Touching the Void (Film)

Fusion

Fusion

Fusion

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Watched this last night and was blown away, really enjoyed it- powerful, intense drama and quite harrowing to boot. Who else has seen it?

If you haven't heard about the film it's about two British climbers who embark on an ascent of the West Face of the notorious Siula Grande in Peru, a stonking Andes peak at 21,000ft. Their journey is fraught with danger and difficulty as Joe falls on the descent and breaks his leg, and we're left to watch as Simon improves a method of descent so they can get down in wind chills as low as -80 degrees C (!!).

I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it other that they both make it out alive to tell their tale. It's a superb piece of documentary making and illustrates the psychology of climbing, fear and motivation wonderfully.

Definitely worth a watch whether you're a climber or just love a good adventure tale.
 
Fusion said:
Watched this last night and was blown away, really enjoyed it- powerful, intense drama and quite harrowing to boot. Who else has seen it?

If you haven't heard about the film it's about two British climbers who embark on an ascent of the West Face of the notorious Siula Grande in Peru, a stonking Andes peak at 21,000ft. Their journey is fraught with danger and difficulty as Joe falls on the descent and breaks his leg, and we're left to watch as Simon improves a method of descent so they can get down in wind chills as low as -80 degrees C (!!).

I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it other that they both make it out alive to tell their tale. It's a superb piece of documentary making and illustrates the psychology of climbing, fear and motivation wonderfully.

Definitely worth a watch whether you're a climber or just love a good adventure tale.
Click to expand...

I read the book many years ago, the bit where he had to cut the rope was particularly harrowing.
 
physichull said:
I read the book many years ago, the bit where he had to cut the rope was particularly harrowing.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I was genuinely in shock when he starts talking about reaching for his pen knife- you know instantly what his plan is. I really don't think I could ever do what he did, I'm sure I would rather die together than leave a friend. But then extreme mountaineering is a totally different environment to what most of us are accustomed, the rules perhaps differ a little when it really is life or death.
 
I spent the night in a pub with Simon a few years ago, he seems to be a nice guy, but I'm not sure that he has ever gotten over what happened during that climb.
 
I've seen the film a few times and it's an incredible film. I've also read the book and found that very good.

The rope, words can't do that justice. A decision I'd never like to have to make.
 
One in my collection. Fantastic film. North Face is good also:

Based on a true story, North Face is a suspenseful adventure film about a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps...
 
I've seen North Face have it on DVD as well as Touching the Void.

North Face as good as it is, was a fairly depressing film. Brilliant none the less.
 
Absolutely stunning on Blu-Ray to boot as well, also has a making of documentary which is quite revealing about the 3 of them.
 
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev

These two go together as the second was written as a rebuttal to the first. They're about the disaster on Everest in 1996. The first was written from the perspective of an amateur (but also a professional writer), the second by a professional mountain climber.

The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer.

This is the book that inspired Joe Simpson to climb. It's one of the first great mountaineering stories. Very moving.

High Adventure by Edmund Hillary.

His conquest of everest. It's very interesting to read how they actually did it.

Savage Summit by Jennifer Jordan.

This one is my favourite: It's about the first 5 women to climb K2 (3 died on the way down, 2 died later on other mountains). Scary stuff.

The Naked Mountain by Reinhold Messner.

Messner is greatest high altitude climber of all time. I'd recommend anything of his, but this is one of the best. It's about his first truly difficult climb, on which his brother was killed.
 
If you're looking for good climbing books the The Boardman Tasker Omnibus comes highly recommended. Both of Mick Fowlers books are also very good.

Joe Simpson's other books are also quite readable but he never comes across as someone I'd actually want to climb with. Simon Yates' first book is excellent and from briefly meeting him he seems like a decent bloke.
 
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