Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival

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Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 13,346 ratings · 737 reviews

Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck. Simpson plunged off the vertical face of an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In the hours that followed, darkness fell and a blizzard raged as Yates tried to lower his friend to safety. Finally, Yates was forced to cut the rope, moments before he...more

Paperback, 218 pages

Published February 3rd 2004 by Harper Perennial (first published January 1st 1988)

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Oct 19, 2008 Idle Hippo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Idle Hippo by: Njum

Shelves: nonfiksi, book-to-movies

By the time I reach the last page I recalled I heard myself screaming
"Man, this dude is really something!"
"Edaaaaaan!"
An unbelievable and gripping story about survival and never say die spirit at its best

POSSIBLY SPOILERS

Joe Simpson dan sahabatnya, Simon Yates melakukan pendakian gunung Siula Grande (6.300m dpl) dipegunungan Andes, Peru. Setelah berhasil mencapai puncak dan dalam perjalanan menuruni gunung Joe terperosok sehingga kakinya patah. Suatu kondisi yang bisa dianggap vonis mati digunun...more

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Dec 02, 2008 Palsay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, memoar

Sungguh bersyukur bulan November ini saya kebanjiran buku-buku bermutu.

Salah satunya adalah buku ini. Touching The Void adalah kisah mengenai pendakian di pegunungan Andes, Peru, yang dilakukan oleh Simon Yates dan Joe Simpson. Sesungguhnya pendakian berlangsung sempurna dan mereka sempat mengambil gambar-gambar yang menakjubkan sebelum akhirnya kelelahan.

Hawa dingin dan cuaca yang tak menentu juga ikut menentukan nasib mereka. Simon terserang frostbite yang cukup parah pada jari tangannya, se...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 27, 2012 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adventure memoir junkies

Shelves: adventure, non-fiction, peru, 2012-reads, bio-memoir

This book operates on two speeds: fast and faster. If I hadn't been reading several other books at the same time, it would have been a one or two day read with its scanty 174 pages.

The story takes place on Peru's 21,000 foot Siula Grande, a peak in the Andes Mountain range. Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, are alone on the mountain when disaster strikes and Joe slips, falls and fractures his leg. Plenty of excitement follows, but I will leave mention of any details for readers...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1980s, walks, hills

Not since Moses clambered up Sinai to meet his maker has the story of a man, a mountain, and a brush with infinity attracted so much attention as Joe Simpson's Touching the Void (1988). The book has become a perennial favorite with adrenaline addicts and is found near the top of most mountain literature must-read lists. Though the first chapters are laced with technical climbing jargon, the great chunk of the story is related in the short cries, grunts, and obscenities you would expect to find p...more Not since Moses clambered up Sinai to meet his maker has the story of a man, a mountain, and a brush with infinity attracted so much attention as Joe Simpson's Touching the Void (1988). The book has become a perennial favorite with adrenaline addicts and is found near the top of most mountain literature must-read lists. Though the first chapters are laced with technical climbing jargon, the great chunk of the story is related in the short cries, grunts, and obscenities you would expect to find popping from the mouths of two young men facing a nightmarish trial on a 21,000 ft peak.

The adventure begins in the Peruvian Andes, where Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates attempt to scale the ice shrouded slopes of Siula Grande in a bid to be the first to reach the summit in decades. The climbing, though more difficult than anticipated, proves manageable for the skilled alpinists. But upon reaching the summit, Simpson suffers the "usual anticlimax" of his sport, the bittersweet reckoning of just what he had really accomplished, coupled with the empty feeling of "What now?" He was about to find out.

Steep slopes, unstable snow, and the onset of a blizzard make every step of the descent a life-and-death ordeal. When Simpson falls and breaks his right leg, Yates, in a truly heroic style, attempts to lower his injured partner down the near vertical face of the mountain in a blizzard ... at night ... with a broken headlamp ... his hands horribly frostbitten. And he nearly succeeds. But when Simpson inadvertently slips over a steep cliff and is left dangling in mid air, too weak to climb up the rope and too far from the mountain to secure himself, Yates has no option but to cut the rope that links them together lest he himself be pulled into the void.

