Book Description
Yosemite Valley boasts a mind-blowing selection of rock climbing opportunities. Yosemite Ultra Classics provides SuperTopos for 36 of the best classic climbs, most in the 5.4 to 5.10 range. In addition to classic Yosemite multi-pitch routes, this pack of SuperTopos includes climbs you can top-rope, and a section on how to master Yosemite crack climbing.

SuperTopo guides are essential resources for Yosemite climbs. Climbers rave about their perfect mix of history and strategy, ultra-detailed routes, and great photos. Climbing expert and SuperTopo author Chris McNamara includes climbs with exceptional rock quality, elegant lines, fabulous views, and fascinating history. The routes are especially appealing to Yosemite newcomers, but clmbers of all experience and ability will enjoy them again and again.

SuperTopo guides include everything a climber needs to know:

--Unbeatably accurate topos, including pitch lengths and gear sizes

--Route history and stories of colorful climbing pioneers

--Strategy, retreat, and storm information for each route

--Detailed approach and descent maps ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Superceded.
Tuolumne Ultra Classics is no longer available from SuperTopo.All of the climbs appearing in it now show up in another SuperTopo title, Tuolumne Free Climbs.

Distilled Yosemite Classic Climbs for You
A book deserving of its brandname- SuperTopo. The topos are well,... super. Chris and the SuperTopo crew have distilled down a selection of climbs that you can't go wrong with. It includes solid information and superb history by locals or often from the main-man himself of Yosemite Golden Age history, Steve Roper. Anecdotes, approach and retreat information, anchor conditions, and pitch-by-pitch detailed topos that are really accurate elevate Yosemite Ultra Classics to a new level in guidebook making. Granted, it doesn't have all the climbs that are good in Yosemite, but it is one hell of a start covering all the ranges, except the most extreme ratings. For a few dollars, this is either a great book on its own to get you started on the Valley or a useful expansion to the Reid guides. ... Read more

Book Description
This book offers one hundred of the best routes in Red Rocks from 15-pitch trad climbs to single pitch sport routes. While this guidebook focuses on the most classic multi-pitch routes such as Crimson Chrysalis and Epinepherine, cragging routes are also included. Includes formerly obscure and unpublished climbs to provide more options for avoiding crowds. As in all SuperTopo books, the authors personally climbed and documented each route with meticulous care to create the most detailed and accurate topos ever published. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great collection of Red Rocks climbs
I've got every Red Rocks guide ever published, which is about 10 books, including a really old one published in Rock and Ice around 1982.This guide is not comprehensive but contains a good selection of classic long routes.One thing I enjoyed was the historical information on each route.For example, Triassic Sands has a section on the history of this climb that can't be found anywhere else.

However, if you just want to get up these routes you may think all this history is unnecessary.Red Rocks is a difficult area for one guide book as there are such a wide variety of climbs, from single pitch sport routes to multi-pitch sport routes to full day trad affairs.This book does seem to emphasize the latter and if you are more into sport climbing you are probably better off buying one of the comprehensive guides.

The photos in this book are superb.The online version, in particular, has some really good shots.I guess they reproduce better on a monitor than on paper.

Very dissapinting Guidebook
This the most useless climbing guide I have ever seen.

There are 3 guidebooks available for Red Rocks. The best one one is the new eddition of Mountaineers guide edited by Roxanne Brock, which is a very comrehensive, and gives good route descriptions pitch by pitch. It is similar to 'Falcon' guide; in fact it is a copy of it with much improved topos and graphics. It is also somewhat better organized then 'Falcon' guide and provides stellar guide for each route; very helpful. I definitely recommend it.

The only good thing about supertopo guide are actually topos but unfortunately the number of routes described in this book is very limited. I can only guess that the author included only routes he has done, otherwise I cannot understandthe reason of producing the guidebook to a fenomenal climbing area including only 10% routes or so.

Second problem with the book is a lack of detailed route descriptions; instead the author decided to suggest strategy of doing the route consisting of a statement such as that the route is very popular and you should start early to be first in line to avoid waiting in the que; I guess this is really difficult to figure out yourself.

