Book Description
New in the Mountaineers Outdoor Expert series: instruction for the beginning to intermediate rock climber by an internationally known guide.

*Author is an American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) certified rock guide and instructor
*Learning exercises reinforce key skills
*Step-by-step technique illustrated in over 150 photos

Craig Luebben has taught rock climbing basics to hundreds of clients and has conducted self-rescue clinics across the U.S. Here he presents the most common foot positions, hand grips, and body positions and how to use them precisely, from the smear to the crimp to the twistlock. Going beyond static moves, he emphasizes a dynamic style of movement for the greatest climbing efficiency--a style that makes the most of your strength and your time on the rock.

With an emphasis on safety and how to stay within your abilities, Luebben teaches how to evaluate potential hazards and then avoid them. Topics addressed include: risk management, face climbing, crack climbing, gear, knots, anchors, belaying, toproping, sport climbing, trad climbing, multi-pitch free climbs, rappelling, aid climbing, bouldering, training, and self-rescue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Heath
Excellent starting place to get into this kind of book, very good reference.I've climbing for the last five years, and I learned a lot from this book.

Best basic book on rock climbing
Guide, author and climbing gear inventor Craig Luebben's book won a National Outdoor Book award and it's well deserved. For anyone taking up rock climbing, or wanting to bring their knowledge up-to-date this is the book to start with.

It's well organized and well-illustrated. Luebben starts the basics of pure climbing - footwork, holds and jams along with special climbing challenges like chimneys and off-widths (he's the Yoda of off-width climbing). Then he covers the gear you'll need like shoes, harness and ropes. He describes basic climber knots and working with ropes and slings. Then he talks about protection, natural and man-made.

He tells you how to build anchors and keep your partner safe with proper belaying technique. He covers top-roping, sport climbing and the basics of traditional climbing including the approach, route-finding, setting pro and the physics and psychology of leading.. Later chapters introduce multi-pitch free climbing, descending and rappelling, bouldering and training for climbing. The concluding chapter explains how to avoid turning your climb into an epic by learning basic self-rescue techniques.

This is by far the best, most up-to-date book on basic rock climbing. After you've read it (more than once) and practiced the skills he describes, get Luebben's book on building climbing anchors.

Bill Becher

great for beginners or strong gym climbers moving to real rock
it may not be perfect, but it does everything it needs to (at least for me).as per the title, i'd recommend this book to any beginner or strong gym climber who wants to move to real crags.for advanced climbers who want to improve their skills there are probably better books out there.

A Comprehensive Rock Climbing Guide
From beginner through intermediate, this guide to rock climbing will not only teach you the basics, but provide you with exercises to help you improve your technique.

Excellent How-to Book for Climbers
Buy it, read it, use it! Mastering Basic Skills should be purchased at the same time as one's first pair of rock shoes. This book is as comprehensive as Freedom of the Hills but written for the rock climbing niche. It delivers a full spectrum of skills and knowledge every climber should develop. From placing protection to footwork to knots and anchors to self-rescue techniques, it's in there. The way information is parceled makes the entire book easy to comprehend, and to consult topic by topic. It's illustrated throughout with crisp photos. Receiving the benefit of the author's guide experience is a bonus; he's added advanced tips and exercises, as well as his own insights. This makes the material less dry, more practical and personal.

If you've mastered everything in Mastering Basic Skills, you truly are an advanced climber. Chances are good, though, that plenty of climbers who've been at it for while could learn something from this book, too.
... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (12)

The Undefinitive Guide to Climbing
I had great expectations for this book. I have been climbing for 6 months (in the gym) and am up into 5.11's. I was looking for some instruction and guidance on focusing my training and getting to the next level. Unfortunately this book does not provide much of what I am looking for.

Largely it consists of a number of unsupported theories (often backed up by bogus graphs) and gross generalities which the author uses to expound on general training techniques. Many of the authors suggestions are well known techniques that any athelete could use but there is very little direct guidance on specific exercises that will target specific climbing deficiencies. I read a chapter of the book and at the end really don't have a good idea of what specific exercises I should be employing. Also the book is full of unexplained climbing jargon which takes a while to figure out.

I definitely would not reccomend this book to a beginning or even intermediate climber and I assume most advance climbers would be beyond the level of the book.

I am going to keep searching for a good book on climbing training techniques.

Excelent.
It is really the definitive guide for climbing performance. Looks like "how to climb 5.12" with a lot more things. No doubt it is a good guide for who wants to upgrade his/her climb level.

Excellent training book
This book delivers what it says, "Training for Climbing". It is not a technique book but very specifically a guide to training most efficiently for climbing. If you want to climber harder, this book provides lots of good advice.

Thank you for this book!
I am an intermediate climber and have been searching for a good source of training techniques to better myself and accomplish more advanced climbs. "Training for Climbing" was suggested by the folks that work at my gym, so I ran out and bought it. This book is so full of information, that I'll be devouring it for weeks! Everything I've read so far is very fact based and straight forward. The parts on developing mental skills are especially interesting to me, as concentration is one of my biggest areas to work on.

My trainer at the gym has requested to look over the book and then we will formulate a work out program to get me in top shape for climbing. I can't wait! Thank you to Eric J. Horst for this comprehensive book on Training for Climbing.

