Beckoning Silence

Aroview: Fearless mountaineer Joe Simpson (of TOUCHING THE VOID fame) journeys to the north face of the Eiger mountain in the Swiss Alps to re-trace the fateful climb of German mountaineer Toni Kurz in 1936, a climb comparable to Simpson's near death experience in the Peruvian Andes. This doesn't touch the emotional depths of its fictional companion NORTH FACE, but Simpson provides a fascinating and eloquent commentary from the viewpoint of the obsessive climber.