But now, more than ten years later, the Bamford resident has returned to climbing as well as teaching others.

He has also published his second book about the traumatic experience and his time as a mountaineer.

The 41-year-old's latest publication Thin White Line explores Andy's return to climbing after losing his friend and climbing partner in 1997 when they were tackling the north face of Changabang.

He said: "Somebody dies and it makes you rethink. This story is about how you get back to something once you have been taken aback.

"It starts where the first book left off, but you do not need to have read the first book."

Andy discovered climbing when he was working as a coal miner and after returning to education he made a career as a climber.

He began writing about his experiences after being approached by Bloomsbury and he now enjoys the challenge of reaching a wider audience.

He said: "You are able to take the reader into a place where they would not normally go. The challenge is to describe that well, to bring it alive for the non-climber."

His first book Learning to Breathe was joint winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize in 2005 and winner of the Adventure Travel Award at the Banff International Festival.

With his new book he hopes to inspire others to get involved in climbing especially in the Peak District where he said there are some of the best routes and hardest climbs in the world.

He said: "The Peak District is a really great place, the weather is not the best but it is very beautiful."

For more information visit his website on www.andycave.net. For more information on climbing visit www.thebmc.co.uk.