Just what I was looking for...
I've been climbing for a few years and I wanted to begin a more serious, structured training program to help me break through to the higher grades. Training For Climbing is the book I was looking for, given its scientific look at improving technique, strength and the mind. While such a detailed, measured approach to training may not be for everyone, it has great appeal to me as a longtime athlete who engaged in formal training for other sports. Training For Climbing helped me understand the many unique aspects to, well, training for climbing, which I found to be much different than what I had been used to from my previous sports experience. Furthermore, I enjoyed seeing the many research references and footnotes, and more importantly I was pleased by the overall LACK of "do as so-and-so hot-shot climber does" or "train like I train." Training For Climbing helped me diagnose and design the best training program for me, and I sense that the book will remain a key resource for me for many years to come. ... Read more

Book Description
The most comprehensive climbing guidebook ever published for Red Rocks, Nevada.

*More than 1500 trad and sport routes *Includes over 300 routes more than any other guidebook for the area, many of those routes never before been published *Features 90 topos and more than 100 photos with route overlays *Routes rated from 1 to 5 stars for quality

Just a 30-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area offers the best off-season weather of any climbing area in the United States. Its desert climate and its abundance of varied climbing routes-from beginner to advanced, trad routes and sport routes, single-pitch to big-wall-have made Red Rocks a prime year-round destination. In the past, no single guidebook offered climbers complete coverage of the area, but this new guide offers everything they'll need to know to get the most from their trip to Red Rock Canyon, including visitor information for the Las Vegas area. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

do not buy this book
Do not confuse this fire kindle with Red Rocks: A Climber's Guide.I regret buying this book as it is wholly inaccurate and guaranteed to confuse.

Lots of errors
There are lots of mistakes in this book, including wrong names of crags on topo overviews, wrong grades on climbs, bad directions, and more routes in the topo in the book than in reality.

Lead astray
Nice photos but inaccurate descriptions. Approaches in Red Rocks are notoriously long, on more than one occasion a route was described as being in full sun or full shade only to discover the opposite was true once at the base. We were quite frustrated with the book's misinformation.Routes were also poorly described.It lead our party to wonder if the author forgot to proofread the manuscript.

Solid climbing guide book
I got this book for a trip to Red Rock Canyon in March 2007. It was one of two books brought by our party -- the other was Rock Climbing Red Rocks, 3rd. The books varied slightly on route descriptions (three pitches vs. two longer ones), but as always, the guide books were just a guide and actual conditions led us to make some different decisions on the route. The route ratings were very helpful -- there are tons of routes to climb and with only a short trip, we focused on only the top-rated routes, and we were not disappointed! ... Read more

Book Description
New in the Mountaineers Outdoor Expert Series: everything climbers need to know about setting climbing anchors, in one comprehensive guide

· Author is an American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) certified rock guide and instructor
· Learning exercises reinforce key skills
· Proper gear placement shown in more than 300 photos

Climbing anchors allow climbers to safely defy gravity. Solid anchors and proper rope techniques can prevent a fall from turning into a catastrophe, while bad anchors are an accident waiting to happen, says certified guide Craig Luebben, who invented his own type of climbing protection, the Big Bro. Since then, he has taught rock climbing to hundreds of clients and has conducted self-rescue clinics across the United States. He distills more than twenty-five years of experience into Rock Climbing Anchors.

This new entry in the Mountaineers Outdoor Expert Series, for intermediate-to-advanced climbers, presents modern anchoring ideas and techniques for top-roping, rappelling, sport climbing, traditional rock climbing, and mountaineering—all in one comprehensive guide. Luebben covers the finer points of all types of commonly used anchors: removable anchors including hexes, wired nuts, tri-cams, expanding wedges, expandable tubes, and cams; natural anchors such as trees and boulders; and fixed anchors like bolts and pitons. Photos show a variety of gear placements, accompanied by discussion of the pros and cons of each. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Comprehensive and current!
Very current and well organized book!Craig Luebben has obviously absorbed the new anchoring concepts that have cropped up recently and has helped me understand the advantages and disadvantages to each new method. A better book in my opinion than John Long's new anchor book.Nicely illustrated and un-biased, this is the book I am recommending to my immediate/advanced clients. -Dave Lottmann, EMS Climbing Guide

THE Anchor Building Book!
I've read all the anchor building books and so far, I have found this one to be the best one.Easy to understand, backed up by testing, lots of pictures (a picture speaks a thousand words!), a well-written guide!

I highly recommend this to all climbers out there!

Great
Craig breaks anchors down into clear concepts, some of which John Long made blurry. The only thing I would have liked were color pictures...simply because some of the anchors were hard to see in B and W.

Best Anchors Book on the Market!!!!
Wow!!! That was literally the first word that popped into my head as I started reading this book.The number and quality of photos BLOWS away any other comparable book.It looks like there are about 3X as many photos as others on the market, making it THE BEST visual source of information on individual placements as well as overall anchor configurations.As we all know, "a picture is worth a thousand words."And, in this case, a picture could be worth your life as well. I could go on and on about how/why this book is so much stronger than others out there.Some highlights are below:

- Luebben's mechanical engineering background is very apparent when you read this book.Being an engineer myself, I really appreciate having a book written by someone who truly understands the mechanics involved with anchor rigging.
- He explains the v-angle and pulley effect (which others only elude to), and there is an appropriate distinction between body weight -- top roping, seconding, rappelling forces -- versus leader fall forces.
- There is a whole chapter explaining climbing physics, and there is a lot more information about cam and nut design and placement considerations.
- Many more anchor rigging options are discussed and pictured, including some minimalistic ones just using slings.
- Luebben does a much better job explaining how to make judgment-based decisions as opposed to following a standard set of rules for all situations.
- All of the above factors make Luebben's book a better source for more experienced climbers (in addition to beginners) than others on the market.
- According to the back cover, Lynn Hill has even recognized Luebben's experience and knowledge, as she selected Craig to be the main anchor and self rescue trainer for her climbing camps - that's pretty cool!

