Did Joe Simpson lose his leg?

Asked by: Jennifer Williams

In 1985, Simpson and climbing partner Simon Yates made a first-ascent of the previously unclimbed West Face of Siula Grande (6,344 m) in the Cordillera Huayhuash of the Peruvian Andes. On the descent, Simpson broke his right leg and during their subsequent self-rescue in a storm, he and Yates became separated.

How did Joe Simpson survive the fall?

When the injured Simpson was inadvertently lowered over a cliff, Yates hung on for more than an hour before making a devastating decision: he cut the rope, sending his companion plunging to certain death. But Simpson survived, and four days later he crawled into base camp.

Do Yates and Simpson still friends?

They were not friends, just climbing partners by chance; the relationship was only made to quench their thirst for adventure. Yates could have left Simpson up there; he could have promised to return with help and flee to save his life. But he didn’t do that. Simpson would have died and Yates would have survived.

Is Joe Simpson climber alive?

But Simpson survived, and four days later he crawled into base camp. Three years after that, he gave his account in a best-selling book, Touching the Void, which was adapted into a documentary in 2003 and a play in 2018. It’s a startling case study of a man facing death, but one that’s absolutely about living.

Did Joe climb Everest?

And it was. Two days later I sat on the summit, admiring a horizon of five 8,000m peaks – Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Makalu and Kanchenjunga. I had safely completed the first ascent, alone, of a new route on a Himalayan mountain. It doesn’t get much better than that.

What injuries did Joe Simpson sustain?

Simpson underwent six surgical operations as a result of the leg injuries sustained on Siula Grande. The doctors told him he would never climb again and that he would have trouble walking for the rest of his life. After two years of rehabilitation, however, he returned to mountain climbing.

Should Simon have cut the rope?

If Simon doesn’t cut the rope, they both will fall off the cliff and almost certainly die. If Simon cuts the rope, he has a high likelihood of surviving, but Joe will almost certainly die. Simon cuts the rope and makes it off the mountain (Joe miraculously does too – that’s what the book/movie is about).

How far did Joe fall in Touching the Void?

4500ft

They began descending via the peak’s North Ridge which the pair found unexpectedly challenging with Yates falling through a cornice down the face they had just climbed but he was held by the rope which prevented him falling 4500ft to his death.

Is Touching the Void real footage?

It reconstructs the true story of the fateful climb which British mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates undertook in the Andes in 1985. The film combines documentary and dramatic reconstructions of the ascent of Siula Grande which nearly killed the two climbers.

Why did Simon cut the rope in Touching the Void?

Further disaster struck when Simon – in the dark, with frostbitten fingers and during a blizzard – lowered Joe over a cliff-edge leaving him dangling. Simon was then faced with a horrific choice – cling on until Joe’s weight pulled him down and they both fell to their deaths, or cut the rope to save himself.

What is Joe Simpson doing?

Today, at 59 years old, Simpson is a successful author and motivational speaker. “I hate the expression ‘motivation’ – it’s bollocks,” he says, sipping a cup of tea in his home in the British county of Derbyshire.

Where did Joe Simpson fall?

Joe Simpson photographed at home in Chesterfield by Sam Riley. In 1985, 25-year-old Joe Simpson and another British climber, Simon Yates, 21, were climbing the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes when Simpson fell and badly broke his leg.

Does Joe Simpson have children?

That’s what being on the ground, staring at Siula Grande, brought back to him again: that whatever he did, the mountain wouldn’t go away. 13 August 1960 in Kuala Lumpur. Unmarried, despite several long-term relationships. No children.

Why did Jessica Simpson fire her dad?

Jessica Simpson and her father Joe have had a strained business relationship as well as a personal one. Jessica released Joe as her manager in 2012 after many years in business together. “He thought I was following my mother’s wishes, but he had made some bad deals for me.

Are Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson still married?

Jessica Simpson is lucky in love with husband Eric Johnson. While chatting with PEOPLE about her partnership with Flonase, the singer and fashion designer, 41, also opens up about married life to Johnson, 42, with whom she shares three children — daughters Maxwell Drew, 9, and Birdie Mae, 3, plus son Ace Knute, 8.

Is Jessica Simpson a billionaire?

(Also, for the record, she was never a billionaire. At the height of the business, Bloomberg Businessweek estimates, the Simpsons would’ve gotten $13 million or less the year the brand brought in $1 billion in sales.

Was Tony Romo married to Jessica Simpson?

While they dated for a year and a half, Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo never married. They started dating in November 2007 when she was still in the midst of her split from Nick Lachey.