the remote wilderness of Alaska, and died of starvation after 113 days. Krakauer's first major literary success was the 1996 book Into the Wild, adapted from an article written for Outside magazine. Additionally, Krakauer published a book of photographs entitled Iceland: Land of the Sagas.

Krakauer recorded his extreme mountaineering experiences in publications such as Outside, Architectural Digest, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He then divided his time between Colorado, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest, working as a carpenter and salmon fisherman, traveling around, and mountain-climbing as much as possible. Krakauer graduated from Hampshire College in 1976 and married climber Linda Mariam Moore in 1980. Krakauer's father placed immense pressure on his son to achieve high academic success.

His father, Lewis Krakauer, a doctor and ambitious mountain climber, introduced Krakauer to mountaineering when he was eight. The third of five children, Krakauer grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. Jon Krakauer was born in 1954 in Brookline, Massachusetts, to Carol Ann (née Jones) and Lewis Joseph Krakauer.

Hacia rutas salvajes by Jon Krakauer