Product Description
The excellent crags of New Mexico and Texas beckon climbers from all over the world.Stunning alpine and desert scenery, high-quality rock, no crowds, and year-round climbing are but a few features that will draw you to places like Hueco Tanks, Cochiti Mesa, Socorro's Enchanted Tower, the Organ and Dona Ana mountains, Enchanted Rocks, and the Pecos River Gorge, to name just a few. Rock Climbing New Mexico & Texas is the only guide available that covers all the major climbing areas in these two vast states.In the 23 areas covered, more than 100 crags and mountain faces offer hundreds of routes ranging from 5.6 to 5.14, appealing to both traditional and sport climbers.This guide includes first-hand information for area overviews and climbing histories, route betas and topos, detailed location maps and photos, as well as recommendations for equipment and information for approaches and descents.Also included are listings for shops, gyms, and guide services. Rock Climbing New Mexico & Texas is essential for planning your next climbing trip to the Land of Enchantment and the Lone Star State. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

not great
for texas, it is not that great.The enchanted rock guide is all but worthless.Reportedly inaccurate in other areas as well.For an enchanted rock guide, check out erockonline.com

A much needed guide, but . . .
Dennis has done what a lot of folks have thought about doing, but never quite gotten around to it - a comprehensive guide to the state of New Mexico (Texas is in there, too, but I haven't climbed there, so can't judge that part).It is a very useful book for those of us who live and climb in NM, but as might be expected of a first effort, is incomplete and inaccurate for many areas.Still, having some information is a lot better than having none, so I recommend buying it.Hopefully Dennis will proceed with a second edition, but I doubt it, because there is a limited market, and it's a huge amount of work.

Poor
Having put up hundreds of routes in New Mexico, I was expecting this book to be an updated collection of all the new routes that have been going in in New Mexico. It's not. It's a collection of routes from very old sources.Let's hope Walt Wehner or Luke Laeser get their guides done soon!! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Dont buy it
As useful as a bicycle in the middle of the ocean, probably the tires will help you as the photo of the cover of the book in order to have a good idea of how looks a climbing wall. You can get more info from the climbing holds homepages

basic book 26 pages long
very basic book. only 26 pages long. if your looking to build your own home climbing/bouldering wall. I would recommened just doing a search on google or going to the metolius climbing website.

Well, at least I didn't pay for it
This was a free, 4-for-3 book that looked interesting and I thought would be a good way for me to put together a climbing wall for my foster children that wasn't a plastic one you get at the toy stores. Children get bored on those little tiny walls with plastic holds; I am experienced in woodworking and masonry and wanted to put something up in my basement or garage (which the book specifically promises to be geared to). I don't have a 25-foot ceiling like he does and there seems to be no way to scale down the walls (no pun intended). The entire first page basically says, "Don't build your own wall without an architect or a structural engineer." Thanks.

Weak
This book hardly even covers the basics in building a wall.Very few diagrams and even fewer innovative ideas.He doesn't even bother to include many picture of walls in order to get ideas.Even the limited information free on the web surpasses the details in this book.

Pathetic
This book is an awful intro to building indoor rock walls.Outdated and too thin.It reccommends creating your own holds which is a good way to make poor holds.The Metolious website offers at least as much info as this book and it's free.Unfortunately, there is no other book to reccommend that covers building indoor walls.Someone still needs to write it. ... Read more

Product Description
Big, high routes at the edge of a climber's ability are not the places for inventing technique or relying on old habits. Complacency can lead to fatal errors. So where does the hard-core aspirant or dreamer turn? The only master class in print, Extreme Alpinism delivers an expert dose of reality and practical techniques for advanced climbers.

Focusing on how top alpine climbers approach the world's most difficult routes, Twight centers his instruction on the ethos of climbing the hardest routes with the least amount of gear and the most speed. Throughout, Twight makes it clear that the two things he refuses to compromise are safety and his climbing ethics. In addition to the extensive chapters on advanced techniques and skills, Twight also discusses mental preparedness and attitude; strength and cardiovascular training; good nutrition; and tips on equipment and clothing.

Illustrated throughout with full-color photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Excelente libro
Entrega exactamente lo que promete y más.La sección de entrenamiento es notable, asi como la de alimentación. Entrega trucos con el equipo y todo lo que uno aprende lentamente con los errores, Mark lo resume y lo entrega de manera entretenida.

The definitive guide
Claims not to be a how-to book, but it's the best guide I've read for alpinists wanting to take the next step beyond the fundamentals to practices that take people 10 years or more to work out through their own trial an error. A well thought out and scientific approach to climbing big mountains in good style.

For experienced alpinists
Excellent book for the experienced alpinist! After reading this, I begin to rethink some of my approaches to mountaineering.. tweaking my load, my rack, and food.

For beginners, please read this book with a pinch of salt. Mark is writing from the perspective of an experienced climber and his suggestions are meant for those who have a certain minimum level of experience on the mountains. His advice is good, but beginners may not survive well with some of his more extreme methods.