Bottom line...even if you have other books (new or old) it is well worth your money to invest in buying this book.So much has changed in anchor theory in recent years and this book brings together the latest and greatest options.

Excellent Reference
Nicely presented information on climbing anchors that was easy to follow. The photographs were well done and provided clarity. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Often considered the mecca of American rock climbing, Utah has almost as many routes as it has inhabitants. This is best reflected in Stewart Green's hefty guide, which weighs in at a whopping 537 pages. Green has indeed taken an admirable stab at rounding up descriptions, photos, and beta for every route worth mentioning. He takes the reader from the remote corners of Castle Valley and the Island in the sky to the oft-traveled crags of Salt Lake's Little and Big Cottonwood canyons. Route descriptions are thorough and easily understood. More importantly, most of the route maps are superimposed over actual photographs to insure that readers actually find the walls they are after.Green emphasizes the use of clean aid techniques and doesn't include routes that don't take clean aid.This is admirable and is aimed at protecting the soft rock of some of the desert climbs.Book Description
Utah, with its spectacular slickrock canyon country and toweringWasatch Front, boasts a diverse selection of rock climbing areas androutes. With this comprehensive guidebook, climbers can choose frommore than 25 areas, including Zion's soaring sandstone big-walls,difficult limestone testpieces in American Fork and Logan canyons, andthe fragile desert spires surrounding Moab. Provides detailed maps,cliff topos, route descriptions and beta, and travel and campinginformation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Climb On! to the Wonders of Utah
Rock Climbing Utah offers the most comprehensive guide to climbing the best rock Utah has to offer. Utah boasts some of the most diverse, beautiful, and bizarre rock formations imaginable.From the granitecanyons of the Wasatch, to the lunar-like sandstone of Canyonlands RockClimbing Utah will introduce you to the most unbelievable experiences inyour climbing career.It is difficult to cover such a wide spectrum ofclimbing routes, ecosystem changes, and skill levels but this guide does awonderful job.For a broad overview of underrated climbing that oftenrivals Yosemite, this guide is difficult to match. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (13)

Not for the best to start off with
The book is strange. It's written for beginners but they use a lot of jargon that beginners don't know. Also, while they do their best, there is a lot of things that they talk about but don't show pictures for. It's really difficult to learn about any technique when there are not pictures for half of the topics they discuss.

Best Newbie Climbing Book Available
This book has it all. If you are just getting into climbing (or trying to refresh your skills), look no further. John Long details the knots, gear and know-how to get your feet off the ground!

Cool
John long's Basic BASIC book on climbing. If you are a beginner...BUY IT! LEarn it...right after Moutaineering FOTH!

Perfect Book
This book has all of the information that you wished people would have told you over the years.Well written, fun to read, and extremely useful for techincal information.

How to Rock Climb!
I'm a beginner at rock climbing and reading this book for instructional purposes. While it does a good job of explaining fundamentals I have found certain sections difficult to follow - often times different moves will be referecned before the section that explains them (sometimes with a referencing page, sometimes without). I also found it poorly edited in some spots - mis-refenced pages, paragraphs seemingly in wrong order (ie. pg 62 claims there is a "taping" illustration on pg 60, it is clearly on pg 63; the last and second to last paragraphs on page 63 seem to be flip flopped). ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent book, with a lot of up to date information.
I like this book a lot.I've been climbing for over 20 years, but took a break in the last 5 or so and am just getting back into it.A lot can change in 5 years, and this book really was a big help in getting familiar with the latest in anchor system building.The real test data for various systems is a big plus that exposes problems with many systems I once viewed as 'good enough' (using John Long's terminology).If you were taught only one or two methods of setting up anchor systems, get this book.You'll be surprised how much variety can be in the various systems, and you'll see how one system can have advantages over others in different situations.To end on a funny note, I got a real kick out of the front and back cover pictures.It would seem that given that both pictures are of climbers on apparently chossy unstable towers, the strength of their anchor systems is the least of their worries! I'm not sure if this was intentional, but it did make me giggle to see such photos on an anchor system book. :)

too complicated to be useful ?
I was a little disappointed about John Long new anchor book.I felt the book lost touch with the reality that climbing safe often means climbing fast, especially in the mountains and on long routes..While the new tests reported on belay anchors are interesting, they seem to miss statistical validity and the conditions used to carry out the tests seem very extreme and seldom occur in real climbing.What the book does not say is how many accidents have occurred in the real climbing world because of the type of failures that were observed in the testing lab.If that is a significant number, I am willing to change the way I rig my anchors, otherwise it is probably better if I stick to my older simpler method.The solutions proposed to make better (more equalized) anchors are so complicated that it is difficult to imagine how to rig them properly after you climbed 20 pitches with a power bar for lunch.Maybe the information disclosed in the book is useful in specific cases, when all your pieces are awful.I am not an expert, but I just wonder if trying to make belay anchors so complicated at all the time, even when your pieces are great, may cause more accidents due to mistakes and more epics due to wasted time.I would appreciate an expert opinion on this matter.Thanks.

