Joe Simpson Keynote Speaker

Joe Simpson is one of the world’s most respected mountaineers and a leading motivational speaker. His book, “Touching the Void” (1998), tells of his amazing survival, having shattered his leg and been left for dead in a crevasse high in the Andes. It has sold over two million copies worldwide and has become one of the all time classics of mountaineering.

It is a tale of two men thrown into a nightmare of terrifying life and death choices and heartbreaking decisions. It is about agony, terror, courage and weakness, but most of all it is about triumph of the human spirit and the innate strength we have within us to succeed.

The drama documentary film of ‘Touching the Void’ won the 2004 Baftas Outstanding British Film of the Year, beating Cold Mountain, Love Actually and Girl with a Pearl Earring. The Evening Standard named it Best Film of the Year 2004, and it became one of the most successful documentaries in British cinema history.

Joe has written many books since ‘Touching the Void‘, including two novels. To date all his books have been short-listed for the Boardman Tasker Prize.