For those looking to take the next step in mountaineering, this is a MUST READ.

Highly thought provoking and inspiring read for the experienced alpinist
Learn from the best on how to climb hard, fast and high.Personal anecdotes and ideas to help you get to the top and make the most of your time in the alpine.Also read KISS OR KILL by the same author.

Twight tells it like it is without the BS.

Mark has passed on the key mentality in this Book1
This book is a work of art..a running narrative about physique, mental preparation, simple gear choices, food energy strategy and mistakes not to make. Delightful prose describing some unrepeated adventures is mixed with simple, quick 'n dirty advice. This is not a conservative, completely comprehensive guide to repeating some of Mark's famous routes; rather it is guide to teaching yourself and others how to ever get in & out, up & down so quickly that you make it! ... Read more

Product Description
Rock Climbing Lake Tahoe Features new maps, new routes, and exquisite cliff drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

It needs an update or Supertopo needs to write one.
This guide might tell you what's there but you'll have to figure out the rest. The topos are vague and the drawings are not very useful. Compared to the Supertopo books, the Falcon guides are useless. Unfortunately Supertopo only covers the South Lake area and neglects Donner.

vague directions
This guide brings the art of the reticent guidebook to new heights.Although I have only used it to find one climbing area so far, I already regret buying it.The directions to Big Chief are simply wrong.

Topos are tiny and hard to read
If you're over 40, I'd be surprised if you could make out the tiny print on the topos in this book.The text is very small and very difficult to read.There also is no ***** system recommending quality routes.Try to search out the old guide book with larger and more readable topos.

Your mileage will vary!
After waiting several years for its release, the new edition of Mike Carville's guidebook to rock climbing in the Tahoe area was finally released in 1999.This book was long over-due; and though happy that it'sfinally out, I am rather disappointed with it.This guide is ratherexhaustive in covering the climbing areas in the Reno/Tahoe area, but itfalls far short of other guide books, such as the "Climber's Guide to SmithRock" by Alan Watts, in its overall quality.

This guidebook lacks a"star" rating system, which many climbers are familiar with and finduseful.The new hand-drawn topos by Mike Clelland are a nice additionsince the original edition (1991), but their detail makes distinguishingroute-lines on some topos difficult.The book is seriously lacking in thenumber of actual photos of cliffs, and those included only show selectroute-lines.Most critical to any rock climbing guidebook are its routeratings, and many of those given in this guide are disputable.

Alltold, it must be remembered that this book is only a `guide' and is not theabsolute authority on what one will find at each crag.Your mileage willvary!If you are unfamiliar to the area, be sure to check with localclimbers, who are generally more that willing to give advice.Also, BobSutton's "Select Rock Climbs of Tahoe" is available locally and is a verynice compliment to Carville's guide.HAPPY CLIMBING!

New edition is largely worth waiting for
After a few years of delays, it's good to see the new edition of Mike Carville's guide to Tahoe climbing come out (the first edition was called "Climbing Tahoe Rock").I had been working off tatty photocopiesof the 1991 edition for quite a while, so having a sturdy, well-bound bookfinally to hand is a relief.

The major new feature of this guidebook is aset of excellent topos hand-drawn by Mike Clelland.These are among thebest topos I have seen in any climbing guidebook.Unfortunately, about 20%of the topos remain the vague and confusing outlines last seen in the 1991edition.

Directions to crags are generally good, but route descriptionsrarely extend beyond names and approximate indications of the lines ofascent.Carville's alternative to the star ratings common in otherguidebooks is a "recommended routes" section at the beginning ofeach description of an area, which makes navigation back and forth throughthe book an annoying necessity; this also makes it less easy to decidewhich routes might best be skipped by climbers unfamiliar with thearea.

As far as new routes go, this version doesn't seem to add a lot ofmaterial over what was in the 1991 edition.There is now a section on iceand mixed routes, which I don't recall seeing in the earlier edition (but Iwasn't interested in ice climbing then).

Carville has clearly put a lotof work into the new edition of this book, and while it's not the bestguide I've seen, it is certainly good enough to get you to some crag whereyou'll find whatever challenges you please. ... Read more

Product Description
This book compiles the results of 70 years of rock climbing in Utah's Wasatch Range, including Little Cottonwood Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Lone Peak, and other climbing locales near Salt Lake City. It features detailed topos, route descriptions, difficulty and quality ratings, and accurate location maps. Indexes by route name and rating allow quick access to over 1,500 routes described in this authoritative volume.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Beta, throw your old guide away and find new climbs.
It has finally arrived. The bible that everyone in the Salt Lake valley has been waiting for. No, it's not another religious doctrine. It is the guide to the diverse canyons of the Wasatch Range surrounding Salt Lake City, Utah. It's bigger and a whole lot better than the Ruckman's old guide. The guidebook covers all of the canyons that were in the previous guide, plus it covers new developments such as City Creek and Neffs Canyon. The Ruckmans follow the same format they used in their old guide, so don't expect many changes in that department. However, to say that this is only a revised edition is an understatement.