Third problem with the book is the lack of directions on how to get to the route. OK after few days and after talking to other climbers, who have climbed there for few days, you can get a good orientation but if you don't have anyone to ask for directions, you cannot work-out from this book.

The book looks impressive if you never climbed in Red Rocks, but if you did, it is absolutely useless, unless you really want to limit yourself to a small number of routes described in the book.

So do yourself a favor and don't waste your money for this particular book; go for Mountaineers guide, it is very good and useful. Besides it is cheaper. I bought this book because it was offered in the electronic form and I could print it out and reap easily pages with topos for the route.

And go climbing in Red Rocks, it is really a stellar climbing area.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

the original JTree guidebook
This book was the basis for Jtree climbing knowledge for years...Now that Randy Vogel already has another guidebook out (which is really good by the way!) and is releasing another one this upcoming January (2008) this book may become out-dated, but still a really good tool if you lack the two new volumes.

Information circa 1992: even the roads have moved!
The material in the 2nd edition is from 1992, NOT 2000 as the Amazon page says.We recently moved to Southern California, bought the book on Amazon, then went to boulder at Hidden Valley Campground.I had trouble getting my bearings... Intersection Rock was in the wrong place... the roads have all moved in that area since the book was written.I met a local in the parking lot and asked him what was up.When he saw the book in my hand he asked if I bought it at the ranger station, then complained that it was still on their shelves given how out of date it is.

I don't know if the publication date is a typo (maybe 2000 was the last reprint date?) but I'm not impressed with the book.Combine the lacking route descriptions (see other reviews) with 15 years since publication and you've got a pretty weak guide book.Spend your $33 on a better, more current book.

Great overall climbing guide
If you don't know where in JTree you would like to climb or if you plan on doing a little bit of all kinds of climbing, this is the book to have.It provides an overview for the whole area with great maps and photographs to easily locate all rocks (and there is a lot of them so the book is thick).Some of the maps and info are out of date and need to be replaced (the Hidden Valley campground/Intersection Rock map and information about showers).I also found myself constantly writing on the map page references for the different rocks.It may also be nice to include a guide on all major toprope, bouldering, and sport climbing sections, although these exist on the web.Overall, I had an amazing trip and knew where to go every day, I just wish I had more than 5 days to climb there.Ooooh, also the book doesn't tell you that you will have no finger tips left or that the ratings are really hard and you shouldn't use them :-)A 5.10c in JTree is apparently not a 5.10c anywhere else, but this is a one of a kind place!

This is the book.
There are others out there, but Vogel's Rock Climbing Joshua Tree is the definitive overall guide that both new and experienced climbers rely upon. However, for more detailed information on routes in specific areas of Joshua Tree (Lost Horse, Indian Cove, Hidden Valley, etc.), don't leave home without Alan Bartlett's excellent guides.

That said, Rock Climbing JTis and will always be a work in progress, as is any climbing guide, and should be viewed as such. Bolts on old routes can become unreliable, new routes are always being established and the ratings themselves are highly subjective. Some 5.8 routes have felt like 5.10, while another 5.8 can seem like a walk-up. Paradoxically, it is the trusted guide that can't always be trusted.

Each route has a star rating, a qualitative scoring process which is again highly subjective. Some routes have descriptions, some don't. Not all routes have accompanying photographs and in this second edition, there is still an annoyingly large number of misspellings and incorrect cross references. But as I said before, this book is a work in progress. It takes years and years of climbing prowess and research to gather information for a guide of this magnitude and despite the highly opinionated nature of this and all climbing guides, it is still an essential piece of climbing gear no Josh climber should do without.

Missing details, but great guide
This is a very comprehensive guide to Joshua Tree for climbers. It is the book that we always take with us as the defintive reference. Generally, the information is accurate and the maps detailing which rock is which in various formations is quite good.

However, there are several notable drawbacks to the book. First - the routes often have no description of them or any guidance as to the trad gear needed for a given route. Second, many of the routes for some areas do not appear in the pictures making route finding without a good desription, difficult. Third, descent information is often not found or has to be interpreted.

It may sound like there are major faults with the book, but in reality it is a good book that is very useful. Just don't expect it to tell you everything you need to know about a given crag. ... Read more

Book Description
The only training guide for making the move from indoor to outdoor climbing.