Concise, informative, and well researched
This is a well written and well researched book. The most significant aspect for me are the new tests on various anchors presented in the book. As a novice outdoor climber, I was most interested in rigging good top-rope anchors and was quite surpised to learn about the faults of the cordelette. Fortunately he introduces a better alternative called the equalette. He also dispels some myths about the sliding X and the fear many have of potential shock loading. The chapter where he describes the tests of various anchor setups is quite eye opening. It really begs for additional tests to be performed and has me thinking about what other false assumptions exist in this sport. A good reference and essential reading for any outdoor climber.

Building Solid Climbing Anchors
This newly updated reference guide will teach you how to build safe and secure anchors while climbing.These techniques have been scientifically tested.

The last word on climbing anchors
Climbing Anchors (2nd Edition) by John Long is a newly updated guide and reference to building safe and solid climbing anchors.It combines the best content from "Climbing Anchors" and "More Climbing Anchors" published in 1993 and 1996 respectively.

Here in one comprehensive volume is all the necessary instruction to help climbers place pro, tie critical knots, and construct SRENE anchors.Introduced in this volume is the "self-equalizing" but "limited extension" Equalette anchor system.This technique is an important one to have in a climber's anchor-builing arsenal. ... Read more

Book Description
Santa Barbara and Ventura counties have long been known as sublime tourist areas, but the rock climbing and bouldering along the California's south-central coast are just beginning to attract the attention they richly deserve. From the sweeping walls of the Echo Cliffs to the awesome overhangs at the Owl Tor, from classic problems at Painted Cave to the vast boulderfields atop Pine Mountain, the many routes and boulder problems described in this book will appeal to a wide range of tastes and abilities. Written by one of the area's leading activists, Rock Climbing Santa Barbara and Ventura provides first-hand information to more than 50 scenic and uncrowded climbing areas not to be left off your tick-list. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent Climber's Tool and Literature
Steve Edwards' book was my first purchase as an avid rockclimber when I visited Santa Barbara in January 2002 to prepare for my transfer to the area.Even before using the guide to locate the local climbing I enjoyed it immensely for the history and personal flavor given by the author.

There is much more to this book than a climbing guide.It is also a personal pilgrimage.Steve experienced a golden era in Santa Barbara climbing that he describes so vividly yet knows has passed forever.His is the passion of a personal life transition that we all go through and there is both joy and sadness in the writing.His obsessive intensity and endurance for physical training is mirrored by an affection for caffeine, alcohol and nicotine that make him such an interesting character.Steve is also a movie connoisseur from his early days running a video shop in the student quarter (Isla Vista) next to UCSB and he blends this knowledge with climb descriptions for occasional flashes ofbrilliant humor.And I should refrain from commenting on the Reverend Speefknarkle!Steve's defining picture is buffed and honed on "Pieces of You" atop the fantastic Pine Mountain boulderfield.

The book fulfills its primary purpose as a tool for guiding the climber in locating and selecting appealing routes exceptionally well.My copy is already dogeared and marked up with yellow highlights after just one season and it has never led me astray.Only rarely have I disagreed with the grades Steve gives for difficulty and quality but this is to be expected for these subjective ratings.

In summary, this book is a must buy for any climber interested in the Santa Barbara - Ventura region yet it has deeper appeal as literature capturing one man's personal journey through the 90's.How we all wish to turn back the hands of time!

A non-climbers review of a rock climbing guide
I visit the Santa Barbara area often.So I picked up this book and thumbed through and became intrigued enough to buy it.Not for the rock climbing information (although the personality and names given to each trail had me captivated); instead I became curious to know this philosophical guide writer, Steve Edwards. Formerly thinking all rock climbers were a bunch of daredevils, this guide opened my eyes to the depth of committment it takes to be a rock climber, much less, write a guide! And their love of the earth is more honest and real than most armchair environmentalists.Reading this book definitely helped me grow. I hope you will read it and then go hug a rock - and maybe even a rockclimber!

The definitive climbing guide for the Central Coast!
Whether served up with a tray of Bombay Sapphire martinis (shaken, two olives) or a six-pack of ice cold Oly, let this text be your companion to some of the best and most scenic climbing areas in America! Looking forsteep, gargantuan sport routes that make your tendons twitch just lookingat 'em? How about classic sandstone slabs with holds so fragile they maybreak if you merely pass gas? Or maybe you're into divine boulderfields sovast that first ascents are possible until Jesus comes back to spot you?This book has it covered. Steve Edwards has done a first class job ofdirecting you in entertaining fashion to the climbing, history, andlifestyle that Santa Barbara climbing is all about. Read it over coffee andcigarettes not just as a guide, but as fine literature. It's better than'Atlas Shrugged', and shorter too!

This is not a review
I am the author of this title and didn't know where else to submit corrected info. The book is called: Rock Climbing: Santa Barbara & Ventura

220 pages

The guide features over one thousand routes andboulder problems along California's central coast from the outskirts of LosAngeles to the wine country north of Santa Barbara.

I have a jpg of thecover that I will send to you if you email me at: mannyvarjak@hotmail.com ... Read more

Book Description
·Detailed directions to locate each climb
·Full-color photos of every route
·High-quality, moderate climbs that are sure to become your favorites
·Descent instructions for every climb

Many climbers who visit Joshua Tree spend as much time searching for good routes as they do actually climbing.This guidebook offers the moderate climber a fun, varied and challenging "tick-list" of 60 great Trad climbs, and makes it easy to find your way around.With color photos of every route, detailed maps, and easy-to-follow driving and hiking directions, you'll be able to climb numerous routes per day and make the most of your climbing trip.

