Andy Cave (born 1966) is a British mountaineer, mountain guide, and

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

. He was nominated for the Piolet d'Or for his first ascent of the North Face of

Changabang Changabang is a mountain in the Garhwal Division, Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India. It is part of a group of peaks that form the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. It is a particularly steep and rocky peak, and all routes on it ...

in 1997, and won the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature in 2005.

Biography

Born in 1966, Andy Cave grew up in the small coal mining village of Royston, South Yorkshire. On leaving school with few qualifications at 16, he followed family tradition and began work as a coal miner. This period also saw him begin rock climbing in the Peak District, on his local crags. The UK miners' strike of 1984–85 gave Cave the opportunity to devote his time to climbing. In 1986, he left his job at Grimethorpe colliery, South Yorkshire, returning to education to gain a degree in English (1993) and a PhD in Linguistics (2001). His academic work included research into the dialect of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

pit villages. Cave is an UIAGM (IFMGA) International Mountain and Ski Guide.

The European Alps

In 1986, on one of his first visits to the Alps, Cave did several climbs in just a few weeks, including: the north face of the Col du Plan (solo climbed); the Bonatti Pillar, Aiguille du Dru; the Freney Pillar directissima,

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

; Gervussutti Pillar,

Mont Blanc du Tacul Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc. The official first ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul was by a guideless party comprising Charles H ...

; Walker Spur,

Grandes Jorasses The Grandes Jorasses (; 4,208 m; 13,806 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, on the boundary between Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valley in Italy. The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain (''Pointe Walker'') was by H ...

; Brenva Spur, Mont Blanc; the north face of the

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends ...

; and the north face of

Les Droites Les Droites () is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps and is the lowest of the 4000-metre peaks in the Alps. The mountain has two summits: * West summit (3,984 m), first ascent by W. A. B. Coolidge, Christian Almer and Ulri ...

. On a subsequent visit, he climbed the Brandler/Hasse route on the Cima Grande di Lavaredo, the Fish on the

Marmolada Marmolada (Ladin language, Ladin: ''Marmolèda''; German language, German: ''Marmolata'', ) is a mountain in northeastern Italy and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps). It lies between the borders of Trentino and Ven ...

, the

Piz Badile Piz Badile (3,308 m) is a mountain of the Bregaglia range in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the Italian region of Lombardy. The border between the two countries runs along the summit ridge. Its north-east face, overlooking the Swiss Val B ...

north face (solo climbed), the Harlins/Robins direct on the Dru, Divine Providence on Mont Blanc, and a new route on the east face of the Grandes Jorrasses. Other ascents in the Mont Blanc massif have included: the Jori Bardill directissima, the Dru couloir, the Peuterey Ridge, the Hyper Coulouir (Brouillard Face), and the Cechinel-Nominee route on the Grand Pillar d'Angle.

Expeditions to Himalayas

* 1987 Laila Peak (Hushe Valley), west face (first ascent) * 1987 Tupopdan, Hunza Valley, first ascent * 1987 Ama Dablam, south ridge * 1988 Tapadan Sar (near Karun Koh) * 1988 Annapurna III * 1989 Baintha Brakk north face * 1994 Gasherbrum IV, south ridge * 1995 Trango Towers * Hispar La Towers * Shishapangma * Konga Shan massif * 1997

Expeditions to Alaska

* 2000 Mount Kennedy north spur, first Alpine-style ascent.

Expeditions to Patagonia

Fitz Roy Monte Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén, Cerro Fitz Roy, or simply Mount Fitz Roy) is a mountain in Patagonia, on the border between Argentina and Chile.Torres del Paine * Rio Turbio * Guillamet In 2013, Cave was part of an expedition to the

Cordillera Darwin The Cordillera Darwin is an extensive mountain range mantled by an ice field that is located in Chile. Description Cordillera Darwin is located in the southwestern portion of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, entirely within the Chilean territor ...

Range of mountains in

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main is ...

(Chile), accompanied by Simon Yates (mountaineer) and funded by the

Nick Estcourt Nicholas John Estcourt (1942 – 12 June 1978) was a British mountaineer and alpinist who was killed in an avalanche on the West Ridge of K2. Early life and education Estcourt spent his childhood on the south coast of England, in Eastbourne a ...

Award.

Other Ascents

* first free ascent of the Shield on

Kjerag Kjerag or Kiragg is a mountain in the Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain sits on the southern shore of Lysefjorden, just southwest of the village of Lysebotn. Its northern side is a massive cliff, plunging al ...

, Lysefjord in Norway, with Leo Houlding. * the Diamond Coulouir and the Scott-Braithwaite route (free), on

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Meru people, Meru: ''Kĩrĩmaara,'' Kikuyu people, Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba language, Kamba: ''Ki nyaa'', Embu language, Embu: ''Kĩ nyaga'') is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the Highest mountain peaks of Africa, second-highe ...