The first book in our new Mountaineers Outdoor Expert Series, which will provide in-depth instruction on a variety of climbing topics.

Surpasses other training guides with a new level of instruction, clarity, and safety. Complements any indoor or outdoor climbing course.

Climbing: From Gym to Crag helps indoor climbers safely make the transition from a controlled climbing environment, which requires few technical skills and presents no objective dangers, to the outdoor environment, where the risks and rewards require a well-honed set of basic skills and awareness.

Each of the four sections-Indoor Climbing, Sport Climbing, Traditional Climbing, and Retreat Techniques-contains instructional chapters on safety, belaying, technique, leading, and anchors. Transitional skills are taught in a logical progression so climbers can begin at the point in the text that their skills dictate. Key Transition Exercises walk climbers through steps on the ground so they can safely master techniques that are not found indoors or are done differently outdoors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Essential book in your climbing library
Any gym climbers who are aspiring to climb outside must buy this book. It is a very comprehensive book that helps guide the transition from gym climbing to outdoor climbing. There are detailed exercises on proper top rope placement, rappelling, self-rescue, and a number of other safety issues. The advice is clear and safe. You really should go with someone more experienced when you try these techniques, but the book makes an excellent case for being safe and going beyond what is normally done. For example, you should back up your rappel with an autoblock or a fireman's belay. Why not do this easy thing that may save your life? Your friend that teaches you how to climb may not show you these lifesaving techniques. I rarely see people back up their rappel!
As you get more experienced and want to make the transition to trad climbing, it teaches important techniques like making a multi-directional anchor for your first trad anchor by using a sliding girth hitch. It takes extra time, but it may save your life by preventing all your gear placement from zippering (popping out) after your fall. Happy climbing and safe climbing to you!

Essential book in your climbing library
Any gym climbers who are aspiring to climb outside must buy this book. It is a very comprehensive book that helps guide the transition from gym climbing to outdoor climbing. There are detailed exercises on proper top rope placement, rappelling, self-rescue, and a number of other safety issues. The advice is clear and safe. You really should go with someone more experienced when you try these techniques, but the book makes an excellent case for being safe and going beyond what is normally done. For example, you should back up your rappel with an autoblock or a fireman's belay. Why not do this easy thing that may save your life? Your friend that teaches you how to climb may not show you these lifesaving techniques. I rarely see people back up their rappel!
As you get more experienced and want to make the transition to trad climbing, it teaches important techniques like making a multi-directional anchor for your first trad anchor by using a sliding girth hitch. It takes extra time, but it may save your life by preventing all your gear placement from zippering (popping out) after your fall. Happy climbing and safe climbing to you!

Good, but don't let this be it
I've been gym climbing off and on for years, mostly in the last three months as there is an excellent wall at the school I go to, and found this book to be quite helpful in getting me ready for the trip outside.I have been able to climb outside in the past only with the help of other more experienced climbers, and thanks to the help of this book and other resources, I am beginning to feel comfortable going out without the help.However, do not let this book be your only resource.There are many terms not adequately defined and several concepts are not introduced, but are referenced.For instance, the author refers to the "magic X", a method of attaching to anchors, but never defines it, and doesn't even say anything more than "use the magic x method of equalizing the anchors" for many pages.However, if you have other available sources of information, this guide can fill the gaps.

Good, but don't let this be it
I've been gym climbing off and on for years, mostly in the last three months as there is an excellent wall at the school I go to, and found this book to be quite helpful in getting me ready for the trip outside.I have been able to climb outside in the past only with the help of other more experienced climbers, and thanks to the help of this book and other resources, I am beginning to feel comfortable going out without the help.However, do not let this book be your only resource.There are many terms not adequately defined and several concepts are not introduced, but are referenced.For instance, the author refers to the "magic X", a method of attaching to anchors, but never defines it, and doesn't even say anything more than "use the magic x method of equalizing the anchors" for many pages.However, if you have other available sources of information, this guide can fill the gaps.

every climber needs this book
One book every climber must have. Much more specific to rock climbing than "the bible", "Mountaineering: the Freedom of the Hills".

