In 1985 Joe Simpson and Simon Yates made a wild decision to climb Siula Grande a mountain in Peru. Simon and Joe were determined to be the first team ever to successfully climb the west face of Siula Grande. When successfully reaching the peak of the mountain, they climbed down via the north ridge, and that’s when trouble took take its place. Joe slipped and broke his leg, leaving Simon with no choice but to slowly reel Joe down the snowy mountain, worse came to worse and Joe was hanging over a cliff with only a rope holding him and Simon together. Simon had to make a courageous decision, cut the rope and save himself, or stay tied to Joe and both of them be pulled to their deaths. Some say Simon made the wrong decision by cutting the rope, but when in a life or death situation, makes cutting the rope the only option.
Cutting the rope is a huge rule in the climbing community and Simon was given a lot of grief when returning from Mount Siula Grande for cutting the rope. Simon was in a life or death situation, and thought that on the end of that rope was a dead, lifeless body; he seriously believed that Joe was dead. Making that traumatic decision to cut the rope, Simon was through a lot of emotions and was well aware of the consequences. He could either have them both fall to their death or have one get out alive. Simon’s decision was the right one to make, not only because they both got out alive but because it was valid, he believed Joe was dead. One is better than none!
When in a life or death situation, first instincts is the way to go. Simon expressed in the Touching the Void documentary that he believed Joe was dead and if he were to cut the rope there was still a chance of him surviving. Cutting the rope was clearly the best decision to make because if Simon didn’t cut the rope he would have fallen to his death and there was no chance of Simon or Joe to survive. Simon believed that if he were to cut the rope he could climb back down