Against The Wall

by Simon Yates

Simon Yates is 'the one who cut the rope' in Joe Simpson's award-winning account of their epic struggle for survival in Touching the Void . Afterwards, Yates continued mountaineering on the hardest routes. Perhaps the most testing of all was one of the world's largest vertical rockfaces, the 4, 000-ft East Face of the Central Tower of Paine in Chile. Battered by ferocious storms and almost crippled with fear just below the summit, Yates and his three companions are forced into a nightmare retreat. After resting in a nearby town, they return to complete the climb, but Yates knows he still has to face one of life's greatest challenges...

Genres: Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Climbing, Adventure, Biography, Outdoors

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Simon Yates is an internationally acclaimed mountaineer, adventurer and author best known for his involvement in the epic described in Joe Simpson's book 'Touching the Void'.

In a prolific career spanning nearly thirty years Simon has climbed worldwide with many of Britain's leading mountaineers including Andy Cave, Mick Fowler,Andy Parkin, Paul Pritchard and Doug Scott, establishing many first ascents in the process. He is the author of three books: Against the Wall (Vintage 1997), The Flame of Adventure (Vintage 2001) and most recently The Wild Within (Vertibrate Publishing 2012)

In addition to mountaineering and writing, Simon is a popular lecturer and runs a commercial expedition company - Mountain Dream. He lives in Cumbria with his wife, daughter and son.

Reviews

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a must if you've read Touching the Void. I found I needed to read the true alternate pov. This was a factual account, focusing less on emotionality. A good read.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. A nice blend of gritty in-the-moment action and meditative reflections on life.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimately, we all have to look after ourselves, whether on mountains or in day to day life. In my view that is not a license to be selfish, for only by taking good care of ourselves are we able to help others.

I took a break from reading Everest memoirs to pick this climbing book up off my shelf. I knew very little about it, and was pleasantly surprised. For context, I haven't yet read Touching the Void so I didn't know of the author. What at first seems a simply tale of four men on a climbing adventure - go up, go through some struggles, possibly have a close call with death, reach the summit, come down - actually turned out to be a reflective, self-examination from the author and an honest telling of his experiences with the obsessive nature of climbing. It's as much about perspective and attitude as it is about belaying and bivouacs.

Later, when I thought about what had happened, I started drawing parallels with day-to-day life, seeing how sometimes, through laziness or neglect, we carry on with a course of action even though we know it could have potentially damaging consequences. ... it all boiled down to a question of attitude.

The climbing descriptions were detailed enough to be immersive and simple enough that I, a climbing novice, was able to follow along easily. There was one part in particular that I found super engaging, Simon is climbing a crack in the Coffin. Using "Friends" and single-size nuts, he comes up with a successful leap-frogging technique with the limited equipment he has that will work in the size of the crack. The rock quality changes and he has to focus 100%, he says "despite the obvious danger, a feeling of calm and confidence came over me." He then reminisces on some of his climbing experiences on gritstone crags in the Peak District just outside Sheffield, and ice-climbing in Scotland.

I don't want to spoil this book as I didn't know what to expect and enjoyed the book that way but Simon chooses not to attempt the summit climb. That was so unexpected to me and fascinating. He talks about how not taking care of yourself in life may lead to your marriage breaking down, business failing or house repossessed and in the mountains, the penalty for neglect can often be death. So interesting to read his thought processes on that decision. Life is complicated!

I love indoor bouldering which is very different from what Simon is doing in this book, but is similar in the reasons why I love it - the physicality, perseverance and knowing your limits, the problem-solving element of climbing. It all makes this book so readable. It took me about 60 pages before I was sold but after that I greatly enjoyed it.

If, at times, I appear unduly critical of my friends, I can only apologise to them. I am equally critical of myself.

I realised, as never before, that climbing, as with other things in life, should be a matter of balance; that other things were important and interesting, and that I was missing out by neglecting them.

...it was all a matter of looking after yourself, both mentally and physically, of keeping yourself in a condition that would enable you to climb effectively and not make mistakes. In the end, it boiled down to small, almost minute-by-minute decisions that might not seem important at the time but which could have detrimental effects several hours or even days later ... Similarly, in everyday life people might consider getting married, having children, starting a business or buying a house as the biggest decisions they will ever make, but the success of each of these ventures depends on the multitude of decisions they make later, not the move to undertake the venture in the first place.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story of 4 friends who decide to take on a dangerous climb of the world's largest vertical rock-face, the 4000 feet face of Paine in Chile. Physically demanding with wild weather and tensions between them, the climbers despair of ever getting to the top. Will any of them achieve their goal?