If you and a partner go through the exercises you will be better skilled than most of the climbers on the rocks.

Covers basic skills,and has great sections on setting up Toprope anchors and placing protection on Lead.

ONLY problem is the casual use of girth-hitched slings. Girth hitching seriously reduces rope strength. ... Read more

Book Description
For climbers who want to make the most of their time on Arizona rock—after work or on a weekend trip

· More than 230 trad and sport climbs from 5.0 to 5.10a
· Destination chart lists climbing season, climbing type, drive time, and approach times
· Topo maps or photos with route overlays for most routes
· Climbs indexed by star rating, difficulty, and more

Whether you are an Arizona climber who wants to get out for the weekend or a visiting climber seeking winter sun, this guide will help you make the most of your time on the rock. Most approaches are short, drive times from Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson are noted, and climbs range from a few minutes to a full day. Even better, these routes have been selected for quality of experience, rated on a three-star system.

Ten major destinations are covered:
Dragoon Mountains Oak Creek Overlook
Granite Mountain Pinnacle Peak
Jacks CanyonQueen Creek
McDowell Mountains Sedona
Mount Lemmon Thumb Butte

Multi-pitch granite cracks and slabs, pocketed sport climbs on welded tuff and limestone, hand-friendly basalt cracks and corners, and soaring sandstone spires provide trad and sport climbers with all the variety the sport has to offer. Climbing destinations at elevations as low as 3000 feet and as high as 7000 feet provide escape from winter chill and sanctuary from summer heat. This fantastic climbing unfolds at locations easily accessible from urban areas, yet a world away from the rat race. And it's all enjoyed in a landscape as diverse as it is beautiful: serene pine forests, flower-studded oak woodlands, and saguaro-strewn deserts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic -- up to date beta for Cochise and Sedona
The approach beta in this book for What's My Line and for the Rockfellow formations is better than that found in any other book on the area, including Kerry's book (Backcountry Climbing in Southern Arizona, the acknowledged bible for Cochise).In addition, the updated approach to Warpath, and the inclusion of Sedona routes like the Mace and Four Flying Apaches (another item not found in any other guide) would probably make this a worthwhile purchase for most visitors.Its low price is a huge plus for out-of-state visitors like me who nonetheless don't like to waste time getting hopelessly lost.It covers a lot of routes in a lot of areas within Arizona, more of a sampler than anything else, yet it somehow also manages to pack in a lot of extremely useful and current beta.

My first trip to Cochise was this past week and it was amazing.I don't know if it would have been half as much fun without the guidance of Abbott's book here.The finest route we climbed on, 'Endgame', is a steep, 5 pitch bolted 5.10a that I knew only from magazine photos and scant Internet beta.It's not covered in Abbott's book -- but the approach to the End Pinnacle routes is, paradoxically, better covered in Abbott's book than any of the guides that do have topos for Endgame.(If you want a comprehensive guidebook to Cochise, you need to supplement Kerry's book with the updated approaches found in this book, anyways -- and Kerry's book covers many more obscure crags which will be of keen interest to repeat visitors.Alas, it is out of print -- but the Summit Hut people have a copy which you may be able to Xerox, if you ask nicely.)In any event, once you arrive at the West Stronghold (another handy suggestion from Abbott is to stick with the West Stronghold as your base camp), it is likely that other climbers will be about, so ask them.

If you are planning a road trip to Arizona, this $10 book is a no-brainer. ... Read more

Book Description
Revised and updated. This is a short topo guide to the most popular of the great routes and crags of Yosemite Valley. The intent is to give an overview of the major routes on El Capitan, Half Dome and the cragging areas of Cookie Area, Glacier Point Apron, and Arch Rock. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Rock Climbing Yosemite's Select
A good overview of a lot that the valley has to offer.Not a whole lot of detail on anything in particular though.

keep shopping
This book is not good at all. I lived in the valley for 2 months this summer and have learned to hate it. Despite the previous rating, Don Reid is DEFINITELY no master at getting you to the climb itself. He often has only a sentence or two telling you how to get to hard to locate climbs. Furthermore, the so called stars by the "best climbs" often mark some of the worst cracks....