The guide is twice as thick as previous editions and covers almost twice as many routes. It is a little bit more expensive, but it is worth it if you want to find the areas like the Shore Line Crag, Broads Fork and a plethora of new routes throughout the Wasatch. The only shortcoming of the guide is its short mention of the bouldering areas. The guide des! cribes the locations of the bouldering areas but it does not describe any of the routes. This was probably done in order to save space and money but it would be nice for the Ruckmans to pass on some bouldering beta. Overall impression, the guide is an excellent investment and a good excuse to replace your old torn up guide. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Very Completel List of Routes, Descriptions of Some Need Improvement
This is a great book for listing out the many climbs at the Gunks.Excellent for someone who has climbed there a few times.If it is your first time there the book will take a little getting used to as the descriptions are not as detailed as other climbing guides... but then again that adds to the adventure a little to find the right route.And certainly at the Gunks any adventure is nice since so much of the Gunks is setup for the masses.
Lucas Hartford
Evergreen
[...]

The Gunks Guide
Simple concise, covers a lot of territory for it's size.Gives background on the different climbing areas, but again the descriptions are brief.An excellent guide for those who don't want much fluff. ... Read more

Product Description
With the aid of route-marked photos, the author describes the normal, classic, extreme and descent routes for each peak. Introductory pages are written with the visitor in mind, giving concise direction on how to get from points of entry to the climbing areas, where to pick up supplies, what to expect of the weather, information on Park regulations, huts, equipment, safety and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Well done
This is the pretty much the current and standard guide to the Canadian Rockies.More complete guides exist, though they are rare and out of print.This guide presents 200 of the best climbs, eliminating overdrawndiscussions of the obscure and focusing nicely on routes that have becomelegendary in the mountaineering world.The book itself is well made andsuitable for the top of your pack. ... Read more

Product Description
Revised and updated, this guide covers the myriad boulders that provide convenient climbing from Santa Barbara to San Diego. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great, But A Little Out of Date
This guide is extremely comprehensive and has excellent information, decent maps and topos. However, new bouldering developments in the last several years have rendered the book a bit dated. A must to own if you plan a visit. ... Read more

Product Description
Climbers guide to all rock climbing areas in North Carolina. Includes big wall routes and short top roping areas. All season climbing. The only guide to climbing in North Carolina. Contains many photos and topos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Seller!
The seller of this product was extremely helpful and understanding! I needed this guide for a climbing trip a week from when it was purchased. She put it directly in the mail AND emailed me her favorite climbing spots in N.C. I would buy from her again.

Kelley's Climber's Guide to North Carolina
A very well done guidebook.Location information is especially helpful.Kelley made extraordinary efforts to contact climbers of early routes to obtain accurate historical data.We can only hope Kelley will put togethera fourth edition.

Great Book
This book is must have to anyone climbing in North Carolina. Especially if new to the area. It is a very well thought out and produced book, The Photos and topos are very useful,a nd the line drawings are very clear. Itcovers all of the good Climbs I know about in the state.

Must have!
This is the third copy of this guide I have owned. I wore out two copies of the 2nd edition. This latest edition is superb in the descriptions, details and advice offered. ... Read more

Product Description
The Colorado Ice Climber's Guide is the firstcomprehensive guide to ice climbing throughout Colorado.It includesclassic ice climbs in the following areas: Front Range, Summit County,Vail, Glenwood Springs, Redstone, Rifle, Grand Junction, Telluride,Ouray, Blue Mesa, Silverton, Durango, Lake City, Wolf Creek Pass, andColorado Springs.An expanded chapter on Rocky Mountain National Parkincludes easy-to-moderate alpine climbs, as well as waterfall iceroutes.Text descriptions are enhanced with hundreds of detailed mapsand photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

pretty good
I found this to be a pretty good guide.There is a lot of ice that is not covered by the book.But, what is covered is described pretty well.

Nice Job!
I have all the ice guides to colorado, and this one is about the only one I trust.Ratings are, in my experience, slightly conservative, which is better than being the other way, particularly for ice climbs where gettingin over your head can be very serious.Route information is, for all theroutes in the book I've done, very accurate.

Excellent
A great overview of the ice climbing available in Colorado. The best book on the market. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

just the popular routes but superbly written
Like most of Falcon's regional climbing guides, this book focuses on selected climbs at major climbing areas. Often these are harder climbs, but Farris includes enough moderate routes to make this at least worth consideration for a newer leader.

The downside of a best-of guide is that it worsens crowding and erosion problems at the better lines. It tends to replace and discourage some local guides (which usually channel revenue back to the climbing area), and at other areas climbers will soon need a more comprehensive guide. Farris makes the best of the format by giving good coverage where local guides are hard to find, and plainly stating in the Devil's Lake section that climber seeking solitude (and about 1400 more routes) should get the easy-to-find local guide.

