In a High and Desperate Place

A late summer climb to over 3,000 metres goes terribly wrong when unseasonally cold weather closes in on the pair as they ascend the sheer face of one of the world’s most testing climbs, the north face of Piz Badile in the Italian Alps. This is the first-hand account of the climb and subsequent high-altitude Alpine rescue of two South African climbers. At the time the incident was publicised as the first ever rescue where sms technology was used to attract attention to the plight of trapped climbers. While they waited for rescue, the author and her partner implemented various techniques to ensure that they survived with not only their lives intact, but their fingers and toes too!