Joe Simpson, with just his partner Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000 foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June 1995. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, 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 with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured, crawling through the snowstorm in a delirium. Far from causing Joe's death, Simon had paradoxically saved his friend's life. What happened, and how they 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.

The definitive guidebook to climbing Aconcagua in South America. At 6962m, Aconcagua is the highest peak outside the Himalayas and is accessible to both trekkers and mountaineers. The book covers two popular trekking routes: the Normal (Horcones Valley) route and the Vacas Valley (Polish Glacier) route. It also includes trekking routes up Tupungato, the Maipo Volcano, and other acclimatisation treks, with suggestions for things to see and do around Mendoza and Santiago City. The guide provides a wealth of practical and indispensable information for those taking on the challenge of Aconcagua. There is information on travel to South America and to the start of the trek, and essential know-how on preparing for high-altitude mountaineering, including advice on equipment, coping with altitude, and strategies for acclimatisation. It gives expert advice on permits, food and water, hiring guides and mules, and staying healthy. With maps and colour photos and supplemented by background information on the mountain, its history, geology, wildlife and local culture, this is a comprehensive and must-read guide for anyone considering tackling Aconcagua.

"Who's Who in British Climbing" contains nearly 700 mini biographies of climbers - the romantics, eccentrics and buffoons that have made British Climbing what it is: dissolute and hungover most of the time, with the odd unexpected burst of brilliance.They form a world class cast of eccentrics ranging from the most virtuous to the most hedonistically barbarous characters one could ever hope to meet. At one end of the moral spectrum we have Archdeacon Hudson Stuck solemnly tutoring his native charges on ecclesiastical history while making the first ascent of Denali. At the other there's Satan-loving Aleister Crowley pleasuring himself in his tent on Kangchenjunga while his helpless avalanched companions were crying for help a few yards away. In between are the usual sprinkling of psychotic nut jobs, consummate show-offs and infuriatingly brilliant athletes.The selection of folk gracing the pages has been anything but scientifically objective. The intention has been to include anyone who was born in Britain who happened to do something significant or interesting anywhere, not just in the UK.

"The Oberwallis" is one of the most important climbing and mountaineering areas in Switzerland - also known as Valais East or Upper Valais. This guidebook covers the eastern area of the canton of Valais centred on Brig and covers the following regions - Goms; Aletsch-Brig; Simplon; Visp; Saastal; Mattertal; Raron-Siders. So it includes the popular areas around Zermatt and Saas Fee. This 2012 edition is the first time the Swiss Alpine Club have published the guidebook in the dual languages of German and English. This region has undergone a tremendous amount of climbing development in recent years with many new areas bolted. This is a rock climbing guidebook (not snow and ice), with mostly bolted routes but also some trad routes - and climbs requiring placement of gear between bolted belay stances. The guidebook contains close to 2,000 routes in 99 climbing areas. There are more than 250 multi-pitch climbs of which 55 routes are longer than 250m and the longest is 800m. The guidebook is very comprehensive with sectors for families and beginners ranging up to committed alpine routes for experienced climbers.

The Scratch Off Peak District Rock Climbs print is a perfect gift for rock climbers to discover their next big challenge or to experience a different part of the Peak District. You may be scaling your first crag or your 50th, or you know someone who does so on a regular basis. This map would make a great rock climbing gift and is a great way to display achievements. This vibrant scratch off rock climbing poster details 239 exciting and challenging crags all across the UK's Peak District. Use the handy information displayed on it to plan it all out, each crag shows the approximate number of routes, face direction, the type of rock, whether there are any bolted routes and whether there may be any restrictions to be aware of. Each crag even has a little diagram to give you an idea of the spread of the routes according to difficulty. You can look across the map to plan your next trip, looking for a crag that has routes to match your abilities, orientated to suit the weather and on a specific rock type. As you visit and experience each crag, scratch them off the map, and move on to the next one. Our Scratch off Peak District Rock Climbs will quite literally help you scale new heights and last you for many years of climbing to come.

This work presents the mountaineering literature. The perennial mystery of Mallory and Irvine on Everest receives an intriguing twist in a reconstruction of their fateful climb written virtually in Mallory's own words. Drawn from the climber's letters, writing and Mallory's background as a classicist, this is a near forensic examination of the evidence and points to one firm conclusion. The book is a prose poem full of parody and allusion but enjoyable at any level, in which the author offers his case for Mallory & Irvine having got to the top. There is a second half to the book, almost as interesting and of the same length as the first, in which the evidence for the first ascent is presented informatively and very persuasively. The book is bound to create a stir - its prose poem format, the strong parody element and the firm conclusion about Mallory & Irvine's success will all be controversial. The most detailed and convincingly presented account so far, of what happened on Mallory's last climb on Everest. It is quite unlike any other work of literature. And yes, it does have a surprise ending. It is shortlisted for the 2006 Boardman Tasker Award for mountaineering literature.