Disappointing...
I thought this book looked just great. And reading the introduction increased my enthusiasm. The discussion of common causes of disaster is both fascinating and educational.

Unfortunately, the brevity of this book has resulted in a lack of crucial information. The staggering magnitude of the rock faces at Yosemite means that a lot of pages of topos are needed, and this book seems to have over-economized. We set out to climb the North Buttress of Middle Cathedral (DNB), and wandered back and forth for hours trying to identify the route from the scanty description. Nor was this the only disaster: we then wandered up the valley and repeated the sorry experience looking for another route.

Verdict: very pretty, but if you are going to do any climbing, look for a more comprehensive guide instead.

All Guide Books Should Be This Good
The most important function of any climbing guide book (in my opinion) is getting you to your selected route. Great topos are vital, but if you can never find the route...what does it matter. Don Reid is a master at both getting you there and great topo beta. Even if it is your first time in the Valley, the book gives such great directions you would be hard pressed to get lost. And, as always, Don is a master topo "artist". Don't accept any cheap substitutes, this is the book to have. ... Read more

Book Description
Maps, topos, and photos combined with written descriptions of over 500 routes, gear lists, and first ascent information, makes this book the most complete guide ever published to these areas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Desert Rock III
Finally, a virtual bible of guidebooks for this infinate land of valleys and cliffs. Eric does a great job with this series. So much info for one book. Countless hours and hours went into these books. This series is one of a Kind! ... Read more

Book Description
Rock Climbing features 12 full color photos of people climbing some of the world's roughest but most beautiful places.Fantastic photography with some real cliff hangers! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for all Climbing Enthusiasts
My previous calendar for 2007 was a Rock Climbing Calendar and it was excellent with the scenes and pictures inside for each month. This calendar is no different, the scenes and actions of the climbers still blow my mind. As a climber myself, I only look at these rocks and wish I could climb them like they do. ... Read more

Book Description
You don't have to be a "rock star" to top out on these routes—and you can fit them in anytime you have a day or two free!

· More than 200 trad and sport climbs from 5.0 to 5.10a
· Topo maps or photos with route overlays for most routes
· "Choose a Climbing Area" chart compares destinations by climbing type, rock type, best time of year, length of approach, and drive time from urban areas

This guide is for climbers with busy lives who want to make the most of their time on the rock. Most approaches are short, drive time from urban centers is noted, and estimated climbing times range from a few minutes to a full day for these routes rated 5.0 to 5.10a. But—more important—these routes have been selected for quality of experience, rated on a three-star system.

There is something here for everyone, from basalt and sandstone crags to routes on volcanic rock and wilderness spots high in the Cascades. Weekend Rock Oregon points you to the best weekend destinations around the state, including Broughton's Bluff, Rocky Butte, and Carver Bridge Cliffs near Portland; Smith Rock, a world-class climbing destination; The Honeycombs and Acker Park in Umpqua National Forest; and Burnt River in southeast Oregon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Rock and Roll in Oregon
If you are planning a climbing trip to Oregon this Rock Climbing Guide is a must. The routes of Smith Rock are worth the price alone. This guide is for beginning and intermediate climbers (5.0 to 5.10a). The route descriptions, pictures, and diagrams are awesome. Climb some of the states most beautiful locations. This book is a great guide and instrutor. ... Read more

Book Description
Includes the climbs of Courtright Reservoir, Shaver Lake, Charlottes' Dome, and Bubb's Creek Wall, among others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Awesome Guide with great pictures
Great guide that includes tollhouse, squarenail, courtright, kings canyon, seqouia and all of the crags around this area. Very indepth and keeps up on the new routes.

