A climber who “makes Ray Mears look like Paris Hilton” is to give a talk in Kinross-shire.
Andy Kirkpatrick has scaled some of the world’s most dangerous peaks during his mountaineering career, including the El Capitan rock formation in America’s Yosemite National Park and the Aiguille du Dru mountain in the French Alps.
When not climbing, Andy works as a stunt safety adviser for film and television most notably on Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
He will visit Loch Leven Library on March 7 at 7.30pm for Inappropriate Climbing, his fifth theatre tour, which will feature new stories about climbing all over the world.
Since his last tour, in 2011, the mountaineer has been up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan rock formation with his 13-year-old daughter, Ella a feat featured in CBBC’s My Life series and also returned to solo climb Norway’s Troll Wall.
He also made an attempt the north face of the Eiger during his latest winter expedition and visited Antarctica.
Andy is the son of a Royal Air Force PT instructor and grew up in Hull, from where his adventurous ambitions were sown through day trips to the Peak District.
Specialising in climbing huge vertical rock walls, often in winter and often alone, he has undertaken some of the most difficult climbs in Europe and around the world, including the Lafaille Route on the Aiguille du Dru, a 3,280ft pillar in the Alps and the first winter ascent of the east face of Mermoz in the Argentinian part of Patagonia.
Other accomplishments under his belt include two record-breaking expeditions with his partner, paraplegic adventurer Karen Darke and raising more than £1 million for Help for Heroes.
His first and second books which are entitled Psychovertical and Cold Wars have both won the Boardman Tasker Prize for mountain literature, in 2008 and 2012.
Tickets, which are priced at £12 per person, are available from Loch Leven Community Library and should be booked in advance.
For further information, or to purchase a ticket, call 01577 867205 or email lochlevenlibrary@pkc.gov.uk.