How Simpson survived his fall into the abyss, freed himself from a deep crevasse, and dragged himself over miles of glacier and moraine back to camp – just as Yates was preparing to leave – has become a story of almost mythic proportions. Simpson has certainly made the most of his ordeal, publishing a bestselling book, speaking on several lecture tours, and even appearing in the film version (Charlton Heston's got nothing to worry about). But the reason he wrote this book, he insists, was to deflect the sharp blame and censure that was hurled at Yates for having taken a knife to the otherwise sacrosanct rope. I must give Simpson credit for never downplaying the difficulties Yates faced, and for confessing, that having found himself in Yate's position, he too would have cut the rope. I suspect you'll appreciate Simpson's honesty and the direct, artless style of his book as much as you'll enjoy its precipitous pace.(less)

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May 22, 2008 Graham rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone, even non-climbers

Recommended to Graham by: Denali

One of my absolute favorite books, it transcends the genre.

Some readers might be put off by talk of abseils, carabineers and crampons, but this is more than a book about mountaineering, this is a book about being human. It speaks of mortally, determination, suffering, hope, and friendship. Joe Simpson conveys what climbing is to reader whom has never be off asphalt, what suffering is to the reader whom has never been off a cushion, and, what friendship is to the lonely. This book will take you t...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Mike Steven rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Joe Simpson had a remarkable experience - totally of his whole making, but nevertheless the way he survived was pretty amazing. Sadly, reading about it is a far less remarkable experience. To enjoy the book, you may need to really know what a 'col' is, what a 'moraine' is and the dangers and qualities of three types of snow and countless types of ice.

Essentially, it's one hundred pages of very, very detailed descriptions of climbing up a mountain - who belayed when is covered in full detail, as...more

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May 29, 2008 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book contains a lot of technical climbing descriptions that were difficult to understand precisely, but its story is heart pounding and I found I oouldn't put it down. It is the account of author Joe Simpson's survival after breaking his leg descending 21,000 foot Siula Grande with his climbing partner, Simon Yates. Yates did not leave Simpson after the accident, but risked his own life lowering him for the next 3,000 feet, until Simpson, unbeknowst to Yates above him, fell into a deep crev...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: survival

This is a classic survival book and it includes examples of all the things I look for in a good classic read. Two young mountain climbers attempt a new ascent of a remote mountain in Peru. To save weight and space they do not take enough tools and food with them, then weather and other unexpected difficulties lead to the ascent taking longer than expected. The two climbers push themselves when they should have rested and take some other unnecessary risks so when the author Joe Simpson falls and...more This is a classic survival book and it includes examples of all the things I look for in a good classic read. Two young mountain climbers attempt a new ascent of a remote mountain in Peru. To save weight and space they do not take enough tools and food with them, then weather and other unexpected difficulties lead to the ascent taking longer than expected. The two climbers push themselves when they should have rested and take some other unnecessary risks so when the author Joe Simpson falls and breaks his leg, they are fatigued and their supplies are limited. His friend Simon Yates does everything possible to help Joe down the mountain, but Joe falls into a crevasse and after hours holding onto the mountaineering rope, and in danger of falling himself, Simon cuts the rope and leaves Joe, believing him to be dead. About half the 200 page book is the story of Joe’s amazing crawl out of the crevasse, across a glacier and through impossibly difficult terrain, all with a severely broken leg, frost bite, and no water or food. The book openly discusses the risks and the mistakes that led to the crises (plural intentional) and the ethical questions of cutting the rope and leaving one’s partner on the mountain. It also provides great insight into how a person survives under the worst possible circumstances. Joe talks of the importance of establishing patterns that keep you moving toward success without having to think about time or place and about the need to focus on short term goals. He also talks about the “voice,” an inner voice that instructs him what to do and how to do it – this rational, instructional “voice” is noted by other disaster survivors and credited with providing the means for survival.

This incident is also a motion picture which I have seen. It is hard for me to admit, but I think the movie is better. It also follows up better on the way this event affected both Joe’s and Simon’s lives. I think the movie would be an excellent jumping off point for a discussion with mid to older teenagers of taking risk, assessing danger, achieving goals and the ethics of ones actions.
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Dec 22, 2007 ValerieLyn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone!