Key features of each climb are described, and you'll even know what to expect when you reach the top of a route and want to set up an anchor and later descend. Are you looking for an area with a concentration of a certain grade or climb?Color-coded overview maps will help you choose your spot. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

What a great book!
First of all, this book is written by some really nice people. This book is void of the elitism that usally comes with a guide book to an area like this. My wife and I have been to J-tree many times but this was our first year with this book. It truely enhanced our time there. The full color pictures are great, and they took all the pictures from such logical places that if you are following a road or trail and find yourself needing direction, you look up and see exactly what is in the picture for the climb you are looking for. My wife and I found ourself laughing on one climb when we were looking off in the distance for a rock formation and spotted the tree 6' in front of us that was also about 6' in front of the camera lense in the picture! And there are climbs that real people can do! I notice in other guide books the only highly rated climbs are 5.12 and up! Get this book, you won't be dissapointed. I only wish I could meet the authers and tell them of my appreciation.

Randy Vogel, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!
Sometimes, as the saying goes, less is more.This book is a classic example of producing a user friendly rock climbing guide to one of the premier cragging areas, by limiting the scope to climbs that most people who go to Joshua Tree actually enjoy.As the title stipulates there are no 5.12 sphincter squeesers here, just interesting traditional climbs (no bolts for the sport freaks).

Each climb is photographed in color with a graphic overlay clearly showing the route.Most of these routes are short, single pitch climbs that encompass a wide variety of problems with the emphasis on classic crack climbs.Approach info and the maximum protection requirement is noted along with a very abreviated strategy for the climb.Information on lodging and camping along with dining options are covered pretty well, though the surrounding areas offer a lot more variety than the book indicates.

If you're a beginner/intermediate climber and aspire to climb in JT, this is the guide to get.

Hands down the best 'Select' climbing book I've ever seen
This book is the best non comprehensive climbing guide book I have ever seen. The highlights are:

- Full color photos of the routes
- Both approach photos as well as close up route photos, making it easy to find the rock and specific route
- Full park map with relative camping and route locations listed
- Very good beta on each and every route (includes sun/shade, rack suggestions, etc), usually about a page per route not including another page for photos.

So basically if you're interested in the 5.5 to 5.9 trad routes in Joshua Tree you'll love this book, simple as that.

A MUST HAVE BOOK!!
Wow! Great book, color detailed photos of routes, sun/shade orientation for all routes & basically all the info that one needs to have a memorable trip in Joshua Tree.Also great to have a book that has a focus on climbs under 5.10.All in all this is the most informative climbing book I have ever purchased.Would have been happy paying twice the price I paid for it.

Confessions of a fellow climber
Okay, I confess that I've known Charlie & Diane Winger for over twenty years.What I can tell you is that they always pour their hearts and souls into their guide books, including "Highpoint Adventures (2002)" and "The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (2003)."Well,this year (2004) they've done it again with their nifty "The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree."Indeed, there is simply no better guide book available for making "fun" climbs in Joshua.The excellent route photos and superb reaseach makes you long to rope up right now! ... Read more

Product Description
NULL ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Easy to understand book giving the why and providing the how
I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of pure science and application to on rock performance.

The authors are world renowned climbers with a clear enthusiasm for the sport and lucid understanding of it's foundations.

Succinctly, the authors view performance climbing as a harmonious blend of physical and psychological factors, the former subdivided into co-ordination ( technique ),balance, endurance, strength and flexibility.

The book is premised on the concept of the weak link which determines the greatest hinderance to climbing.

For example a body builder who climbs should not work on strength but rather flexibility and technique.
Similarly, a ballerina should not work on balance and flexibility but rather strength and technique.

The key to pushing the grades is to identify your weakest link and train to improve it.

The book is replete with training regimens, exercises, and techniques which address each area stated above.

The single best strategy implicit in the book is to identify when you reach a plateau and to realize that you are now training incorrectly. You should now strive to identify what is now your weakest link and train it. This cycle should continue as long as climb and wish to improve.

A four grade improvement is possible and should be expected within 3 months of adapting your current climbing strategy to this book.

An excellent resource
This book will not tell you how to hold onto a tiny crimpy hold with one finger while your feet hunt for somewhere to stand. It WILL tell you lots of things about how muscules work, what good training looks like, and what good climbing feels like.

This is not a recipe book, because in climbing, there is no recipe. Everyone climbs under a different set of constraints - strength, weight, skill, etc. This is a book that will give you the tools you need to watch your own climbing and improve it. Read it cover to cover.

Move forward now or get off the rock
Imagine a pursuit that requires bloody fingers to excel at, a life or death commitment to succed in almost any areas of, and then take a look at this book. The cover alone conjures up teen romace rags, the horrendous pink and orange looks like some bizzare lesbian cookbook recipe collection. Don't let the cover deceive you about the content of this book. I've invested a lot of time and energy in texts that only added one more Everest story to myknowledge. NOT SO THIS BOOK. Concepts in this Performance Rock Climbing have been endorsed and used by most major climber you've read about. The back cover features an endorsement from a certain Mark Twight, and if you need any more information than that to take advantage of this book's massive potential for improvement, I suggest trading in your rack of gear for a bigger TV-you'll be more comfortable during your muscle decay, and that's one less person kicking down rocks on my head while answering a celphone halfway through a climb.

