• The accident and the attempt to climb down until the rope is cut
chapter 3
tension begins to show between joe and simon
Joe begins to feel real fear for the first time
chapter 4
The mood darkens, and soon Joe has his first fall.
The distance between them on the cliff makes it hard to communicate, and their own worries cause
tensions to emerge again between them.
chapter 5
progress is slow
Joe falls into a crevasse his reaction is anger as
much as anything
no clear way down and he makes several attempts to find a way past a vertical wall of soft snow.
Digging his axe into the ice in order to lower himself he hears a crack and then falls and smashes onto
a ledge below, shattering his knee.
Joe thinks he will not be able to make it down the mountain – so he is effectively
dead.
Simon comes up with a plan to get them off the mountain
hey will lower each other down the face of the mountain using the 300-foot line that roped them
together.
chapter 6
begin their descent.
joes in a lot of pain
Joe falls and finds himself hanging in mid-air with the cliff six feet away from him.
Joe’s weight will pull him off the slope, dragging them both to their deaths.
He thinks through his options, remembers the knife in his ruck-sack and decides to act insisting he
didn’t have any other choice.
chapter 7
Joe dangles on the rope for a long time expecting to drop any second
he suddenly feels himself drop and after hitting snow slips into the crevasse where he falls again
until he smacks into a rock ledge.
joe doesn't realise whats occurred; he pulls on the rope hoping simon will anchor him down
he pulls the rope and finds that it’s been cut.
chapter 8
simon realises whats happened and is worried that people will judge him for his decisions
He considers hiding the truth to save himself having to answer some difficult questions
as soon as he gets back to Richard he tells him everything
Richard is very reassuring
chapter 9
Joe climbs down into the dark depths of the crevasse.
Energised by the possibility of escape, he develops a careful pattern of movement that he can repeat
over and over, ensuring slow but careful progress.
after several hours and set backs inally emerges into the light
till has too far to go and too much to do and he feels the pull of despair –
he hears a voice begin to urge him on.
chapter 10
when working his way down; he sees tracks and realises they're simons
He finds a way of making his way by crawling but, increasingly delirious with pain, exhaustion and lack
of food, his mind keeps wondering off.
the voice is the only thing keeping him going
chapter 11
He crawls on but is wearied as much by fear as the sheer physical effort needed to keep moving. He
keeps passing out but is awoken by the voice urging him on.
makes a splint for his leg from his foam sleeping mat. This enables him to develop a kind of hopping
hobble so he can make better progress
finds some water - drinks it
he finally collapses he cannot get up again so he gets his sleeping bag out and sleeps where he lies.
chapter 12
Richard convinces Simon to pack up and leave - they thinks Joe's dead.
Joe struggles on and collapses
frequently
as he gets nearer his goal he is consumed by a sense of
despair
joe doesn't know if simon and richard have left or not
voice erges him on
chapter 13
Joe stumbles forward and collapses again. He is stuck by the sharp smell of human excrement.
Evidence of the camp, but since he cannot see the tents he’s sure his friends are gone. (they aren't)