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Scaling The Heights

In 1985 two English mountain climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates attempted to climb the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Back in ‘85, no one had successfully climbed the west face of the mountain whose peak rises to a height of 21,000 feet.

After climbing for three days, Simpson and Yates successfully reached the summit. After taking in achievement and enjoying their triumph, they decide to take a different route back down to base camp. The weather starts to deteriorate, and storm sets in making their descent difficult and hazardous. Joe Simpson miscalculates his hold and slides down a glacier some 100ft, on impact breaking his right leg.

The climbers discuss their situation and agree their lives are in danger and if they are to survive, they must descend quickly. They agree on a strategy of lowering Simpson quickly as possible using the available rope. Simpson is in danger of shock and hypothermia because of his broken leg. The deteriorating weather makes visibility poor and their descent hazardous, causing Simpson to misjudge his position, lose his hold, slide over a projecting ledge and fall into a crevasse. The rope linking the two men isn’t long enough to reach the ground and Simpson is left hanging 80ft above the crevasse floor like a spider on a thread.

For 30 mins Yates shouts, calls, and tugs on the rope to signal and communicate with Simpson. Simpson is also shouting but the howling wind and blizzard storm prevent either being heard. Yates tired, cold, de-hydrated, realises he cannot stay much longer with Simpson’s dead weight on the rope, which is pulling him down and sapping his strength. Yates has no idea what’s happened to Simpson, his fellow climber and can only imagine the worse. Yates knows he must cut himself free from the weight on the rope, or he will die.

Yates finally cuts the rope binding him to Simpson, to avoid being pulled over the edge himself. Simpson falls into the frozen cravasse landing some 80 foot below. Yates accepts his climbing partner Simpson must be dead, and digs a snow cave to provide shelter and endure the worst of the stom. The following day, Yates undertakes a limited search, but cannot see or hear any sign of Simpson. Yates assumes his climbing partner is dead and continues with his climb back down to base camp.

Simpson’s ordeal is just beginning. With a broken leg, no food and no water, Simpson must descend some 4,000 feet in sub-zero temperatures. Simpson knows, he must maintain his will to survive along with a sustained effort to get back to base camp, if he is to survive.

Gripping documentary of Yates dilemma, and Simpson’s ordeal.

Go watch it.

Runtime: 106 mins

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Originally Posted: October 1st, 2009