To reiterate, this book is one of about five key texts that can supercharge your rate of growth if you'll invest the time to read it. Also get Heather Sagar's book, and Eric Horst, and any John Long from the How To Rock Climb series. And leave the celphone in the car next time, SUV guy.

THE Climbing Technique Book
Improving one's ability in any endeavor can be difficult once one has practiced for a few years.One might think that there's not all that much technique involved in rock climbing, since the climber has but two arms and two legs.But it's not that simple.Performance Rock Climbing breaks climbing down into a number of aspects, then teaches how to optimize each and combine the parts into a whole.

When this book hit the shelves, I had stagnated for a few years, unable to improve.Within 6 months, my onsight leading level had jumped nearly a whole grade.I'd learned to channel my energy for climbing in a more efficient way, and to reduce climbing related injuries.Rather than just exercising the climbing muscles, I learned to better exercise my mind - perhaps the most critical muscle of all for a climber.

GREAT
If you buy only one rock climbing book, this should be it!!Great overview of training techniques and what you can do on and off rock to improve your overall conditioning and climbing.Explains physiology in easy to understand terms so that each person can customize workouts to their own needs and to fit their goals. ... Read more

Book Description
Want to go vertical? Let Rock Climbing the San Francisco Bay Area point you to the best ascents at twenty-four climbing areas within two hours' drive of the Bay. Scale the rock at Mount St. Helena and The Grotto, jam your way up the cracks at Mount Diablo and Consumnes River Gorge, and traverse the boulders at Mickey's Beach and Skyline Boulevard Slabs. Inside you find information on the best climbing routes and bouldering problems at each area, along with protection information and gear recommendations that will keep you heading to the top. You'll find: complete and up-to-date topos; detailed descriptions of more than 375 routes; descent information on multi-pitch routes; background and historical information on many of the crags; easy-to-follow driving and approach directions to climbing and bouldering destinations; tips on where to find the best coffee, grub and pint near each climbing locale. (6 x 9, 240 pages, b&w photos, maps, charts) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This Book Is Awesome!!!!!!!!
You have to have this book if you climb in the Bay. ... Read more

Book Description
With more than 1,500 routes throughout the state, this new edition of Jeff Smoot's popular guide is completely updated and expanded. Explore the granite cliffs of Index, Leavenworth, Darrington, and Tieton River Canyon; tackle the exposed alpine routes on the spires at Washington Pass; hang from steep sport climbs at North Bend, Frenchman Coulee, and Marcus and China Bend near Spokane. Several sport and traditional areas included have never before been covered in a guidebook.

Detailed maps, topos, and photos complement the route descriptions and star ratings to provide climbers with a complete package. Rock Climbing Washington is the perfect book to take on your next climbing tour of the Evergreen State. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Poor pictures, poor topos, inaccuracies, bad style
My title pretty much sums it up.An explanation of my "bad style" comment:Smoot compiled (poorly) a bunch of info that he gathered from other guidebooks and local climbers.I don't think he did a lot of personal research, becuase many of his topos are very inaccurate, so I don't think it's fair of him to make a bunch of money from putting out a poor product that relies heavily on other people's work.

I recommend "Weekend Climbs" by David Whitelaw (Mountaineers Press) as an alternative.Although it omits most climbs over 5.10, it has accurate beta, excellent pictures and topos, and covers pretty much all of the rock climbing areas in the state.

BTW, I do not get any money from the sales of Weekend Climbs, I just think it's a better book and D.W. is a cooler guy than J.S.

Smoot must hate to do research
There are available sources which give accurate descriptions, and historical/geological information which Smoot could have used, but apparently was too lazy to research... or chose not to document in this *book.*This book contains poor photos, errors and omissionswhich do not occur in REAL guide books.This book reads like a land developer wrote it... and in fact , smootian-sell-the-outdoors-for-money seems to be the only thing this pile-of-pages seems to achieve.Writers like this are the same types who deny the holocaust.

You have to work with what you have
As my title explains, you have to work with what you have. "BeckeyGuides" (rock climbing guides) are hard if not impossible to get aholdof, and to go travelling around to cities that would sell a half way decentlocal climbing guide, can get spendy and frustrating; especially whenyou've done all that travelling for nothing because you can't find a localclimbing guide at those cities. So, unless you know someone that can giveyou some good beta or talk to some of the other climbers at the crags, asit stands, Jeff Smoot's book is my choice as a climbing guide with up todate beta, at best. There's nothing wrong with Onsighting a route. I haveno problem writing notes in my climbing guides when I can get some beta ona crag or route that the climbing guide didn't cover.

Sharp-looking but Shallow
For those seeking a single book with info on all Washington's major climbing areas, this will have to do.But it describes only the most popular areas, and it gives incomplete coverage for most of them.

Smootacknowledges that fact in the introduction with no more justification thana need for an updated state-wide guidebook.He also points out that thisguide omits easier routes (mostly below 5.10) in favor of"better" climbs.As such, the guide is useful mainly foraccomplished climbers who somehow are not already familiar with WA climbsand how to find local guidebooks (which in most cases have better coverage,if less thorough text editing).

There's no coverage of remote orundeveloped areas (particularly in the Olympics).Smoot seems to ignorethe conventions other authors are using to describe descent routes andethical trends at particular areas.As such, it sometimes comes across asdismissive and muddled.