Exactly what a guidebook should be
This is a very useful guidebook. It contains route photos, clear anddetailed topos, and some verbal descriptions. Driving directions toclimbing areas, first ascents and other information are also included. Bothwell-known and less-visited areas are described in detail. I used this bookon a recent trip to Courtwright Reservoir and found it extremely helpful.The best aspect is probably the combination of easily understandable toposand photos of the routes -- many guidebooks only have one or the other. ... Read more

Amazon.com
The most valuable skill you can acquire as a traditional climber is the ability to build sturdy, reliable anchors. Without that, no amount of natural talent or dumb luck will allow you to live a long, healthy life as a rock climber. Fortunately, John Long's guide to climbing anchors is a definitive source, with sections on natural, equalized, haul bag, and rappelling anchors. Whether you're using spring-loaded, camming devices or the old-school, passive tri-cams, Long presents a number of creative options for nearly every possible situation. Long is a patient teacher and his writing is clear and concise, but it's the hundreds of illustrations that really drive his lessons home. --Benjamin TiffanyBook Description

Customer Reviews (15)

This is the gold standard for rock climbers
Perhaps my title is a bit over stated, but seriously, Long does an excellent job of setting down some concrete rules that rock climbers will be well advised to follow if they intend to manage the risk involved in this sport.Nothing is perfect, and Long esplains well how logic and good judgement, proper training and experience are keys to safe climbing, along with knowledge attained from books.Having said that, I suppose I would have to say I am experienced (at least at some low level) in climbing and know something about safety and I strongly recommend this book to anyone who relies on an anchor for belay or protection. Climb on, be as safe (or unsafe) as you like, but do it understanding something about anchors so you can properly evaluate and manage the risk while doing so.John Long as made a real contribution to the sport and personally I take much of his advice as my bible, especially when my climbing buddies are relying on anchors I set.

Very Close to a Personalized Lesson
For the climber, uninitiated or not, Long has given a very practical instruction on building and analyzing anchors.The first section of the books explains anchors and equipment used to build them.For a moment I thought I would be relying on translating the text to a picture in my head--requiring multiple reads.But the second section (pictures and detailed analyses of anchors) brought the entire book and its concepts together as well as any writer could.It was clear that Long put a lot of thought and labor into preparing the analysis section for the reader.This is the most you can get out of an instruction book without actually hiring an instructor.Additionally, Long's prose is very entertaining and witty in a realm where the material could be incredibly dry, keeping the pages turning.

Reason for 4/5 instead of 5/5: there are some concepts, such as the belayer's place in the anchor, that could have been included in this book without consulting another text.However, more than your money's worth from this book--a must for the trad and aid climber.

Read it. Get the sequel.
I survived my early years of climbing the old fashioned way: sheer, undeserved luck.

When I got back into it a few years ago, I decided that living until middle age might not be all that bad after all, so why not learn to do things right.

John Long's books on anchors (this one and More Climbing Anchors) were central to my re-education. Long's combination of experience, logic, and wit make these technical books fun to read. I find myself returning to them often.

The black and white pictures can be hard to decipher sometimes, and it does seem like we're due for the updated edition (which is supposed to be on the way). Until then, these books are the best resource on the subject.

Essential reading for trad climbing/natural anchor setup
This book is extremely valuable for learning how to place protection or setting up anchors for trad climbing or top rope anchor setup. My friends and I carefully studied this book and went out and practiced placing gear and setting up anchors from the ground. When we went and took an anchor building class, we learned a lot of good tips, but the information we learned from this book helped us rapidly advance in our class. This book also is very helpful after you learn your basics because you can analyze various anchor setups and compare it to the analysis in the book. One drawback of this or any other book is that a picture is never as good as inspecting protection on your own at various angles close up. For this reason, you will want to go climbing with a more experienced partner or an instructor so they can give you more detailed feedback on your own protection placement skills.

I am only a beginner...
...but this is a fantastic book.I have been climbing since I was in high school, and I'm only 22, but I have had a desire to lead trad since the beginning and if there is anything that I can say to make feel more comfortable about spending [money] just to be safe, then I want to say it.This book changed my perception about trad before I was even able to develop one on my own.I read this book cover to cover in 48 hrs. not because it was spell-binding but because it is such valid information.Look, you need this, and Mountaineering "The Freedon of the Hills," to begin the library of an adventure seeking individual.But, this book is specifically useful because of all of it's definitively perfect pictures of placements of passive gear and active camming devices.You want this book, believe me, and if you won't buy it then e-mail me and I'll sell you mine, or give it to you because it would be a crying shame to deck out just because you were too silly to purchase a book on "How not to die, and have fun doing it." ... Read more

