Learning To Breathe

“A tale of split lives fused into one extraordinary story of adventure, laughter, tears and joy” Joe Simpson “A brilliant book, well-written, gripping, honest and very moving” Chris Bonington “Andy Cave’s compelling autobiography is, like Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void, a gripping book on mountaineering that will appeal even to those who didn’t know they were interested in climbing … Fascinating” Observer “Enthralling … Cave’s elegant writing draws on the congruence between mining and climbing, the black humour, the danger, the camaraderie … Excellent” Independent on Sunday “The story of Andy Cave’s transition from Yorkshire coal miner into one of Britain’s best climbers echoes the heroic tones of Don Whillans or Joe Brown … Thoughtful and often gripping … Cave explains what it actually feels like to climb the kind of exceptionally dangerous routes that the rest of us, climbers or not, find unimaginable. There are few other climbers with the writing skills to be able to pull this off. There are fewer still who have led such an interesting and varied life as Cave” Scotland on Sunday

Andy Cave was born into a mining family and is now a cutting-edge alpinist with several formidable first ascents to his credit. He has a PhD in socio-linguistics and is an IFMGA international mountain and ski guide.