Shelves: life-stories-and-semi-factual-stuff

okay. i am still not going to climb any mountains, at least not any that are covered with glaciers and are over 10K feet.
but what really got me about this story, what deeply deeply moved me to a new understanding of human endurance, was not that he climbed the peruvian andes, suffered sub zero temperatures huddled in a dugout snow cave, got frostbitten digits, put his life in his climbing partner's hands, or alternately held his climbing partner's life in his own hands, or that he shattered his...more

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Jan 19, 2010 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sandy by: found in the bookstore shelf

Shelves: autobi-memoirs, harrowing-true-survival, comfort-reads, extreme-adventure-nuts, mountaineering

20 stars and then some!!!

I think this has got to be one of the best books I have ever read in my life. I must have read it, or portions of it, at least 10-15 times. It is just awe-inducing. The personal struggles of Simon and Joe, the agonizing seconds and minutes and hours of Joe's exhausting drag through the moraines, his inner struggles with life and death, Simon's excruciating conviction that he had not only had to abandon but most certainly killed his friend.... The tension and exhilaration...more

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May 13, 2011 Nancy Schober rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography, adventure, mountaineering

I could not put this book down. I seemed to have a vague memory of seeing (some) of the movie. But for some reason reading something almost always evokes a much stronger emotional reaction in me.[return][return]When I was done I wanted to drop to my knees and thank God that I am not called to climb mountains. I love to read about it but mountain climbing books are never just about climbing. They are usually rich with metaphor.[return][return]There were no dark forces acting against me. A voice i...more

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Mar 29, 2009 Tod rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a story about indefatigable spirit inside all of us....

It's the kind of book you want to give anyone who has complained about having to endure the pain of sitting in economy class on an aeroplane - (oh no!!)

Two men perform an incredible feat and climb the previously unclimbed Western face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes... this in itself makes for an incredible read.... I'm a sucker for stories about people living large, and doing incredible things in incredible places....

but the k...more This is a story about indefatigable spirit inside all of us....

It's the kind of book you want to give anyone who has complained about having to endure the pain of sitting in economy class on an aeroplane - (oh no!!)

Two men perform an incredible feat and climb the previously unclimbed Western face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes... this in itself makes for an incredible read.... I'm a sucker for stories about people living large, and doing incredible things in incredible places....

but the kicker in this story -- spoiler alert -- (and for me it didn't come as a surprise, as I knew the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates from a climbing mate, and this took nothing away from the power of the story), was that at the top of this huge mountain (where the base camp is at an altitude higher than Mont Blanc), Joe fell and smashed his knee. At the end of a massive 5 days on the mountain, unable to climb, out of food and water, with bad weather closing in, nothing to kill the pain except for panadol, and a long long way from safety (and much further from medical attention). Joe thinks he is a dead man walking... and worse that his injury will result in the death of his friend Simon.

In an incredible one man rescue attempt Simon slowly lowers Joe down 3000 feet of sloping powder snow, one rope length at a time. By this stage most mere mortals would have caved in to the lack of food, lack of sleep, extreme cold, frostbiten fingers or just succumbed to dumb luck and slipped off the mountain.

But Joe and Simon were doing it... they were going to make it... and then it happened... they ran out of luck...

As Simon lowered Joe in the dark, and in a storm, he was unable to see the ice cliff he was about to lower Joe over...
Once Joe went over the cliff, his full weight came on the rope. Simon and Joe were stuck, just like two kids of equal weight on a see-saw, with neither of their legs being able to push off the gound to regain momentum.

Unable to communicate in the howling winds and blowing snow... all Simon could do was to sit and wait and hope that Joe could somehow get his weight off the rope before his precaious position on the side of the mountain gave way. 60 minutes later sitting prone in freezing conditions with not a single sign from below that Joe was conscious, Simon remembered the knife in his ruck-sack and made the hellish decision to end the impasse by cutting the rope!!

The story then follows Joe's miraculous survival and how against all the odds he got himself down off the mountain.

It is incredible how much pain the human body can put up with... I guess the instinct to survive at all costs is an irresistible urge.

Read it be amazed. Then go see the movie... it's breath taking.
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Mar 17, 2009 Walt rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the second time I have read Joe Simpson's Touching the Void. In younger years, when I had more energy and less sense, I probably would have rated it four stars instead of three. Not now.

As to adventure, it pumps adrenalin through readers' veins as fast as the government these days pumps money through the failing finincial institutions, especially after a major catastrophe and the so-called ethical dilemma toward the middle of the book.