More importantly, Farris addresses ethics clearly and directly. He makes strong cases for local ethics, erosion control and good behavior where other authors waver. His writing is friendly but concise, and it comes across convincingly.

This book is not a good choice for those looking to climb mainly at a particular area (especially Devil's Lake) or with new climbers anywhere. But for visitors to the region or infrequent climbers, this is an unusually worthwhile best-of guide.

Great Book
I though that this was a very usefull book for climbing.I used it primarily for climbing Blue Mounds in Minnesota.It had the majority of the known routes but unfortunatley not all of them. As far as the rattings are concerned they all seemed accurate and route descriptions were also great.The photos and detailed descriptions made finding the routes very easy. I give this book an A ... Read more

Product Description
People travel from all over the world to stand on the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,496Õ), the highest point in the contiguous United States. Miles of rugged granitic terrain, blue-green lakes, and impressive ridges are just some of the awesome vistas awaiting those who make it to the top.

Peter Croft, winner of the American Alpine ClubÕs Underhill Award for outstanding achievement in mountaineering, has updated this new edition for every level of climber: how to get the most out of your conditioning; prepping for overnight trips; dayhiking the main Whitney Trail; the North Fork approach; Whitney from other passes; cross-country routes; and challenging technical routes for advanced climbers.

Written and published in the Eastern Sierra, Climbing Mt. Whitney has sold more copies than any other guide to the peak, standing on its own merits as the best Whitney trail guide of all time. Approved by the USFS. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Complete Guidebook.
I was looking for a guidebook that had the "standard" route to the summit as well as covering the technical routes on the E. face.This book is a perfect melding of both.It covers the approach to the E. face as well as the routes.

Where this book stands out is the training and acclimatization advice.It is not a training manual, but rather a brief summation of training and it gives excellent advice on acclimating before tackling Whitney.It encourages a one day ascent and gives an outline of what you should be doing on the days before a one day attempt.

While this may not be the only guidebook on Whitney you should buy, it definitely needs to be in the collection.

Great Info
Book contained a lot of good information - I am a novice, best part for me was the info on how to acclimatize and pointing out the different areas near Mt. Whitney to do that.

I've not been there yet but......
I have read another book on Mt Whitney, (which is ok), but this one is far more informative and in depth. The trail descriptions are really good and there is an underlying enthusiasm from the author which is infectious.
The proof of all this pudding will be inJune 2007 when I will be trekking my way to the summit, guided by the trails detailed in this book.
I will try to return and re-review post trek.

re: climbing Mt. Whitney
This book was very accurate & informative.I even used it forreference when I actually did the hike.I had never undertaken a hike of this magnitude before but with the accurate trail & milage description, plus the tips for training & altitude sickness, ( I came from the flatland), I was able to successfully complete & summit the hike strong & in the time frame I had anticipated.

BestWhitney guide out there
I have both the 1997 and 2005 editions of this guide. How do you improve an already great guide? Ask climber Peter Croft to coauthor. Recommending any guide book with Croft as a coauthor is pretty much a no-brainer. So HIGH-FIVE for CLIMBING MT. WHITNEY.

It has all the standard routes from every other pass, east south, west, north. The new edition has routes not covered in any other Whitney guide including Croft's personal creations. Bored? Try one of Croft's circumnavigational routes. They aren't necessarily technical but just incredibly physically challenging. He's a North Face athlete and one of a handful of folks awarded the American Alpine Club's Underhill Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mountaineering. He knows what he is talking about.

The info on training for high-altitude with a route up White Mountain Peak, Whitney's 14,246' neighbor to the east and DIAMOX (also in the Benti/Wheelock 1997 edition) was very helpful especially for a friend.She's a great climber, but every time we go to altitude, she gets puking sick. Based on the advice in Climbing Mt. Whitney, she got a prescription for DIAMOX (Acetazolamide). She went from miserably sick and a potential liability on altitude climbs to practically running up routes and eating lunch on the summit of anything over 11,000-feet. Physical exertion/mountaineering = lactic acid. Flushing it out of the cells as fast as you can to keep from getting sick on a tight time schedule at elevation is what it's about. Any Physiology 101 student will tell you that. Our climbing crew was stunned by the change in our friend's performance. Climbing Mt. Whitney was the first Whitney guide to even talk about Diamox as an alternative to sleeping at elevation a few nights before, which just doesn't work for many folks who are usually coming up from sea level and just don't have the time.

This guide does emphasize the importance of drinking clean water so the warnings on giardia are key. Filtered water means the dif between puking up stomach lining on some hospital bed (been there, done that) and a successful trip in and out of the backcountry.

Climbing Mt. Whitney is still the best Whitney guide out there.


... Read more

Product Description
In the ten years since the publication of Do People Grow on Family Trees? (121,000 copies in print), the Internet has completely transformed genealogy, making family history the second most popular hobby in the U.S. after gardening and genealogy the second most searched for subject on the Web.

