Joe Simpson (mountaineer)

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Joe Simpson
Joe Simpson - 2013.jpg
Simpson in 2013
Personal information
Born (1960-08-13) 13 August 1960 (age 63)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Joe Simpson (born 13 August 1960) is a British mountaineer, author, and motivational speaker. While climbing in Peru in 1985, he suffered severe injuries and was assumed dead by his climbing companion Simon Yates after falling into a crevasse, but he survived and managed to crawl back to his base camp. He described the ordeal in his 1988 book Touching the Void , which has been adapted into a 2003 documentary film and a 2018 stage play, both of the same name.

Contents

Early life

Simpson was born on 13 August 1960 [1] to a Scottish father and an Irish mother, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, [2] where his father was stationed with the British Army. From the age of 8, Simpson travelled between schools in Britain and various countries where his father was stationed. [3] Simpson began rock climbing after being introduced to the sport at Peak Scar on the Hambleton Hills in north-eastern Yorkshire by a teacher at Ampleforth College. [4] [5] He was 14 when he read The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer, about the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger by Harrer with Anderl Heckmair, Fritz Kasparek, and Ludwig Vörg in 1938. Despite the inherent dangers of mountaineering described in the book, this reading sparked a passion for the mountains in Simpson.

Climbing career

Cordillera Huayhuash Huay Huash.jpg
Cordillera Huayhuash

In 1985, Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates made a first ascent of the previously unclimbed west face of Siula Grande (6,344 m) in the Cordillera Huayhuash of the Peruvian Andes. On the descent, Simpson broke his right leg in a fall. Yates attempted to rescue Simpson by roping the pair together, with Yates lowering Simpson as far down the mountain as their rope would allow, before descending himself, and repeating the process. However, as weather conditions deteriorated and visibility diminished, he unknowingly lowered Simpson over a cliff edge. Simpson could not climb up the rope, and it was impossible for Yates to pull him up due to his own precarious position. To avoid being pulled off the mountain himself, Yates was forced to cut the rope. Simpson, however, succeeded in rescuing himself and survived. After they returned to Britain, Yates received some criticism[ by whom? ] for having cut the rope. [6]

Simpson published an article about the Siula Grande ordeal in the climbing press shortly afterwards, [7] and later wrote the best-selling book Touching the Void. The book has been translated into 23 languages and has sold almost two million copies worldwide. [8] Simpson wrote further about the Siula Grande expedition in his book This Game of Ghosts [9] as did Yates in his book Against the Wall. [10] A film based on the book was released in 2003. It takes the form of a docudrama with climbing sequences filmed in the European Alps and the Peruvian Andes together with interviews with Simpson, Yates and the third member of the expedition Richard Hawking (a non-climber).

Simpson underwent six surgical operations as a result of the leg injuries sustained on Siula Grande. Doctors told him he would never climb again and that he would have trouble walking for the rest of his life. In 1987, however, he returned to mountain climbing. [11] [ non-primary source needed ]

Later activities

His later non-fiction books describe other expeditions and his changing feeling towards extreme mountaineering brought on by the many deaths that surround the pursuit. A bad fall broke Simpson's left ankle while climbing with Mal Duff in 1991 on Pachermo in Nepal, and is described in his third book This Game of Ghosts. Simpson also made six unsuccessful attempts on the North Face of the Eiger from 2000 to 2003 with his regular climbing partner Ray Delaney, all of which had to be aborted due to bad weather. [12] One of his books, The Beckoning Silence, was made into a documentary shown on Channel 4 in October 2007. [13] The book won the 2003 National Outdoor Book Award (Outdoor Literature category).

Bibliography

Except as noted, all works are non-fiction.

See also

Related Research Articles

Heinrich Harrer was an Austrian SS sergeant, mountaineer, explorer, writer, sportsman, and geographer. He was a member of the four-man climbing team that made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, the "last problem" of the Alps, in July 1938. Harrer and the team flew the Nazi flag atop the mountain. Harrer had joined the Nazi party shortly after the annexation of Austria in March 1938, and was personally received by Hitler after the climb. A year later in 1939, he and the climbing team went on an expedition to the Indian Himalayas, where they were arrested by British forces because of the outbreak of World War II. He eventually escaped to Tibet, staying there until 1951 and never seeing active combat from that point onwards. He wrote the books Seven Years in Tibet (1952) and The White Spider (1959).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eiger</span> Mountain in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland

The Eiger is a 3,967-metre (13,015 ft) mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m (13,642 ft), constituting one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps. While the northern side of the mountain rises more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the two valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, the southern side faces the large glaciers of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, the most glaciated region in the Alps. The most notable feature of the Eiger is its nearly 1,800-metre-high (5,900 ft) north face of rock and ice, named Eiger-Nordwand, Eigerwand or just Nordwand, which is the biggest north face in the Alps. This huge face towers over the resort of Kleine Scheidegg at its base, on the eponymous pass connecting the two valleys.

<i>Touching the Void</i> (book) 1988 book by Joe Simpson

Touching the Void is a 1988 book by Joe Simpson, recounting his and Simon Yates's near fatal descent after climbing the 6,344-metre (20,814 ft) peak Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Approximately 15% of the book is written by Yates. It has sold over a million copies and has been translated into over 20 languages.