This is a complete introduction to Alpine mountaineering. If you are planning your first trip to the Alps or anxious to improve on your performance on previous trips, you need this book. Even seasoned Alpinists will benefit from Bruce's clarity and depth of experience. Everything you need to know is here and none of the issues are ducked, from dealing with hut guardians to moving roped together. The first part of the book deals with the knowledge and techniques you will need. The second part consists of a choice of good routes to help you gain experience. In this guidebook-style section the route length is included together with the area, where to stay, access, map and kit requirements and the full route descriptions. The chapters are: Going Alpine; About the Alps; Objective Dangers; Weather; Kit; Technical Equipment; Alpine Movement; Protecting Yourself; Glacier Travel; Speed vs Security; Navigation; Rescue; Via Ferrata; Planning an Alpine Trip; Am I Ready?; and, Guidebook.

In Mont Blanc Lines, photographer and alpinist Alex Buisse has travelled the Mont Blanc massif to capture images of all the major mountain faces and to trace the classic climbing and skiing lines. As well as Mont Blanc itself, also featured are other Alpine icons, including the north faces of the Grandes Jorasses and the Droites, the Aiguille du Midi, and the Grand Capucin. Whether on the ground in crampons or on skis, or in the air by ultralight or paraglider, he has captured the majesty of the range so that he can tell the story of these classic lines and present them to us in the most stunning way possible. Mont Blanc Lines features images taken during over a decade of mountaineering while Alex worked as a professional photographer based in Chamonix. Alex Buisse's story of these iconic mountain faces is mixed with the stories of climbers who have experienced great moments there. As a bonus feature, also included are the legendary faces of the Matterhorn and the Eiger North Face in Switzerland.

For generations of resolute adventurers, from George Mallory to Sir Edmund Hillary to Jon Krakauer, Mount Everest and the world's other greatest peaks have provided the ultimate testing ground. But the question remains: Why climb? In High Exposure, elite mountaineer and acclaimed Everest filmmaker David Breashears answers with an intimate and captivating look at his life.

For Breashears, climbing has never been a question of risk taking: Rather, it is the pursuit of excellence and a quest for self-knowledge. Danger comes, he argues, when ambition blinds reason. The stories this world-class climber and great adventurer tells will surprise you -- from discussions of competitiveness on the heights to a frank description of the 1996 Everest tragedy.

This climber's handbook contains all the useful information that any climber will need. It presents a clear and straightforward picture to all the climbing facilities and opportunities in the area.

This is the second WIRED guide from award winning FRCC GUIDES. Detailed coverage of all the worthwhile 'sport' climbing venues in the Lake District together with comprehensive and updated information for 'trad' slate, including the rad dry-tooling venue - The Works. This new guide includes the limestone crags in the South Lakes, including the magnificent Chapel Head Scar, the sandstone at St Bees Head and Coudy Rocks in Appleby plus the recent developments on micro-granite at the immensely popular Bram Crag Quarry and, of course, all of the slate With state-of-the-art imagery from professional photographers including David Simmonite, Keith Sanders and Dom Bush the book is lavish in presentation and inspirational in style. A WIRED guide, this title adds to the stylish, bestselling, award winning series of guides and is the second Wired guide published by the FRCC.

This is the only guide that covers all the climbs on the Isle of Portland and at Lulworth Cove. Whether it's a sport climb, a trad route, a deep water solo, or a boulder problem, you'll find it here. The bulk of the guide covers sport climbing, and interspersed between the sport climbs are a number of deep water solos. The traditionally protected routes are included in topo format for the first time too. And, for ease of use, separate sections of the guide describe the most worthwhile bouldering areas in detail.

Mt Kyllini (Ziria) area of the northern Peloponnese on a light, waterproof and tear-resistant, contoured and GPS compatible map 1:30,000 from Anavasi, overprinted with recommended hiking trails. Coverage, with an overlap between the sides, extends from the coast of the Gulf of Corinth between Messineika / Kamari in the east and Palaria Platanou in the west, inland across the Mt Kyllini to just beyond Lake Stimfalia. All place names are in both Greek and Latin alphabet. The map has contours at 20m intervals plus altitude colouring and spot heights. Within the Mt Kyllini area an overprint highlights hiking trails indicating their waymarking signage, with the accompanying legend showing their length, walking time and change in altitude. Other local paths indicate wide or narrow and well defined or faint trails. Symbols show mountain refuges, gorges suitable for canyoning, historic sites and interesting locations, etc. Road network indicates roads in good or poor condition, and shows distances on main routes. The map has a 1km UTM grid. An index, printed on the detachable map cover, lists both Greek and Latin versions of village names. Map legend includes English.

'The brain is the most important muscle for climbing.' - Wolfgang Gullich Mastermind by climbing legend Jerry Moffatt is a guide to mental training for climbers. Drawing on his own personal experiences from an international climbing career spanning three decades, as well as inspiring stories from the current elite of the sport including Alex Megos, Adam Ondra, Alex Honnold and Barbara Zangerl, Jerry invites climbers and other sportspeople to explore and maximise their mental potential. This updated edition features a new foreword by American climbing legend Chris Sharma. Broken down into easy-to-read sections, including Mind Control, Self Image and Visualisation, Mastermind will help you utilise the power of your mind to make the most of your existing strength, technique and ability so that you can perform under pressure - not just in climbing, but in all sport.