Now completely revised, updated, retitled, and filled with detailed guidance on utilizing the Internet, Climbing Your Family Tree is the comprehensive, kid-friendly genealogical primer for the 21st century, and a dramatic story of how and why our ancestors undertook the arduous voyages of immigration to this nation. It teaches kids to track down important family documents, including ships' manifests, naturalization papers, and birth, marriage, and death certificates; create oral histories; make scrapbooks of photos, sayings, and legends; and compile a family tree. A full chapter is devoted to the online search, and relevant Internet information has been incorporated into all the other chapters. Also new are more kids' genealogical stories and a reworked, easier-to-use design, and supporting the book will be a Web site that will include record-keeping pages, links to sites in the book, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Genealogy for Kids
This book is a great introduction when starting your children to the subject of genealogy.Easy to understand, simple to follow.

Packed with tips on how to become an ancestor detective
Kids are invited to become sleuths into family history with Climbing Your Family Tree: Online And Off-Line Genealogy For Kids, a lively title, packed with tips on how to become an ancestor detective. From conducting interviews with family members to tracking down naturalization records, birth certificates, and regional history, Climbing Your Family Tree will appeal to all young readers who become fascinated with the fine art of genealogy. ... Read more

Product Description
Named the Range of Light by John Muir and rising 10,000 feet on its eastern side, California's High Sierra has attracted climbers for more than a century. These mountains are home to clean granite, easy approaches, and classic routes to the summits of the highest peaks in the continental United States.Climbing California's High Sierra provides the information needed to scale more than 100 of California's most challenging peaks. The climbs range from scrambles up Mount Stanford, to snow and rock routes on Red Slate Mountain, to technical routes on Mount Whitney. Look inside for detailed descriptions of routes, alternative routes, and descents. You'll also find: a brief history of climbing in the Sierra; descriptions of first ascents; maps, photos, drawings, and photo overlays of routes.Use this guide to discover the rewards and challenges of climbing California's High Sierra. (6 x 9, 448 pages, b&w photos, maps) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great for trip ideas
This is THE book to get ideas on what to climb.It's aimed at serious (but not elite) rock climbers and mountaineers.There are plenty of 5.9, 5.10 routes, but also many 3rd class routes, so even non technical climbers can get some use from the book.It has a few ice routes (in the Palisades and Evolutions), but focuses on rock.Most rock routes in the book are hard by my standards (and use sandbagged trad grades), but most are 5.10 and under.

The book does not waste a lot of paper on the route descriptions, which some people may not like.It's the "anti-SuperTopo".Here's a sample route description of the class 3 East Arete on Mt. Carl Heller:

"Route: From the end of George Creek Road, follow the rough route up the George Creek drainage to the lake below the east ridge of Mt. Carl Heller.From here, the route follows the obvious crest of the knife-edged ridge over steps (Class 3) to the summit.

"Descent: Descend the south ridge (Class 3-4) until you can follow easier terrain down the west face.Cross back over Vacation Pass to reach the lake."

(The approach to George Creek was described at the beginning of the section).

So, short and to-the-point.It's not always a bad thing, but just don't expect a flowery route description.Given the terse style, the lengthy history sections are a bit out of place, but usually interesting.

I would agree with Bob Rockwell's review, but it might be worth mentioning that Bob Rockwell is quoted in the book, so presumably he knows at least one of the authors.

So, if you want ideas of what to climb, use this book.If you want route descriptions, look for them elsewhere.

Definitely a keeper
This is actually the second edition to "Sierra Classics: 100 Best Climbs in the High Sierra," although it has a new name.I gave the first one 5 stars and I feel just as strongly about this one.There has been some minor tweaking of the route selections, but the total number described is about the same.

There is more narrative in this edition, and it is smoother reading. Way more than just a guide book, the many historical notes make the book very entertaining reading.I think that many people, picking it up to find out about a particular peak or route, will extend their visit and end up reading it cover to cover.

There are more topos than before, and rock climbers will appreciate that.Personally, I prefer the thrill of discovery in the Sierra, and would rather work out the details on my own.

As with the first edition, I am familiar with a number of the routes described in the book, and the authors have done a fine job of selection. While most of them are 5th class, class 3 and 4 climbs are also represented.So there is something for everyone.

More a collection of anectodes than a guide book
This book is more a collection of climbing history and anectodes than a profound guide book. In particular for easier climbs (less than 5.9) the technical route description is usually less than 2 sentences. Consistent information on wall height, number of pitches, typical climbing times, rock quality and necessary gear are missing completely. Only for some routes (mostly rated 5.10a or higher or very popular ascents in the Mt. Whitney range) handdrawn topos are provided that let you guess some of the details in advance. The only valuable information available for EVERY route is a photo of the mountain with the line of ascent.

In case of a third edition the authors should familiarize with international standards. A more formal approach will prevent neglecting the large number of climbs that they have NOT done by themselves.