Amazon.com
"The last best place" might not be the heartland for American climbing, but visiting climbers can be assured of two things: nice views and plenty of privacy. Randall Green has gathered Montana's prominent climbers to compile a thorough and easy-to-use guide that covers the local crags for Missoula, Helena, Butte, and Bozeman. He also guides you through remote areas like Stone Hill, Rattler Gulches, and Montana's highest point, Granite Peak. Route descriptions are brief yet informative, and successfully handle the delicate balance between telling so much that the adventure is lost and telling so little that you're gearing up for disaster. --Ben Tiffany ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Rock Climbers Guide to Montana
I live in Montana, and am very active, love to rock climb and hike.This book is pretty idiot proof, and easy to follow.It even rates the climbs so you can climb only at your skill level. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (8)

very good
These books (how to climb series)are a must for the climber who doesn't allways have a lot of experienced people around.Many great tips.good for referencing back to.Good explanations.And even enjoyable to read.

well worth the money if you want to get into the sport
Long has done it again. A.R.C. goes through the more advanced maneuvers of climbing. It is a must have for climbers who want to be more than a indoor or weekend climber, and who want to be able to climb more than 5.9 TR's.

Excellent book on this sport
I get acrophobia just from standing on a deep-pile carpet, so this isn't something I'm ever going to do myself, but I still found it interesting to read about it. I think the people who do this are some of the bravest people I know (as well as probably being completely nuts. :-)). Just looking at some of the pictures showing climbers going up almost featureless, smooth, sheer walls along a little crack set my heart to pounding a little bit.

The book contains a wealth of detail and information on rock climbing and much space is devoted to climbing techniques and strategies. I didn't know there were so many different kinds of grips and holds one could perform, and how they'd been adapted to specific situations and needs, but it was very interesting reading about that, and I discuss some of that further below.

The book is divided into seven chapters: Face Climbing, Crack Climbing, Rapelling, Sport Climbing, Adventure Climbing (this was one of the most interesting chapters), Training, and Self-Rescue.

Each outdoor sport has its own special vernacular and and special skills and techniques and rock climbing is no different. As I said, there's so much info here it would be hard to pick and choose a topic, but I did want to mention one thing I found interesting, which was the crack climbing and crack skills. The authors say you have to become "crack fluent" and must develop at least some competence in this since they point out that historical big walls and free routes invariably follow crack systems. To become a true "crack-master" requires patience, practice, and technique. Cracks vary greatly. Some cracks are so small that all you can do is use fingers jams. Other cracks are bigger and you can get your whole hand in the crack and use a hand or a fist jam, and several of those are discussed too.

Cracks are noted for requiring "an even combination of applied technique and physical enfurance." One of the special techniques for very narrow cracks is the "finger stack" and "butterfly jam." In the former you put your hand into the crack and stack the index. middle, and ring fingers against one another and vigorously twist downward. The butterfly jam involves placing the thumb into the crack and stacking the fingers against it. These are just a few of the dozens of special techniques that were discussed and that I learned about in this book. All of the different finger and hand jams and other techniques are fully illustrated so you can see exactly what's going on.

The authors also spend some time discussing the dangers of free-soloing and climbing in general. One author (C.L.) said he knows 14 climbers who had died in the last 6 years alone. This sobering statistic certainly points up the dangers of rock climbing, and yet the authors say that more and more people are being attracted into the sport. So as I said, while I doubt I'll ever try this myself, I found itinteresting to read about and learn something about what's involved.

This is an excellent book on the subject which will be of use mainly to already experienced and skilled participants in this interesting and exciting but very risky sport.

A little bit about a lot of topics
This book gives a little bit of information about a lot of different topics. Therefore, you may find a tidbit here or there that adds to your knowledge. However, because the book covers so many topics, the amount of in depth detail is very limited. For this reason, rather than getting this book, I would prefer to spend my money getting more specialized books on specific climbing topics rather than trying to get a little bit about everything from this book. If this is the only advanced climbing book you are going to buy and your experienced friends can fill in the blanks, then it would be a good introductory book for you.

