Joe and Simon are experienced climbers who attempt one of Peru’s most difficult mountain faces. They choose to stage their assault ‘alpine’ style, taking the peak in a single shot with the intention of returning the same day. But when Joe stumbles on the journey down, pushing his femur through his kneecap, Simon was left to get the pair down the mountain in the most horrendous conditions the Andes could throw at them. Fate plays another hand, at one point forcing Simon to choose between the life of his partner and certain death for the pair of them. Yet there is another surprise for the couple when, after plunging a 100m into a deep ravine, Simon survives. Unfortunately, Joe is unaware of his partner’s fate and stumbles blindly back to camp, leaving Simon to make his own choices.

Their story has since become the stuff of mountaineering folklore and is brought to life by Academy Award-winning documentarian Kevin MacDonald (One Day In October). He relates this mesmerizing tale of survival and stamina by cutting between talking heads and a vivid re-enactment of those seven bitter days in Peru. What makes the tale so absorbing is Joe’s refusal to give in, his determination to overcome formidable odds including severe dehydration, hunger and frostbite, to cheat death where any normal person would curl up and die. The combination is inspiring stuff that forces you to revaluate your own cosy outlook. I saw Touching The Void on a brisk winter’s night and was shamed into recanting previous complaints about cold weather. Comparatively, I know nothing.

// COLIN FRASER