The must have guide for all aspiring High Sierra climbers.
This is the 2nd edition of Moynier's and Fiddler's High Sierra "best of" guide. John Moynier and Claude Fiddler are very experienced Sierra climbers/guides with hundreds of routes and dozens of firsts to their respective credits. The authors have painstakenly selected over 100 outstanding routes ranging from moderate class 3 peak bagging exercises to Grade V walls and Grade VI linkup routes. The represented climbs are among the most popular and most sought after climbs in the range. Climbers of all skills and goals will benefit from this guide. They provide topos, verbal approach, climbing and descent descriptions and a rich historical perspective on climbing in the Range of Light.

Improvements in this guide include more detailed topos, a larger selection of alternate routes, more historical anecdotes, and a refined selection of climbs.

While this book is an excellent stand alone guide, many climbers would benefit from RJ Secor's Peaks, Passes and Trails as a companion guide.

I rate this book 5 of 5. Most climbing guidebooks are dry material... just the facts Ma'am. But this one colors all of the technical data with stories of old heros and epic struggles. Buy it so these guys will be tempted to write more! ... Read more

Product Description
Rock climbing now claims almost 5 million enthusiasts, supports two major magazines, and is even found--simulated--in health clubs and fitness centers across America. John Long, who wrote the premise of the hit movie Cliffhanger, tells the breathtaking story of this immensely popular daredevil sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Good for climbers and non-climbers both
I read this book from the library and then bought a copy and sent it to my wife's grandmother.It was fun to read for me, as a climber, but my grandmother-in-law loved it.It helped her make sense of what my wife and I were doing when we climbed and the characters and situations kept her entertained.Not every author appeals to young climbers and 80-something grandmothers.

Great
A more entertaining writer you would be hard pressed to find.A climber with a sense of humor and the ability to write stories that will keep you wanting more.I just wish I could find more books by John Long.

Ole Rocker John
can't imagine a better evening than being in an appropriately rowdy spot listening to John Long tell tall stories, improbable stories, and hilarious off-the-wall stories about the great days at Camp 4 in Yosemite.He has a knack of not taking himself seriously, but shining through is his tremendous joy in living to the hilt and exuberant satisfaction of being among the best at what he does.

"What he does" is extreme rock climbing, and these essays peppered with dollops of very good advice tell what it was like in the glory days of the `70s on the big walls.A large part of John's enjoyment was his fellow fanatics, the beauty of the surroundings and, most of all, the burning desire to achieve the status of the coolest guy on the wall.

He starts with his childhood rambles (he had to be a prototype hyperactive child) and some sort of record, never once refers to a deprived misunderstood childhood.He freely admits most of his parents' gray hairs are attributable to him.He and his friends did not know the meaning of "impossible." They decide to learn the techniques of climbing (but nothing of equipment."Equipment!" Who can afford equipment? and the next year they will somehow get to Mt. Everest and give it a go.

This delightful read is just as likely to be of interest to the general reader as the incipient or experienced rock climber.If the author could bottle and sell his self-confidence and joie de vivre, he would make millions.Spend an afternoon with John Long.You won't regret it.

The Best One Out There
Occasionally sentimental, even purple in its prose, this is still a must-read. Primarily an account of the author's experiences climbing in Yosemite in the 70's and 80's, it's one of the only books I know of thatcovers this period.Useful little sidebars give practical climbinginformation,and many of the stories are just plainfall-out-of-your-Portaledge funny.

A Great Vicarious Read
This book had just enough technical information mixed in with stories and philosophy to make it a great read.I am not a rock climber but I am always interested in the extreme lives of others for they give up so muchto get so much.The counter culture John Long describes is hilariouswithout being condescending like you might find in say snowboarding.Theyseemed to have welcomed anyone willing to try.For the price of a movie,this is a better buy. ... Read more

Product Description
Climbing veteran Jeff Lowe provides a history of the sport,an overview of the world's best ice climbs, riveting personal stories, and professional insight into such matters as gear and avoiding hazards. Includes detailed instructions for tackling basic and advanced techniques. Includes some 250 b& ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Are you (ice) experienced?
Jeff Lowe's earlier book, the Ice Experience, was a companion text to Yvon Choinard's Climbing Ice, and those two formed the vast majority of the printed information on technical ice climbing for several decades. Now his new book eclipses everything else on the market for its scope, practicality, and good looks (the photos are one of the highlights of the book).
Buy this one if you have any serious or casual interest in the subject; the others pale in comparison.

All you need know about ice climbing and a little more
Jeff Lowe did a wonderfull job explaining the climbing techniques and reasons behind the technique. The knowledge in the book range from basic crampon technique to desparate overhanging dry tooling. All that is completed by excellent story of the frozen world

Excellent instruction from a world class climber
Jeff Lowe's Ice World is a must have for any ice climber.His in depth descriptions of classic techniques as well as insight into skills that helped him put up incredible mixed routes are all detailed in easy to read language.

