Internationally acclaimed mountaineer, Simon Yates, is gearing himself up for a visit to Perth Theatre in February to present the visually stunning and hugely entertaining My Mountain Life. Best known for his harrowing expedition to the Andes documented in Touching the Void, Simon is one of the most famous and accomplished exploratory mountaineers of his time.
‘Life and death’ is a common phrase used to express a difficult decision, but few people ever really have to face the reality of that choice. Simon is a man who had to take such a decision, whilst trapped on his descent from Peru’s Siula Grande with climbing partner, Joe Simpson. Believing Joe to be dead on the end of the rope, Simon was slowly being pulled off the mountain whilst losing all feeling in his hands. Simon was forced to make the stark decision to cut the rope that joined them in order to save his own life – a story retold in Joe’s best-selling book, the BAFTA award-winning film and the recently adapted stage play, that made both men household names.
Since this fateful expedition in 1985, Simon has gone on to climb in some of the most remote and rarely explored mountain ranges of the world. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, Alaska to Central Asia, there is hardly a significant range he has not visited. His three books (Against the Wall, Flame of Adventure and The Wild Within) not only chart over 30 years of mountaineering exploits, but also provide personal reflections on topical issues of the time such as how digital communication has changed the experience of mountaineering.
Simon will be presenting My Mountain Life in Perth Theatre on Thursday 28 February. Speaking about his upcoming visit, Simon says: “I’m really looking forward to coming and sharing my mountain adventures with an audience at Perth Theatre.”
The stage adaptation of Touching the Void is in Perth Theatre from Thursday 7 until Sunday 10 March.
For tickets and info for My Mountain Life and Touching the Void, call Horsecross Arts Box Office on 01738 621031 visit www.horsecross.co.uk
Thursday 10 January 2019