Simon Yates is an English mountaineer. He has described himself as 'an adventurer'. Yates is most well known as being one of two British mountaineers that conquered the previously unclimbed West Face of Siula Grande in the Huayhuash mountain range in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. He and Joe Simpson completed the difficult climb, at times enduring extreme weather conditions. They subsequently survived a dramatic series of events on the descent. Simpson recounted the story in the book Touching the Void, which was later adapted into a film.

The Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature is an annual prize of £3,000 awarded by the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust to an author or authors for "an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature". The prize was established in 1983 in memory of British climbers Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker, both of whom wrote books about their mountaineering expeditions, after their deaths on the northeast ridge of Mount Everest in 1982. It can be awarded for a piece of fiction or non-fiction, poetry or drama, although the work must have been written in English. The prize is announced at the annual Kendal Mountain Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siula Grande</span> Mountain in the Peruvian Andes

Siula Grande is a mountain in the Huayhuash mountain range in the Peruvian Andes. It is 6,344 metres (20,814 ft) high and has a subpeak, Siula Chico, 6,260 m (20,540 ft) high.

<i>The White Spider</i> 1959 book by Heinrich Harrer about the first ascent of the Eigers north face in 1937

The White Spider is a non-fiction book by Heinrich Harrer that describes the first successful ascent of the infamous north face (Nordwand) of the Eiger, a mountain in the Berner Oberland of the Swiss Alps, with sections devoted to the history of mountaineering in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Whillans</span> English rock climber and mountaineer (1933-1985)

Donald Desbrow Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. He climbed with Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both.

Andreas "Anderl" Heckmair was a German mountain climber and guide who led the first successful ascent of the Eiger north face in July 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toni Kurz</span> German mountaineer

Toni Kurz was a German mountain climber active in the 1930s. He died in 1936 during an attempt to climb the then-unclimbed north face of the Eiger with his partner Andreas Hinterstoisser.

Claudio Corti was a mountain climber from Olginate, Italy. He is most famous for his 1957 effort to climb the 1938 route on the North Face of the Eiger, during which his party was stranded and a massive rescue operation was organized. Corti became the first person to be successfully rescued from the Face from above, but his partner, Stefano Longhi, died on the Face before rescuers could reach him.

<i>Touching the Void</i> (film) 2003 British film by Kevin Macdonald

Touching the Void is a 2003 survival documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron, and Ollie Ryall. The plot concerns Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' near-fatal descent after making the first successful ascent of the West Face of Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes, in 1985. It is based on Simpson's 1988 book of the same name.

Fritz Kasparek was an Austrian mountaineer who was on the team that made the first successful ascent of the Eiger north face.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Hinterstoisser</span> German mountaineer

Andreas Hinterstoisser was a German mountain climber active in the 1930s. He was killed in the 1936 Eiger north face climbing disaster during an attempted summit via that route with his partner Toni Kurz. A section of the north face was later named the "Hinterstoisser Traverse" in his honor. The 2008 film North Face was based on his experience climbing the Eiger.

Andy Cave is a British mountaineer, mountain guide, and motivational speaker. He was nominated for the Piolet d'Or for his first ascent of the North Face of Changabang in 1997, and won the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature in 2005.

<i>The Beckoning Silence</i> 2007 British film

The Beckoning Silence is a 2007 British television film that follows and retraces the 1936 Eiger north face climbing disaster where five climbers perished while attempting to scale the north face of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland. The film features climber Joe Simpson, whose book of the same name inspired the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willy Angerer</span>

Willy Angerer was an Austrian mountaineer. He was one of four mountaineers who died in the 1936 Eiger north face climbing disaster, along with Toni Kurz, Andreas Hinterstoisser and Eduard Rainer. At thirty-one Angerer was the oldest of the four climbers who died.

<i>Touching the Void</i> (play)

Touching the Void is a play written by David Greig, based on the book of the same name by Joe Simpson. It made its world premiere at the Bristol Old Vic in September 2018, before embarking on a short UK and international tour. The play centres on the true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, climb of the 6,344-metre west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

The recorded history of climbing of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland starts in the 1800s. It is split between the pre-north face era, when the main summits and easier ridges and faces were climbed, and the post-north face era, when it became one of the greatest prizes in mountaineering. At least sixty-four climbers have died while attempting the ascent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduard Rainer</span>

Eduard Rainer was an Austrian mountaineer. He was one of the four climbers who died in the 1936 Eiger north face climbing disaster, along with Toni Kurz, Andreas Hinterstoisser and Willy Angerer.

References

  1. Archived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Desert Island Discs – Castaway : Joe Simpson". BBC. 19 September 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  3. This Game of Ghosts, p. 27.
  4. Joe Simpson Archived 19 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Times Educational Supplement , 27 May 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  5. Simpson J., This Game of Ghosts (Jonathan Cape), 1993
  6. Simon Yates Archived 8 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Geographical , March 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2012. [ dead link ]
  7. "Out on a limb" High, Issue 35, October 1985.
  8. Escaping the Void Archived 8 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Trail, January 2012.
  9. Simpson, J. This Game of Ghosts (Jonathan Cape), 1993
  10. Yates, S. Against the Wall (Jonathan Cape), 1997
  11. Simpson, J. Touching the Void, 1988
  12. Simpson, Joe (22 October 2007). "Joe Simpson: My Journey Back into the Void". The Daily Telegraph . London.
  13. "Joe Simpson: My journey back into the void". The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 October 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2008.