What becomes very obvious very soon is how young, imm...more This is the second time I have read Joe Simpson's Touching the Void. In younger years, when I had more energy and less sense, I probably would have rated it four stars instead of three. Not now.

As to adventure, it pumps adrenalin through readers' veins as fast as the government these days pumps money through the failing finincial institutions, especially after a major catastrophe and the so-called ethical dilemma toward the middle of the book.

What becomes very obvious very soon is how young, immature, and foolish these two fellows--Joe and Simon--were. My second reading through was almost painful on top of the regular painfulness because of it. Of course, high adventurers like them wouldn't normally reclimb the same mountain and probably would advise against rereading Joe's narrative again. Onward and upward seemed to be their mantra--and almost their sole mantra. Climb every mountain.

Joe didn't seem grounded in society, in life, or in religion. He wasn't, it seemed, even grounded in the pursuit. Upon summiting, he took some photos, ate some chocolate, but felt the "usual anticlimax. What now? It was a vicious circle."

My feeling exactly.

While Joe cried in frustration, he rarely if ever cried about the loss of a parent, a companion, a child. When I think of tears, I think of deep emotions from the heart. When he cried, it seemed his came from somewhere else on the surface and not in the center. "Each thouoght of death, of mine or his, came quite unemotionally--matter-of-fact. I was too tired to care."

Me too.

It was all pride: "They'd never know we did it."

This self-centeredness I think is characterized in the narrative style, which was mostly descriptive and not emotive. I like a little more paint on the canvass, more nuance in the story-telling. If you are so much a risk taker on a mountain, I expect more risks, more inventiveness on the page. But there you go. I don't think the two climbers displayed much inventiveness in there endeavor. I think the book carried on with that theme.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Jordy rated it 5 of 5 stars

The cliched tagline for this book reads 'one of the most incredible survival stories ever'. Despite having a general idea for this true story, I was still blown away by this book. Mr. Simpson writes so that you can't help but feel the same emotions he felt on that mountain almost 30 years ago. The famous and infamous tale of a pair of climbing buddies confronted disaster and the unfathomable yet correct (in my humble opinion) decision to cut the rope is still talked about by climbers today. In f...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Alexander Sirstins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alex Sirstins
3/20/13
B 7-8

Everyone goes through trials, some more than others. These trials teach us to persevere and never give up; this is why Touching the Void by Joe Simpson is a great adventure book to show you courage, sacrifice, friendship, and spirit.

This is an adventure book because it demonstrates the miraculous journey of two men and it has several intense and thrilling situations. The author tells the account in first person which helps the reader to feel the actual first hand experi...more Alex Sirstins
3/20/13
B 7-8

Everyone goes through trials, some more than others. These trials teach us to persevere and never give up; this is why Touching the Void by Joe Simpson is a great adventure book to show you courage, sacrifice, friendship, and spirit.

This is an adventure book because it demonstrates the miraculous journey of two men and it has several intense and thrilling situations. The author tells the account in first person which helps the reader to feel the actual first hand experiences of fear, pain, discouragement, and struggle as well as triumph, courage and spirit.

Joe Simpson (the author) and his best friend Simon Yates, are both extremely experienced rock climbers who were excited to climb a 21,000 foot mountain in the Andes Mountains. After leaving their friend Richard at their base camp, Joe and Simon left to start the few days journey up the peak. On the way up the mountain, Simon and Joe encountered a few struggles but none proved harmful, until they reached the top. On the top of the peak, Joe Simpson fell off the vertical side of the mountain thus breaking his leg.

The two friends now struggled to get down the slope as fast as possible. While going down the mountain, Joe’s weight was too much and Simon was forced to cut the rope between him and his best friend, therefore letting Joe fall hundreds of feet down to his certain death. Surprisingly, Joe survived the horrific fall and was trapped in a really deep crevasse. Depleted of physical and emotional strength, Joe strived to survive and find his way back to camp. Over the next three days, both of them went through grieving trials. Simon was filled with guilt and grief and Joe lived through enormous pain, starvation, and frostbite. Both men miraculously made it back to their base camp.