Writing

Andy Cave has written two autobiographies and numerous articles for climbing magazines, books and national newspapers, including for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', and ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

''. His debut memoir, ''Learning to Breathe'', was published in 2005. It describes Cave's transition from working as a teenage coal miner to high level alpinism, culminating in the tragic first ascent of the north face of Changabang, in the

Garhwal Himalaya The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Geology This range is also a part of the Himalayan Sivalik Hills, the outer most hills of the Himalaya located in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Major p ...

, with Brendan Murphy,

Mick Fowler Michael Fowler (born 1956) is a British rock climber, ice climber, mountaineer and climbing author. He is internationally noted for his alpine climbing and was awarded the Piolet d'Or three times, with Paul Ramsden (climber), Paul Ramsden, in 2 ...

and Steve Sustad. It won the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature in 2005 (joint winner); the Best Adventure Travel Book at the Banff Mountain Book Festival (2005); the Premio Mazzotti prize (2006); and, the Veneto Banca – Voce dei Lettori in Italy (2006). Cave wrote a further account of the ascent of Changabang for the

Alpine Journal The ''Alpine Journal'' (''AJ'') is an annual publication by the Alpine Club of London. It is the oldest mountaineering journal in the world. History The journal was first published on 2 March 1863 by the publishing house of Longman in London, ...

, as a tribute to Murphy, who died in an avalanche after reaching the summit. His second memoir, ''Thin White Line'', was published in 2008. It is a sequel to events in 1997, and describes alpine ascents in Patagonia, Norway and Alaska. His books have been translated into Italian and German. Reviews in major newspapers led to appearances on TV and radio, as well as invitations to lecture at the

Edinburgh International Book Festival The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is a book festival that takes place during two weeks in August every year in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. Described as ''The largest festival of its kind in the world'', the festival hosts ...

. Cave has also made contributions to ''

The Red Bulletin ''The Red Bulletin'' is a lifestyle magazine published by Red Bull Media House that began in 2005. The Red Bulletin features sports, culture, music, nightlife, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle stories. Editorial concept ''The Red Bulletin'' ...

'' (2009), ''The Traveler's Handbook'' (2009), and ''Water: The Essence of Life'' by Mark Niemeyer (2008), and was invited to write an introduction to James Salter's novel ''Solo Faces''.

TV, radio, and film

Cave has presented ''Andy Cave’s Expedition Underground'', a series on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

exploring the history and significance of the

Thirlmere Aqueduct The Thirlmere Aqueduct is a 95.9-mile-long (154.3-kilometre-long) pioneering section of water supply system in England, built by the Manchester Corporation Water Works between 1890 and 1925. Often incorrectly thought of as one of the List of lon ...

. He has appeared on other BBC Radio 4 programmes including Dominic Arkwright's ''Leaving the Comfort Zone'' and '' Excess Baggage'' with

Sandi Toksvig Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She ha ...

. In 2012, he appeared on the BBC Radio 4 program '' A Good Read''. TV appearances include ''

Coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

'' (

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

), climbing the Old Man of Hoy;

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh actor, comedian, writer and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. He and Smith came to national attention in the 1980s for ...

' ''

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

'' on (

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

), helping Rhys Jones motivate teenagers from a tough inner-city school by taking them climbing; ''Wild Climbs'' (BBC Two), an expedition to the sandstone towers of

Teplice Teplice (, until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; , ''Teplitz-Schönau'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 51,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous Czech spa town, followed by Karlovy Vary. The historic city cen ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

; ''Eiger: Wall of Death'' (

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

); and ''The Ogre'' ( ITV) about his expedition to the north face of Baintha Brakk (The Ogre) in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

at the age of 23. He was the subject of a film about Scottish winter climbing, ''Distilled'', released in 2013 by Hot Aches Productions. The film has won a number of awards, including Best Film and People's Choice, both at the Kendal Mountain Festival.

Academic qualifications

* BA (Hons) English Language (1993),

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...

* PhD English Cultural Tradition with Sociolinguistics (2002),

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

* D.Litt. h.c.,

(2015)

Charitable activity

Andy Cave is a trustee of the charity Adventure Learning Schools. Along with Chris Bonington, Cave is a patron for the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust.

References

External links

Andy Cave's Website

British Mountaineering Council profile.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cave, Andy Living people 1966 births Boardman Tasker Prize winners English mountain climbers English male non-fiction writers 20th-century English male writers English non-fiction outdoors writers Sportspeople from South Yorkshire British motivational speakers Climbing and mountaineering writers