Top 10 real-life adventure stories

9. Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival, by Joe Simpson

There have been many inspiring mountaineering stories over the years, but none more incredible than the story of Joe Simpson (the author) and Simon Yates. After summiting the formidable Siula Grande in Peru, Simpson accidentally falls a far distance down the mountain face and breaks his leg in the process, thus disabling him from climbing. Yates, still tied in with Simpson but much higher up on the mountain, presumes Simpson to be dead and cuts the rope linking them together, causing Simpson to plunge 150 feet into a crevasse. Miraculously, Simpson survives, and the rest of the book describes his arduous journey crawling his way back to base camp to catch Yates just hours before he was about to leave. “Void” is truly a tour-de-force.

9 of 10
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us