One of my favorite quotes from this book about perseverance is “You gotta make decisions. You gotta keep making decisions, even if they're wrong decisions, you know. If you don't make decisions, you're stuffed.” This book has a theme how to courageously trust friendship,; Simon cut the rope to survive and saw his friend fall to his death. Simon later said, “Some would argue that there was no decision to be made; that cutting the rope and the powerful symbol of trust and friendship it represents should never have entered my mind. Others say that it was simply a matter of survival, something I was forced to do.”

The author, Joe Simpson, is a 52-year-old man from Ireland. He enjoys climbing (obviously), fishing, and a myriad of other outdoor activities. Touching the Void is his first book. He has since authored several other bestselling books. He loves to read.

I loved this book because it demonstrated the power of courage and perseverance to me and helped me to understand the importance of friendship. Also, I think that this book was great because it gives you a perfect description of all the trials that these two men went through and the things they did to survive. I would recommend this book to everyone I know and tell them it has amazing things to teach you. It is truly a book that exemplifies overcoming fear, pain, discouragement, guilt, and grief by never giving up hope and having courage.

Through life, we all experience different types of trials and hardships. We can all benefit from the reading the experiences of Joe Simpson’s accident on the Andes mountain in this book.

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Feb 12, 2013 Dhiraj Sharma rated it 4 of 5 stars

I always used to wonder as to what makes these mountaineers leave the safe confines of their homes and try to climb these ice capped mountain peaks in the most inhospitable and cruel weather conditions. Perhaps itâ��s the human tendency to try to conquer the unconquerable, the call of the mountains, or the sheer thrill of doing it. Perhaps I will never know.
The book is about two friends who climb the Siula Grande mountain in the Andes, one of them breaks his leg while descending, his friend trie...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Jenny GB rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow, what a story! Adventure books or survival stories aren't my typical read, but I had to read this one after a recent vacation had me enjoying walking around on a glacier and our guide recommended the book. This book tells the story of two climbers, one of which is the author of the book. They decided to climb a Peruvian mountain from a face that was previously unscaled. It proved to be a very difficult and dangerous feat to attempt. On their way down the mountain an accident leads to the aut...more

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Jul 20, 2012 David Hebblethwaite rated it 4 of 5 stars

A million books were given away across the UK on World Book Night in April, and I got one of them at my local branch of Waterstones. I tend to think that the ideal book for World Book Night is something that you wouldn’t ordinarily think of reading, but that looks interesting once you start to consider it – a gentle nudge away from your comfort zone, in other words.

That’s just the sort of book I received in Touching the Void, Joe Simpson’s account of his and Simon Yates’s 1985 expedition to clim...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Peruvian Mountains rated it 5 of 5 stars

TOUCHING THE VOID an wonderful experience adventure travel to Siula Grande was made famous, Rodolfo reyes worked during the film as assistant of the climbers and Englis start Joe Simpson, Simon Yates and kevin Macdonald (Touching the void-director) realized in july to august 2002 where itinerary started in Cajatambo and finished in Siula Grande Huayhuash- Peru.

if was a excelent work, we was 21 days in Siula Grande base camp and the glacier ,
Siula Grande is techanical mountain for climbing ice a...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Peter Walton-Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, south-america, adventure

"Touching the Void" is is an excellent read. There is quite a deal of technical jargon that as a non-mountaineer I was confused by. While this was occasionally frustrating it does not get in the way of the story. It all seems to start harmlessly enough as the two mountaineers plan their ascent of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. The two men involved are good friends and the level of reliability and trust required is a story in itself. Of course more is required to make this a classic; and it...more

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Jan 18, 2011 South Alaskan Pole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ocena: 8/10

Książka o sile jaką człowiek może odnaleźć w sobie nawet w najmniej sprzyjających okolicznościach.
J.

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ALTER EGO: Na początku książka jest tak nudna, że aż ściska w żołądku. Gdyby nie było wiadomo z opisu, że później "coś" ma się wydarzyć to najlepiej byłoby ją wrzucić do ogniska i spalić...

Szczyt zdobyty, ok, świetnie i co dalej? A dalej jest już tylko lepiej. Autor/autorzy wspaniale opisują to co czuli i przeżywali w swoich głowach. Jak ich ciała reago...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Alyce (At Home With Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm a big fan of survival stories, so this book appealed to me right from the start. Had I not known that Joe survived his ordeal on the mountain, I would have said that it was impossible for him to have lived after all that he had been through. Human capacity for survival against the odds is truly amazing, and this book is an excellent example of the triumph of the will to survive.

