What happened as a result of Andy Harris cranking the oxygen to full flow?

• A. Krakauer ran out of oxygen
• B. They had too much oxygen
• C. They found more oxygen tubes
• D. The oxygen produced a leak

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how oxygen management works at extreme altitudes. Portable oxygen is scarce, and the regulator can be set to different flow rates. Cranking the oxygen to full flow means it’s delivering gas at a much higher rate, so you burn through the finite supply much more quickly. When Andy Harris did that, Krakauer’s oxygen bottle ran out sooner than expected. That depletion directly affected his ability to continue safely, slowing him down and raising the risk during the climb. The other options don’t match what happened—there wasn’t an excess of oxygen, no discovery of more tubes, and no leak described in that moment—so the key consequence was the rapid consumption leading to Krakauer running out.