The vivid photography really brings Lowe's instruction to life.This book is one of the best climbing reads out there.

very useful - focusses on all aspects of Ice Climbing
Read a few Ice-Climbing books, but found this to be the best of the lot in that it touches all the aspects of Ice-climbing- Equipment, Technique, Attitude, Ratings, all illustrated with good photos & tables. The order of presentation could be changed though, IMHO i.e technical stuff first ... Read more

Product Description
Wonderful routes, both classic and new, are describedwith maps, written descriptions, topos, and photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Best climbing guide I know
The title says it, "best climbing guide I know."I'm not being paid to say this; don't know David Rubine.Why is it the best climbing guide I know?BECAUSE IT HAS ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS!The topos are accurate, and often backed up with excellent annotated black&white photos.

I'm basically a novice lead climber.I want 5.4's.Most guidebooks, should they lower themselves to include these "wimpy" routes, give little to no written or pictorial guidance.Rubine devotes equal energy to easy and hard climbs.As the previous reviewer notes, he even covers class 3/4 scrambles to interesting summits.

Best Bay Area Rock Climbing Guide
Dave Rubine's collection of recorded rock climbs for Pinnacles National Monument is comprehensive and fun to read for avid rock climbers.Whether you are looking for sport climbs or more traditional climbing, nothing is omitted.Even 3rd and 4th Class climbs are listed.With ratings on allclimbs and written descriptions on most, staying on the correct climb isnot hard.But beware the musical chairs handholds at Pinnacles.Withdescriptions like the "Know what you are getting into category"you can stay out of trouble.The construction of the spine is sturdy. Most of all, for you number tickers, there is a checklist of climbs byrating and two full indexes for cross referencing first ascentionists withpage numbers and climbs alphabetically. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (19)

Enjoying it on audio
I like this book, but it may be one of those that does better as an audio book that it would to read it. It is engaging and I find the level of detail to be fine, being a non-climber. I think more detail would be tedious.I like the character descriptions and it makes me want to read more about these great adventurers and what they did. I do wonder if the author's portrayal of the thoughts of the climbers are accurate, but I suppose it is poetic license, and I know he did read many many accounts before he wrote the book, and maybe his sources have described how one feels in certain situations on the mountain. In all it is well written and it holds my attention.

Read the original accounts
This is the most plodding and annoying re-telling of a most interesting story. Willis did an excellent job as editor by compiling extracts of great original mountaineering accounts in his Adrenaline series of books (Climb, High, Epic). He tries to move from editorship to authorship in this book by but should have stuck with what he did well before. He ends up re-telling the original accounts of the covered climbs by Bonington, Haston, Boardman and Tasker, and the other protagonists of his story, in parts almost paragraph by paragraph. I've read most of the original accounts and they are great books, authentic and engaging reads. They also have pictures, and some maps. And the segments that you won't find in the originals, mostly is the material that should have been left out here, like the imagined final thoughts of the climbers, and some of the gossip. Get the books the climbers wrote themselves (some of them may be out of print but worthwhile the search to get second hand). If you are new to the topic, don't have the time or patience to go book by book, get Willis' compilations mentioned above.

Interesting overview with some problems
I enjoyed this book with some caveats. I have been reading climbing literature for over 30 years and have read the original accounts ofmost of the climbs in Willis' book. I live in Seattle and have the opportunity to attend lectures by many of the prominent figures in the book. A lot of time has passed since I read most of Bonnington, Boardman, and Tasker. I lived thru all the deaths and having them retold in narrative was both chilling and disconcerting. I knew what was coming and who died when and still I found myself intrigued by how Willis would deal with each event. His projections were a little repetitive, especially his assumptions about Joe Tasker since he was never found. I think we all got some insight into the process of dying at high altitude in 1996 when we were privy to the communications between Rob Hall and those lower as he died high on Everest. I liked the overview, I liked going back to those years in my life when climbing books were my escape reading.

I was most disappointed in the lack of maps and pictures. Especially in the Himalaya a picture is worth many thousands of words in conveying the mountains'haunting and astounding beauty. The elegance of the routes described needed maps. The audacity of tackling those routes is not as clear from the narrative as it could be with some graphics.

The tragedies of"the Bonnington years" and beyond have certainly created many climbing questions. Subsequent alpine style climbing has resulted in many more deaths over the years. Commercial climbing has been full of senseless(?) loss as well. This book leaves off where Dave Roberts book On the Ridge Between Life and Death takes off. Here we have terrific introspection questioning the ultimate value of climbing, it's associated losses, and it's place in a life.

As a summary of those exciting years in climbing I give this book a 4, in total maybe a 3 since it's has some major defecits.

Tedious and presumptuous...
Let me first say that I am an avid reader of climbing literature.As a non-climber, I found the author's description of every piton and carabiner on every climb to be immensely tedious.Likewise the endless sequence of who was in which camp every day and who led every pitch.Climbers who attempt these or similar routes might be enlightened, but I found it rather mind-numbing.I found Willis' suppositions about climbers' thoughts just before death to be banal and presumptuous.After slogging through 315 pages I could no longer feign even the slightest interest and quit reading.