After reaching the top of the mountain, Joe is injured and the two climbers try to work out a special system of low...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: survival, 2013

It is human nature to push the boundaries, to find out how far we can challenge ourselves. At what point does this become a step too far? Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Simon found out just that whilst seeking to be the first men to climb Siula Grande.

The camaraderie between the pair is heart warming, and makes the action which unfold all the more horrifying. They set off two enthusiastic young adventurers, but soon change tact in the face of adversity. Mother nature is brutal, the mercile...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Alexandra Pavaloiu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, obsessions, sports-n-stuff

I loved the sparse, dry style Simpson wrote the book in, I enjoyed the technical descriptions (ok, I am target audience, so I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea), I identified with the "vicious circle" Joe talked about after summit-ing.
I also appreciated not using a ghost writer or a co-writer, the whole experience had a much more visceral feeling to it.
Touching the void is addictive, just like climbing and reaching for goals that might seem unattainable is. I also very much liked the way Jo...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Moira rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: outdoors, psychology-philosophy

A deeply moving story that I read in one go, almost non-stop. About humans in the elements, climbing, planning, friendship, creative problem-solving, suffering, acceptance, focus, small steps, intuition, having a Plan B (and C, D, E...), hanging on and letting go and the grace that comes from that. Incredible story and well-told by Simpson.

• When you're in a tough situation, you can trust that you'll know the right thing to do.

• "When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill...more

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Sep 11, 2009 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, peace-corps

Despite never having seen the IFC film that came out a few years ago, I was vaguely aware of this amazing true story of climbing partners faced with a serious accident befalling one of the men high in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Reading Joe Simpson's firsthand account, my first reaction was, wow, this guy can climb AND write! His narrative is well-paced and gripping. I am still amazed at the clarity with which he is able to recall what must have been an excruciatingly painful injury. Having seve...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Therese rated it 5 of 5 stars

Touching the Void is not just a survivor’s tale about his accident or centered around selfpity, not at all. Joe dedicated the book to his fellow climber Simon Yates, who cut Joe’s rope while they both were on the brink of death. Joe wrote the book partly for himself, but also to clean his friend’s name, and to show Simon an eternal gratitude. Joe Simpson is a very good writer, and has an amazing ability to make the reader see the images and go into his head. I cannot tell you how many times i cr...more

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Apr 26, 2012 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

Joe Simpson writes this tale of two young men doing an alpine style climb in the far reaches of South America. They climb without a tent and make it to the top of the 21,000 foot peak despite desperate snow conditions.

Camping at altitude in a snow cave, the morning of the descent turns into a raging snow storm. The snow is so loose that most of their efforts are not much more than controlled falls. Joe hits his leg on a fall and breaks it. Simon sits in a belay position in the snow for long per...more

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Jun 18, 2009 Georg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english, non-fiction

Compelling, a lot of suspense, well written and very hard not to read on one day. However, I could not decide about my own emotions: Respect and admiration for the climbers' determination and discipline or plain pity for their childish and selfish behaviour putting themselves (and others) in danger pointlessly). Qui perit morit.

But this is not the whole of the story. Do you think Simon was right to cut the rope. Disuss.

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Feb 24, 2009 Forrest rated it 4 of 5 stars

Our daughter gave me this book. I compliment her on her selection! Even though I am not a fan of Chris Bonington - I agree with him, as stated in his forward to this book - "This Is A Remarkable Story". It is well written and captures the full range of Simpsons and Yates' human feelings (physical, emotional, spiritual, mental and social) that this tragedy produced. This book clearly communicates the broad spectrum of these human feelings that we all feel and think about - but only a gifted few c...more

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About Joe Simpson

Joe Simpson is the author of the bestselling Touching the Void, as well as four subsequent non-fiction books published by The Mountaineers Books: This Game of Ghosts, Storms of Silence, Dark Shadows Falling, and The Beckoning Silence. The Beckoning Silence won the 2003 National Outdoor Book Award. The other three published by The Mountaineers Books were all shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Awa...more

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“Life can deal you an amazing hand. Do you play it steady, bluff like crazy or go all in?” — 7 people liked it

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title link	preview: Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18600.Touching_the_Void?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347364563l/18600.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18600.Touching_the_Void?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson[/url]

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival

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