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 ; the Bonatti Pillar, Aiguille du Dru; the Freney Pillar directissima, Mont Blanc; Gervussutti Pillar, Mont Blanc du Tacul; Walker Spur, Grandes Jorasses; Brenva Spur, Mount Blanc; the north face of the Eiger; and the north face of Les Droites. On a subsequent visit, he climbed the Brandler/Hasse route on the Cima Grande di Lavaredo, the Fish on the Marmolada, the Piz Badile north face, 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, and the Cechinel-Nominee route on the Grand Pillar d'Angle.
the Diamond Coulouir and the Scott-Braithwaite route, on Mount Kenya.
Writing
Andy Cave has written two autobiographies and numerous articles for climbing magazines, books and national newspapers, including for The Guardianand Newsweek. 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, with Brendan Murphy, Mick Fowler and Steve Sustad. It won the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature in 2005 ; the Best Adventure Travel Book at the Banff Mountain Book Festival ; the Premio Mazzotti prize and the Veneto Banca – Voce dei Lettori in Italy. Cave wrote a further account of the ascent of Changabang for the Alpine Journal, 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. Cave has also made contributions to The Red Bulletin, The Traveler's Handbook, and Water: The Essence of Life by Mark Niemeyer, 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 exploring the history and significance of the Thirlmere Aqueduct. He has appeared on other BBC Radio 4 programmes including Dominic Arkwright's Leaving the Comfort Zone and Excess Baggage with Sandy Toksvig. In 2012, he appeared on the BBC Radio 4 program A Good Read. TV appearances include Coast, climbing the Old Man of Hoy; Griff Rhys Jones' Mountain on, helping Rhys Jones motivate teenagers from a tough inner-city school by taking them climbing; Wild Climbs, an expedition to the sandstone towers of Teplice, Czech Republic; Eiger: Wall of Death ; and The Ogre his expedition to the north face of Baintha Brakk in the Himalayas 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.
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.
