Our foremost mountaineering writer reflects on the perilous and exacting nature of the activity which has dominated his adult life, seeking to reveal the inner truth of rock climbing, and exploring the power of the mind and the frailty of the human body. A thoughtful, anecdotal reflection on fear, on its place in the climber's psyche, and his own personal struggle to come to terms with it. "No one conjures the thrill of altitude better than Simpson...A hugely enjoyable book...As far as mountaineering literature goes this is about as good as it gets." Sara Wheeler, "Spectator".