This is a broad, professional guidebook, and itwill be very helpful for experienced climbers that are new to Washington. But most of the information is available elsewhere, provided by climbingorganizations that are directly involved in conserving local areas. Smoot's guide concentratesincome from the book at his publisher (FalconBooks, in Montana).It may also contribute to long waits at popular linesanddegradation fromoveruse.Climbers may want to flip through the bookfirst (it's easily found on special Falcon-only racks at most outdoorshops) before buying it here.

Excellent overview of the finest Washington climbs
This is a fine guidebook, offering an overview of most climbing areas in Washington. If you want to get by with one guide, this is a good one. Several newer areas are detailed, and local ethics are discussed. Topos aregreat. Note that the topos may not present EVERY line on the rock, but Ithink this was Jeff's intent - if you want to know EVERYTHING about a givensection of rock, buy the LOCAL guide. You will see the most popular lineswell explained and displayed, however. The Darrington section should showthe fine "Urban Bypass" line on the Giant Green Buttress, nearDreamer. Jeff does a nice job on Little Si, offering better topos thanBryan Burdo's standard Exit 32 guide, and showing a few new lines. Thanks,Jeff, for putting together this great book! ... Read more

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews (1)

Climb on!
Learning the Basic's is a must. This should be in everyones library. Keep these tips, that are writting in Turlough's book, and you will be always saying, "climb on!" ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

nice to have new material on an place that has a lifetime of climbing
Got this book this month (December) and have already began picking out new routes I want to do!I definitely am an advocate of his (Randy Vogel's) seeming conviction that his original JTree book needed some updating.This guide gives new route info, as well as more developed topo's, pictures, etc.I will likely get his new book when it comes out in print this January, simply because I am already impressed with this one and his next one will cover the Central (Split Rock, Saddle Rock, etc.) more extensively than his original 1 book volume did.

SWEEEET!
Just got my copy and after spending a couple hours with this guide, all I can say is Wow! Kinda thick, but so much info and really liked the history section. Can't wait to visit some of the new spots...

Only question, when are the other volumes coming out? ... Read more

Product Description
1st edition covering over 500 boulder problems, top-ropes and lead climbs in the South SF Bay Area at Castle Rock State Park, Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) preserves, and nearby Silicon Valley crags (Handley Rock, Lexington Rocks, Guadalupe Rock, etc.) Color cover (front & back). Color illustrations and photo topographics. Climbing route and boulder problem index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Castle Rock Climbing & Bouldering
"With detailed maps, cleaner topo's, color photo's, updated routes, the addition of new climbing areas (such as garden of Eden) and the incorporation of the bouldering circuits into this book make this is your best buy guide to climbing in the Santa Cruz mountains."

BayAreaClimbers.com
December 2007

castle rock guidebook review
This is THE guide to have for climbing and bouldering in and around Castle Rock State Park - hands down!! ... Read more

Book Description
This classic guide to rock, slide, and ice routes includes over 1,000 descriptions, YDSA ratings and grades and protection ratings. Photoguides, photos, some page maps. By Don Mellor. 3rd ed. 480 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

THE Guide to the Adirondacks!
A well written and easy to follow guide to the best climbs in the ADK's.Don gives the important information while allowing the climber to experiance the adventure of Adirondack climbing.

A well written guide
The definitive guide on the Adirondacks.While not including every cliff, this guide is critical for all Adirondack rock climbing. ... Read more

Book Description

You're no idiot, of course.You've watched rock-climbing events on ESPN and you've seen indoor rock-climbing facilities open up, so you know that rock climbing is one of the hottest sports in the world today. But when it comes to knowing if you have the physical and mental skills--and enough guts--to get hooked, you feel like Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo.Don't leave yourself dangling!The Complete Idiot's Guide to Rock Climbing is the perfect primer for anyone who wants to face this challenge but doesn't know where to start.In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Customer Reviews (5)

Not much more than an overview of the sport
I hate to disagree with the other reviewers, but I guess your satisfaction with this book depends on your expectations.After reading the other reviews I bought this book on-line.I'm the type of person that wants to learn as much about a sport before I seek instruction so I'll have a good background and understand better what I'm being taught.The good: 1) light and humorous in places, 2) gives a good written description of the various aspects of the sport.The bad: 1) when you're trying to learn things, light and humorous gets old quickly, 2) the sidebars are repetitious and distracting, 3) after a while the stories about the author and her friends seem less like information and more like ego trips, 4) (my biggest complaint) there is little valuable detail.Specifically, very few illustrations or helpful pictures.Examples; she talks briefly about harnesses and harness components, but there's no picture or illustration.She talks about different carabiners, belay/rappel devices, and protection pieces, but no illustration.Half of the knots mentioned (and not many, at that) have no illustration (but she takes half a page to try to verbally describe some).Do you want to see an illustration of tying in to the harness, belaying and rapelling setups, how to use anchors or protection, hand and foot jamming, or anything else?It's not there.Instead, there are low-contrast pictures of her friends, which don't help with any of this information.Chapter 16 (Sum-It Up: Advanced Tips) has a picture (taking up 1/3 of the page) of two people on the ground standing next to each other with the caption "Choose your partner wisely."Is that helpful to anyone?

Here's the bottom line in my opinion: this book was written with today's legal system in mind.Anywhere important information should be placed, the author inserts phrases such as "This isn't the place to show you the simple knot that wraps cleverly around the biner; that should be left to the instructor".And what happens when you forget the knot after you're training class?Where's the reference information?

