Other editions of book Touching the Void

A moving account of two friends’ difficult, terrifying and heartbreaking journey in the Peruvian Andes. Touching the Void is the heart-stopping account of Joe Simpson's terrifying adventure in the Peruvian Andes. He and his climbing partner, Simon, reached the summit of the remote Siula Grande in June 1995. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frost-bitten, with news that that Joe was dead. What happened to Joe, and how the pair dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted when Simon was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope, makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship.VINTAGE VOYAGES: A world of journeys, from the tallest mountains to the depths of the mind

Tackling the unclimbed west face of the remote Siula Grande in the Andes, Joe Simpson and his partner Simon Yates achieved the summit before disaster struck. A few days later, an exhausted Simon staggered into base camp to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out, where they found Joe, badly injured, crawling through the snowstorm. Far from causing Joe’s death, Simon had saved his friend’s life when he was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope.

Joe Simpson and Simon Yates were descending a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when Simpson fell off an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In a desperate struggle to get his friend off the mountain, Yates lowered Simpson over a 3,000-foot cliff. When his belay collapsed, Yates was forced to cut the ropes just seconds before he would have been pulled to his own death. Simpson fell away into the dark, leaving Yates to assume his partner was dead. After a search, Yates returned to base. Four days later, and in a tremendous feat of endurance, Simpson crawled into camp, half dead. An epic chronicle of suffering and survival, and of the triumph of the human spirit. "Simpson touches a nerve of the mountaineering community and the hearts of others." (Los Angeles Times)

Printed by Easton Press in 2007 with 218 pages, Collector's Edition bound in deep red cherry Genuine Leather. Easton Press books are bound in genuine leather and come with a permanent satin ribbon page marker. The spines of these luxurious books are accented in 22-karat gold and are hubbed with traditional raised rings. Each unique binding is decorated with a deeply inlaid design of 22-karat gold. The page ends are gilded in 22-karat gold for beauty and protection against dust and humidity. Easton Press Books are also printed on archival-quality acid-neutral paper that is Smyth-sewn for strength and durability.