Stuck In A Crevasse : The Survival of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates | Touching The Void — Transcript

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1. 0:00in 1985 Joe Simpson and Simon Yates both
2. 0:03experienced climbers in their mid-20s
3. 0:06set out to conquer the West face of Cula
4. 0:08Grande a 6344 m Peak their goal was
5. 0:11ambitious the West face had never been
6. 0:13climbed before the two were well
7. 0:15prepared both physically and mentally
8. 0:18for the challenges that lay ahead little
9. 0:20did they know their expedition would
10. 0:21test their limits beyond anything they
11. 0:23had ever imagined Simon Yates was born
12. 0:26on April 7th 1963 in leerer England like
13. 0:30Joe Simon was drawn to the mountains
14. 0:32from a young age he was known for his
15. 0:35technical climbing skills and calm
16. 0:37demeanor even in the face of danger
17. 0:39Simon's climbing career had taken him to
18. 0:42some of the most remote and challenging
19. 0:44Peaks around the world his partnership
20. 0:46with Joe was based on mutual respect and
21. 0:48Trust essential qualities for any
22. 0:50successful climbing Duo Joe Simpson was
23. 0:53born on August 13th 1960 in quala lumur
24. 0:57Malaysia where his father was stationed
25. 0:59with the British army from a young age
26. 1:01Joe had an adventurous spirit and a deep
27. 1:03love for the outdoors his family
28. 1:05eventually moved to England where Joe's
29. 1:07passion for climbing began to flourish
30. 1:10by his early 20s he had already tackled
31. 1:12some of the most challenging climbs in
32. 1:14the Alps and the Andes Joe was known for
33. 1:16his determination resilience and a keen
34. 1:19sense of adventure traits that would be
35. 1:21tested to their limits on Cula Grande
36. 1:24Cula Grande is a
37. 1:266344 m 20814 ft Peak located in the
38. 1:30cordier hawash range of the Peruvian
39. 1:33Andes it is known for its steep faces
40. 1:36unpredictable weather and remote
41. 1:37location making it a formidable
42. 1:39challenge for even the most experienced
43. 1:41climbers the mountain had a notorious
44. 1:44reputation for its difficult climbing
45. 1:46conditions including ice Fields creases
46. 1:49and SRA large blocks of glacial ice the
47. 1:52West face of sua Grande which Joe and
48. 1:54Simon aimed to conquer had never been
49. 1:56successfully climbed before their
50. 1:58attempt in 1985
51. 2:00Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out to
52. 2:02conquer the West face of sua Grande
53. 2:04their goal was ambitious and filled with
54. 2:07risks but they were confident in their
55. 2:08skills and preparation The Climb began
56. 2:11smoothly with Joe and Simon making good
57. 2:13progress despite the severe weather
58. 2:15conditions that often plague the Andes
59. 2:17they were connected by a rope a Lifeline
60. 2:20binding them together a symbol of their
61. 2:22trust and Reliance on one another as
62. 2:24they ascended the challenges intensified
63. 2:27the thin air and freezing temperatures
64. 2:29became more severe and they knew they
65. 2:31had to move quickly to avoid being
66. 2:33caught in bad weather their progress was
67. 2:35steady but exhausting as they tackled
68. 2:38steep ice walls and navigated
69. 2:40treacherous crevasses despite the
70. 2:42difficulties they maintained a positive
71. 2:44outlook driven by the shared goal of
72. 2:46reaching the summit near the summit the
73. 2:49first disaster struck Joe slipped and
74. 2:51fell shattering his right leg and
75. 2:53crushing his knee joint the injury was
76. 2:55catastrophic for a mountaineer and in
77. 2:57the isolated high altitude environment M
78. 3:00it seemed like a death sentence but
79. 3:02Simon determined not to abandon his
80. 3:04friend decided to lower Joe down the
81. 3:07mountain in a series of harrowing ABS
82. 3:09sales The Descent was fraught with
83. 3:11danger Simon used their 150 ft of rope
84. 3:14to lower Joe bit by bit in what must
85. 3:16have been an excruciating process for
86. 3:18both climbers Joe was in agonizing pain
87. 3:22and Simon was risking his own life to
88. 3:23save him they communicated with tugs on
89. 3:25the Rope each tug a signal for Simon to
90. 3:28lower Joe another length the process was
91. 3:30slow perilous and exhausting the harsh
92. 3:33weather conditions and the Darkness of
93. 3:35night added to their difficulties making
94. 3:37the task seem almost insurmountable as
95. 3:40night fell visibility dropped to almost
96. 3:43zero and a storm blew in in the darkness
97. 3:45and confusion Simon inadvertently
98. 3:48lowered Joe over the edge of a cliff Joe
99. 3:50was left hanging in midair unable to
100. 3:52climb back up or communicate effectively
101. 3:54with Simon Simon not knowing what had
102. 3:57happened and unable to hear Joe's cries
103. 3:59for help over the howling wind faced an
104. 4:02unimaginable decision he could feel
105. 4:04Joe's weight dragging him down pulling