My basic setup for reading this book was to sit in front of the computer and when I needed to see something that wasn't shown (pretty much everything) I did a Google search and looked at web sites.Not the most efficient or enjoyable way to read a book or learn.My wife saw my frustration and did what I should have done; she went to the bookstore and picked out another book for a Father's Day present.I don't know how The Complete Climber's Handbook compares to all the other climbing books, but it has all the information that Idiot's Guide does not.Tons of illustrations (and lots of text) on equipment, knots, moves, and rope setups.Having suffered through Idiot's Guide, I feel like I've found the holy grail.

They say you retain 20% of what you read and 75% of what you see.I believe that.

In summary, if you're the type of person that wants a $ light-hearted verbal description of the sport (without much detail), then Idiot's Guide is the book for you.Although you could also get this type of information (and more) through free brochures by Eastern Mountain Sports.If, on the other hand, you're looking for a more in-depth overview AND tons of reference information and illustrations, then look somewhere else.

Rock and Ice UK offer safer instruction
Fairly good reading - but Rock and Ice offer climbing instruction that would get most people climbing in a weekend! I reccommend taking a course with them. Jump to: www.rockandice.co.uk and have a look!

Really Good Book
this book is the 2nd rock climbing book i have owned and it is really good. It helped a lot and you should really get it. It covers everything from technique, trad climbing, buying equipment to tips on how you shouldapproach training. This book deserves 10 stars and i hope you find it ashelpful as I did.

Complete Idiot's Guide Rock Climbing
This is the third "Rock Climbing" book I have purchased in the last two years. After a long time interest in this sport, it was only after reading this book (I couldn't finish the other two) that I actually wentout and made my first climb, a big accomplishment for me. This is not yournormal "How To" or "Basic Essentials" typeinstructional guide, it is a more than complete text book for new tointermediate level rock climbers. Humor and personal experiences areappropriately interjected by the author to make every learning essentialboth interesting and poignant. Personal safety and teamwork are stressedthroughout in a way that made me feel more confident instead of scaring meaway. There is even a heavy stock,tear away, quick reference chartcontaining climbing terminology and a pre-climb checklist just inside thecover for nervous beginners (I took mine with me). A long list of equipmentsuppliers, manufacturers, climbing organizations and camps, guide servicesand indoor climbing walls with all contact information is at the back ofthe book. Clearly, I would not have made my first climb without themotivation and confidence that this book gave me. If you have any interestin rock climbing, this book is the clear, self-empowering must read on themarket today.

A thorough and amusing primer for novice climbers
I've always been interested in rock climbing but felt intimidated by all the gear and terminology -- not to mention my fear of clinging to a vertical wall of rock. However, after reading this amusing book I realizethat not only am I not alone, but being fearful of high places is asnatural as the fear of the dark. The authors of the book give alighthearted introduction of why people love to climb and then givecomplete step-by-step guidelines how to seek instruction and get going --inside and out. I highly recommend this to beginners and anyone eager tobrush up on their climbing skills. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (7)

It's an additional resource; not "the Bible"
The book is a decent additional resource to Urioste's "Red Book" (see also her 2003 26 trad routes addendum).Combined w/ the Red Rocks' SuperTopos the three will almost give you one good guidebook's worth of beta.

It IS your Red Rocks' "Bible" if you are a sport climber.

Need Improvement
I've been living and climbing at Red Rocks for two years now.Swain's guide book publicizes a number of new routes that are not in the previous guide; however, not all descriptions are adequate, and a few are even dangerous (such asfixed anchors indicated in the book where there are none in reality).You may also tire of the author's rather feeble attempts at humour!Having said this, I do use the guide alot, and when coupled with the older Urioste guide it serves its purpose.I am saddened however, by Swain's decision to not include arelatively large number of very good routes that were in the old guide-- thereby effectively 'erasing' good routes from the public memory.This amounts to a kind of bizarre censorship, as many of the routes he has left out are quite good and worth preserving.I, and many others, hope for a more enlightened guide book in the future; meanwhile, however, Swain's guide will suffice for most occasional visitors.

Total Pile
I do not believe this book can even be considered a guide book. No topos for certain areas. Poor descriptions. I went to Red Rocks with this book and it only got me to where I needed to park. I used the kindness of locals to get me to where I needed to go. Don't waste your time on this book. It's a pile.

Better than most
I consider Swain's guide book to be a work in progress.I hear that the 3rd edition is out and that it is improved.You have to remember that Swain is tall and likes to sandbag, so if he downgrades your best onsight, don't let it get to you.Sure, he messes up some pitch lengths, pitchgrades and approaches but I believe he's trying to do his honest best towrite a quality guide.He's no Greg Opland, but maybe he can learn.

The best bookBECAUSE it's the only book to choose from
The book is very good overall. However the author should have spent a lot more time editing it before printing. The book has numerous contradictions as far as the rating system goes. One climb might be listed as a trad climbonly and then in the index that same climb is listed as a sport climb. Theindex's section on the 5.10a climbs is completely screwed up! About 85% ofthese climbs are listed as a sport climb but then when you flip to thatpage they are listed as strictly trad climbs. It's very frustratingsometimes. The book has a lot of very helpful information and as of 1999 itwas by far the best available. Hopefully the author will fix all of theseproblems in the next printing that has been rumored to be release for about2 years and going. ... Read more