This book is a first-hand account of a late summer mountain climb to a height of more than 3000m.

This book is a first-hand account of a late summer mountain climb to a height of more than 3000m.

Everything goes terribly wrong when cold weather closes in on Colenso and her partner and future husband, Jeremy Colenso, as they ascend the north face of Piz Badile in the Italian Alps.

Colenso's account of the climb and subsequent high-altitude Alpine rescue of two South African climbers in this inspiring book is well-written.

A helicopter tried twice to reach them but couldn't sustain altitude because of the storm. Eventually, after one-and-a-half hours of struggling, they winched 70m of rope down to the stricken pair.

After the accident the incident was publicised as the first rescue in which SMS technology was used to attract attention to the plight of trapped climbers.

While they waited for rescue, Colenso and her partner used various techniques to ensure that they survived.

Colenso writes her account in a way that transports one to the top of the mountain. With every turn of the page, you can feel her fear and desperation at being stuck there.