Clint Willis edited the excellent anthology "Epic: Stories of Survival from the World's Highest Peaks."He apparently gained no literary insights from any of the fifteen authors whose works he included.Readers wishing to get a feel for what it's like on the mountain should read "Epic" instead.It's a good way to sample the writing style of a variety of climbers, as well.Other excellent choices for climbers and non-climbers alike are "Minus 148 Degrees" by Art Davidson or "Touching the Void" by Joe Simpson, and anything by Greg Child.

I gave the book one star for its explanation of the changing politics and policies of climbing in Great Britain after 1953.There were also some good insights into Bonnington's character.But if you want a thrilling read, look elsewhere.

Great!
I have recently read "No shortcuts to the top" and I loved that, but this is even better. It details the generation that really made the modern vision of mountain climbers - a bit aloof from the world and somewhat conceited about their business, but motivated by some need to go to the top, and by a harder route to prove something. This era of climbing and exploration is somewhat under-represented or is generalized all to Messner or his cohorts, while this book details so much of what was going on in the high mountains.
Great book! ... Read more

Product Description
How to get ahead in business today!
Everyone in the business world needs to know the "rules of success", whether worker or management honcho. The problem is, those rules keep changing -- inside tips are a necessity! It's no longer enough to work hard to succeed -- being politically savvy, following the rules of business etiquette, and knowing the secrets to climbing a ladder with many, many rungs are all crucial to corporate health. In The Unofficial Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder readers learn about:

• Giving -- and receiving -- constructive criticism gracefully
• Business communications -- exactly how private are they?
• Networking in the office and out, including avoiding sticky situations
• International business -- what to talk about and what to avoid on trips abroad
• Determining who your office friends really are -- before you find the letter opener stuck in your back

Customer Reviews (3)

Helpful tips
I experimented the tips in this book in an interview and it got me the job.Very good book.

Other comments are welcome
I bought this book a couple of weeks ago. Haven;t got a chance to read it all but the chapter on "bosses" seems to be useful

Practical and thorough
Extraordinarily useful for those interested in becoming successful "office politicians. In contrast to other similar books, Griffin spends little time justifying moral dilemmas and gets straight to theuseful stuff- specific examples of how to present yourself, buttering upcoworkers, keywords to incorporate in your speech, practicing smalltalk,office romance, and many other practical situations.In the effective"Unofficial Guide to.." style, each chapter is preceded by whatyou will learn in that chapter, as well as useful sidebar suggestions, andto top it off, a useful appendix section with suggested further readingsand laws for sexual harassment.A terrific all-around guide, and probablythe most up-to-date of any on the market- can't recommend it enough. ... Read more

Product Description
Traditional Lead Climbing is the first and only guidebook intended to teach rock climbers how to lead with gear. Unlike other types of climbing such as sport and direct-aid climbing, "trad" climbing relies on placing your own gear as you climb from the ground. It's also one of the more dangerous climbing activities, where expert guidance is a must. This invaluable guide gives step-by-step descriptions of equipment, rope management, and techniques. Dozens of close-up photos and fun yet informative drawings show situations climbers might encounter and how to deal with them. In addition to covering the basics, the book showcases the experience and wisdom of a number of world-class climbers in self-revealing sidebars. The second edition includes a new chapter on transitioning from the climbing gym to the great outdoors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

OK but far from complete
This book is OK for a new trad climber but could use more detail on anchors, self rescue, and route finding. It does contain some useful advice on how to mentally prepare to take the sharp end, gear selection, etc and if the author could flesh this book out in a subsequent edition, it could earn five stars.

Basic information
Basic information for the beginner trad climber. Too little info on placing pro and belay set-up and too large a chapter about top roping. (Is top-roping trad as well ?)
I also found a few mistakes (and I'm not talking about the frequently wrong feet - meters conversions)
Interesting reading, though.

Not a very good training book
this book was interesting reading material but if you are looking for learning guide its terrible. there are only a few photos and all of them are sooooo dark you can't tell what is going on. I would NOT recommend this book if you wanna learn how to setup anchors or to learn rope techniques. I bought Climbing Anchors by john Long and Rock Climbing Anchors: A Comprehensive Guide by Craig Luebben those are much much much! better books.

Extraordinary book!
An exceptionally well-written how-to book filled with unusual subtlety and detail. Her female perspective really contributes to the importance and "newness" of this special and modern work.Highly recommended to any climber!

Very Informative
I think it's a great book with a lot of valuable information inside. The writing style is simple and clear. Illustrations are cheesy but good enough to get the point across most of the time. About half of the black and white photographs are clear enough to get the point across. Definitely a recommended read for a beginning lead climber or any climber interested in learning more about the sport. I checked the book out from a library at first but like it enough to be buying my own copy as a permanent reference. ... Read more