This book really brings it home just how soul destroying some of these climbs can be. The good weather they hoped for was replaced by vicious storms, their wooden huts near the climb were leaking in the pouring rain leaving them soaked and miserable and the sheer scale of the climb was beyond anything that they had imagined. You can really picture yourself in that miserable place. The book is well written and Simon Yates does not sugar coat his opinions of what is going on and the tensions he felt towards the other members of the team.

A decent book for climbing fans but don't expect a big disaster novel as it doesn't get that dramatic.

[Richard Hakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always said its good to know when to keep going and when to pack in, mountain rescue finds lots of people who won't pack in, however to wright a book about packing in seems strange. I also find it strange how he travels to intersting places and seem oblivious to just looking out of the bus window and enjoying the strange scenery. I understand the feeling about liking high mountains and the feeling of wanting to climb but not wanting to go. I think I was have been close to there but I staid with the day job and now enjoy taking exciting tram rides to Alicante! Each to there own. I didn't wright a book though!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no history with any type of mountain or rock climbing besides the occasional "easy" hike near my own house. I picked up Against the Wall because I was feeling unmotivated in my running, and I had searched my library app for any books on running or exercise in general. I decided to give Against the Wall a try, and I was absolutely floored with how incredible it was. Simon Yates puts together a story that you don't want to put down.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author’s internal examination of his motivations for climbing; his references to other mountaineering feats and the gripping account of the ascent of the Central Tower of Paine in Chile with 3 others make this a gripping read

[Tamara Covacevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend bought this second hand during Kendal festival. I got a copy for me online since I was flying home in a few weeks, to the place where this book is set. Was fun to read an account of climbing the central tower from the english perspective, since I could understand their references.

[Douglas Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read especially the last few chapters.

[David Boyce]

I might be an unusual case to have read this book without having read Touching the Void, but I have seen the DVD and somehow ended up reading this book by Simon Yates. To be honest, I quite liked it. Simon is unusual as a climber and as an author as he seems tremendously modest and honest. His inner battle with why he was doing it reflected well with my thoughts during the telling of the story. It almost seemed like he wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this expedition and you could tell. I will give them credit, it was one heck of an achievement getting up that wall and this book was good at revealing how they did it. It does seem that Simon spends a lot of time examining his own thoughts and feelings rather than looking around him at nature or the grandiose spectacle of the mountains but I think this is authentic blinkers on determination required for such a task. If I were there I would still be looking at the Patagonian diving ducks.

I would recommend this book if you have a little knowledge about climbing and are curious about the logistical nightmare a big climb can be. I think that even if you have never climbed before Simon’s description of his gear and what it does fills in all the blanks and makes this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Damir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it tells a climbing story through the lens of someone that doesn't want to tell you that he is awesome, and that is a dosis of fresh air. Simon Yates talks about making decisions, human relations and inner conflicts in an ascent that, as it was common before the precise weather forecasts in Patagonia (Chaltén and Torres del Paine mainly), had much more days inside a tent than touching the granite wall of Torre Central. It felt real, without the usual exaggerations of the epics of super-human adventure writers.

I also enjoyed how he portrayed other interactions, with locals and in Puerto Natales.

I didn't enjoy the ending so much, because the books seems to be building tension into something more in my opinion, but his conclusions resonate with me and his authenticity and honesty are always present. Great book, I'm recommending it to every climber and mountaineer I know that reads.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this while hiking in Patagonia. That made the book much more enjoyable, but while there were one or two interesting nuggets / insights / ideas, overall I found the book to be not particularly well written and rather egocentric. Would not bother, unless you have a particular reason to read it.

[Stephen Hampshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb climbing book by the guy who cut Joe Simpson's rope. This is about an expedition to climb the central Tower of Paine (nothing off-putting about that name!) in Patagonia. He has an engaging style, less professional than Simpson as a writer but probably more honest. His other one is good too.

[Garrett Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seemed lots more genuine and enjoyable than his retelling of the 'cutting the rope' incident by which he has found his fame.

[Lisa Metcalfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of incredible perseverance. I don't climb, ust like reading about it. This book has me in awe of the commitment

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it held me even though I normally read murder mystery. Well done Simon.

[Richard Pett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads almost like a confessional, great read, really enjoyed it