‘THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH’

A LECTURE AND SLIDE PRESENTATION

BY SIMON YATES

Simon is best known as a result of his epic rescue of Joe Simpson, after their first ascent of the West Face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes described in Joe's award winning book 'Touching The Void'. Over the last twenty years Simon has climbed extensively around the world, concentrating on exploratory mountaineering. He has made a number of first ascents in the Himalayas and Andes

Simon's first book - 'Against The Wall' was published to critical acclaim in 1997 and was runner up in The Boardman Tasker Award for mountain literature. His second – ‘The Flame of Adventure’ was published in November 2001.

In February 2001 Simon joined Celia Bull on her yacht Ada II in the southern most city in the world – Ushuaia in Argentinean Tierra del Fuego. In the company of the Alpinist Andy Parkin, Elaine Bull and Jane Yates they set sail into the Beagle Channel.

Having spent six evenings on Ullswater in the Lake District the previous summer learning to sail Toppers – small, single-sailed, plastic-hulled yachts – Simon felt well-prepared for sailing an ocean going yacht in some of the most notorious seas in the world.

In this lecture Simon follows the fortunes of the good ship Ada II and her crew as they battle westwards before finally anchoring in the beautiful fiord Bahia Yendegaia, just a days horse ride from the mountains (did somebody mention horse riding?). Yet despite a few setbacks Andy and Simon went on to make a fine first ascent of a mountain they called Monte Ada in the Cordillera Darwin range of mountains – arguably the most remote chain of mountains outside of the Polar Regions. Simon returned to the Cordillera Darwin in 2003 on another sailing and climbing expedition, making the third ascent of Monte Frances.

Simon will present a fine selection of slides to accompany his lecture. A rare chance to see images from this seldom visited mountain region.

To arrange for Simon to give a lecture Contact Heason Events