Biography
Joe Simpson is a British mountaineer, author and motivational speaker. Born on 13 August 1960 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he began climbing while at school in Britain and went on to undertake expeditions in the Andes and elsewhere.
In 1985 Simpson and Simon Yates made the first ascent of the west face of Siula Grande in Peru. On the descent Simpson suffered a severe leg injury and survived a fall into a crevasse before crawling back to base camp. He recounted the events in his 1988 book Touching the Void, which was adapted into a 2003 documentary film in which he appears as himself. The book has been translated into more than twenty languages. A stage adaptation premiered in 2018.
Simpson has written further books on mountaineering and his experiences, and works as a motivational speaker. He has also contributed to other climbing documentaries, including The Beckoning Silence (2007).