In Continental Divide, a Banff Prize-winner tells the history of American mountaineering through four centuries of landmark climbs and first ascents. Maurice Isserman traces the evolving social, cultural and political roles mountains played in shaping the country.

There are few more beautiful places than Scotland's winter mountains. But even when most of the snow has melted, isolated patches can linger well into summer and beyond. In The Vanishing Ice, Iain Cameron chronicles these remarkable and little-seen relics of the Ice Age, describing how they have fascinated travellers and writers for hundreds of years, and reflecting on the impact of climate change. Iain was nine years old when snow patches first captured his imagination, and they have been inextricably bound with his life ever since. He developed his expertise through correspondence (and close friendship) with research ecologist Dr Adam Watson, and is today Britain's foremost authority on this weather phenomenon. Iain takes us on a tour of Britain which includes the Scottish Highlands, the Southern Uplands, the Lake District and Snowdonia, seeking elusive patches of snow in wild and often inaccessible locations. His adventures include a perilous climb in the Cairngorms with comedian Ed Byrne, and glorious days spent out on the hills with Andrew Cotter and his very good dogs, Olive and Mabel. Based on sound scientific evidence and personal observations, accompanied by stunning photography and wrapped in Iain's shining passion for the British landscape, The Vanishing Ice is a eulogy to snow, the mountains and the great outdoors.

A tremendous guide that shines the definitive light on the classic limestone crags in the northern area of the Peak District. Coverage extends to Stoney Middleton, Horseshoe Quarry, Water-cum-Jolly, Raven Tor, Chee Dale, Ravensdale, Smalldale, Staden Quarry, Harpur Hill, Aldery Cliff and many many more.This definitive guidebook from the British Mountaineering Council covers trad climbing, sport climbing and bouldering. It features full colour maps and tops, the best action shots and cool historical photos and essays detailing the heritage of the crags.

Hardbacked for the first time in its long history the articles in this year's SMCJ are richly diverse. Martin Moran and Simon Richardson recount solo winter traverses of the Cuillin Ridge. Stephen Scott and Iain Smart present different aspects of Eagle Ridge on Lochnagar. Mike Dixon takes us on an entertaining tour of the Ben Avon plateau. The irrepressible Gordon Smith recalls a wild day on Ben Nevis with Dick Renshaw, while Dennis Gray and Phil Gribbon introduce more sombre notes as they remember tragedies on the Ben and in Glencoe. Further afield Grant Urquhart rafts down the Grand Canyon, Ross Hewitt skis the four great North Faces in the Alps and Dave Broadhead takes an unexpected helicopter ride. In more historical tones Gavin Anderson gives us an insight into the formative years of Bugs McKeith and Ian Crofton gives a personal twist to the topic of Scottish avalanches.As always the Journal contains the most extensive and up to date coverage in print of New Climbs in Scotland, and the unique Munro Matters lovingly compiled by the Clerk of the List. Simon Richardson reports on last winter's cutting edge activities, while Mike Jacob goes back a hundred years to present a glimpse of how things were for Scotland's mountaineers in 1916 at the height of the Great War.Likely to become a collector's item - the first hardbacked Journal is excellent value at GBP16.95.

The West Virginia University Mountaineer is not just a mascot: it is a symbol of West Virginia history and identity embraced throughout the state. In this deeply informed but accessible study, folklorist Rosemary Hathaway explores the figure's early history as a backwoods trickster, its deployment in emerging mass media, and finally its long and sometimes conflicted career - beginning officially in 1937 - as the symbol of West Virginia University. Alternately a rabble-rouser and a romantic embodiment of the state's history, the Mountaineer has been subject to ongoing reinterpretation while consistently conveying the value of independence. Hathaway's account draws on multiple sources, including archival research, personal history, and interviews with former students who have portrayed the mascot, to explore the complex forces and tensions animating the Mountaineer figure. Often serving as a focus for white, masculinist, and Appalachian identities in particular, the Mountaineer that emerges from this study is something distinct from the hillbilly. Frontiersman and rebel both, the Mountaineer figure traditionally and energetically resists attempts (even those by the University) to tame or contain it.

On the morning of 2 June 1953, the day of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, the first news broke that Everest had finally been conquered. Drawing on first-hand interviews and unprecedented access to archives, this is a ground-breaking new account of that extraordinary first ascent.

Revealing that what has gone down in history as a supremely well-planned expedition was actually beset by crisis and controversy, Everest 1953 recounts a bygone age of self-sacrifice and heroism, using letters and personal diaries to reveal the immense stress and heartache the climbers often hid from their fellow team members.

Charting how the ascent affected the original team ­in subsequent years and detailing its immense cultural impact today, 'Everest 1953' is the perfect book to commemorate this remarkable feat of the human will.