106. 4:06him dangerously close to the edge if he
107. 4:08did nothing they would both die in an
108. 4:10act of desperate pragmatism Simon Cut
109. 4:13the Rope Joe fell into a deep crass
110. 4:15miraculously he survived the fall
111. 4:18landing on a Ledge within the crass when
112. 4:20he regained Consciousness he found
113. 4:22himself alone in a dark and icy prison
114. 4:25he was severely injured dehydrated and
115. 4:27in shock his immediate thought was that
116. 4:29s Simon assuming he was dead had
117. 4:31continued down the mountain inside the
118. 4:34crass Joe was surrounded by Darkness the
119. 4:37cold seeping into his bones the silence
120. 4:39was oppressive broken only by the
121. 4:41occasional drip of melting ice he knew
122. 4:44that his chances of survival were slim
123. 4:46but he refused to give in despair using
124. 4:48his remaining strength Joe began to
125. 4:50crawl up the icy walls each movement was
126. 4:53a battle against his shattered leg and
127. 4:55the unrelenting pain the climb out of
128. 4:57the crass was a slow and agonizing
129. 5:00process but Joe's determination never
130. 5:02wavered once out of the crass Joe faced
131. 5:05the daunting task of crossing the
132. 5:07glacier his progress was agonizingly
133. 5:09slow his body screaming in pain with
134. 5:12every movement the altitude made
135. 5:13breathing difficult and the cold was a
136. 5:16constant threat Joe's mind was a blur of
137. 5:18pain fatigue and a desperate will to
138. 5:21survive he had no map no guide and no
139. 5:24idea how far he had to go all he knew
140. 5:27was that he had to keep moving Joe's
141. 5:29Journey Back to base camp was nothing
142. 5:30short of miraculous he was in a state of
143. 5:32severe physical and mental exhaustion
144. 5:35his body pushed to its absolute limits
145. 5:37the terrain he had to cross was
146. 5:38treacherous filled with crevasses Sak
147. 5:42and steep ice slopes every movement was
148. 5:44a struggle and the pain from his
149. 5:46shattered leg was nearly unbearable yet
150. 5:48he continued driven by a fierce
151. 5:50determination to survive the glacier he
152. 5:53had to Traverse was a Labyrinth of
153. 5:55crevasses and Ice Falls each step a
154. 5:57potential death trap Joe moved moved
155. 5:59slowly and methodically using his ice ax
156. 6:02to probe the snow ahead of him for
157. 6:03hidden dangers the altitude and cold
158. 6:06sapped his strength and he was
159. 6:07constantly battling dehydration and
160. 6:09hypothermia his thoughts were a mix of
161. 6:12desperation and hope each painful inch
162. 6:14bringing him closer to potential rescue
163. 6:16meanwhile at base camp Simon was
164. 6:19tormented by the belief that he had
165. 6:20killed his friend the decision to cut
166. 6:22the rope haunted him and he was racked
167. 6:24with guilt and despair he waited for Joe
168. 6:27hoping against hope that he might
169. 6:28somehow appear here after 3 days he was
170. 6:31preparing to leave convinced that Joe
171. 6:33was dead Against All Odds Joe reached
172. 6:36the base camp just as Simon was packing
173. 6:38up he was emaciated dehydrated and on
174. 6:41the brink of death but he was alive
175. 6:43Simon was stunned by his incredible feet
176. 6:45of survival he immediately set about
177. 6:47helping Joe providing him with food
178. 6:50water and Medical Care the relief and
179. 6:52joy of the reunion were tempered by the
180. 6:54realization of the horrors Joe had
181. 6:56endured to get back to them the
182. 6:58emotional reunion was a mixture of joy
183. 7:00relief and lingering sorrow Simon was in
184. 7:03disbelief at Joe's return his condition
185. 7:05a testament to the unimaginable ordeal
186. 7:08he had survived Joe's face was gaunt his
187. 7:11body battered but his Spirit remained
188. 7:13unbroken the bond between Joe and Simon
189. 7:16already strong was now forged in The
190. 7:18Crucible of their shared ordeal the
191. 7:20story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates has
192. 7:22become legendary in the mountaineering
193. 7:23community and Beyond Joe documented
194. 7:26their ordeal in his book touching the
195. 7:28void which was later adapted into a
196. 7:31critically acclaimed documentary the
197. 7:32book and film have inspired countless
198. 7:35people with their Testament to human
199. 7:36resilience and the power of friendship
200. 7:38Simon's decision to Cut the Rope though
201. 7:41controversial was made in a moment of
202. 7:43extreme duress and is often seen as a
203. 7:45tragic necessity rather than an act of
204. 7:48betrayal both climbers have spoken
205. 7:50extensively about the event emphasizing
206. 7:52the profound Bond forged between them
207. 7:54through this harrowing experience in the
208. 7:57Years following their ordeal Joe
209. 7:59continued to climb and write while Simon
210. 8:01also pursued a successful climbing
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