The book I recommend
I am a professional climber/guide with over 25 years of experience, and I am an owner of a climbing guide service in Moab Utah. While there are many good climbing "how to" books on the market, I heartily recommend this book to all of my friends and clients over all others.
The material covered in this book is both comprehensive and easy to understand. The authors both have extensive experience climbing and teaching climbing which gives the book a credibility lacking in many other "how to" books. Also the material in Advanced Rock Climbing is extremely current and gives many techniques and suggestions you will not find anywhere else.
If you are looking for a great climbing refference book this is the one to get! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Entertaining and informative
Any Coloradan, and especially any Boulderite, who climbs will find this book interesting.It is intended for a specific audience, and if you fit that audience, the book delivers and I highly recommend it; if you don't climb, or haven't heard of Layton Kor, or don't live in Colorado, then this book would be painfully boring.The book also gave me ideas of where to climb outside of the Boulder area, though there is a heavy emphasis on both Eldorado and Boulder canyons.You can skip around through the various sections pretty easily. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stewart Green has big shoes to fill...
Let's get this straight, "Rock Climbing New England" is one of those select guidebooks. Author Stewart Green picks out 15 areas in all of New England and only describes certain climbs in each. That said, there are almost 750 climbs detailed, not at all an insignificant number, and from what I can tell most are done quite well.

In some cases Green repeats information already available in Webster or other guides. Still, it does have some of the new climbs on Cathedral and Whitehorse, like George Hurley's great 10c addition to the Cathedral Ledge North End, Bailsafe. The coolest thing is that Green includes information on areas that to my knowledge have never been included in any guidebook, like Rose Ledge in central Mass and Owl's Head in New Hampshire.

Sure there are those who will find fault, there always are. But in spite of having set a very lofty goal, "Rock Climbing New England" succeeds. If you can only afford one, or just want the only available info on one of those obscure places that you have only heard about through the grapevine, this guide will be well worth the investment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

great book
This is an excellent book, invaluable for serious Eldo climbers. Whoever wrote that first review probably didn't read the introto the guide where it describes how to use the book. People who know how to use guidebooks to confusing climbing areas should have no problems.

exceptional
I just read the only other review available for this book and felt a 2nd opinion was worthwhile...

Eldo is a worldclass climbing destination.This means that the place is changing. The book is a few years old so yes - some of the data about raps and fixed gear(for example) isn't completely accurate.(but then no climber should rely entirely on any guidebook!)

However, this guide has an incredible amount of information about the incredible number of climbs.The route descriptions are excellent and the maps more than suffice.Eldo is a big place with a ton of routes.I'd like to see someone try to better organize and describe the routes - I don't think it can be done.The book IS organized well, it just takes some time to get oriented to the canyon and it's MANY formations.

Any place as big and historic as eldorado canyon is going to be very hard to cram into a single guidebook.Rossiter does an exceptional job.Any experienced climber will find this book to more that suit their needs for a trip to eldo.

Dangerously BAD Guidebook
This guidebook is not only confusing, it is downright DANGEROUS to depend upon. The tragedy is that it is the only guidebook devoted totally to Eldo.

Why this book [stinks]:

1. There is no logic to the formatting. Seems totally random. Is it north/south?east/west?You can't tell! Therefore you cannot justwalk along the cliffs & flip pages SEQUENTIALLY to figure out where the [devil] you are.No attempt even made to match text descriptions of routes to the topos on opposing pages.Nor to place trail maps in logical places in relation to routes/parking areas.He counts each section's routes from "1" again, so you have route numbers repeated all over the place. (You can't just say, "Look up route #16."There are SEVEN route "16s".)

2. Topos are a joke

3. Book lacks USEFUL photos with route ID lines

Lots of pretty pictures of elite climbers doing 11s - 13s, but rarely a photo to help the mortals of us find moderates or ANYONE to even know where he is. (Many pretty photos though of the author and his friends being rock jocks.)

4. Rappel locations & escape routes NOT clearly indicated.

5. Book weighs a TON.Would have been better to break this anvil of a book into sections for each area,that you can clip to a harness.(Like the guides for the Gunks).

6. .It was not just us -- for 3 trips we were constantly running across people there who had the same book, and cursed it up and down just like we were.Even people who had been climbing there for many seasons.

Rossiter's other guidebooks are plagued by the same lack of organization.He needs to grasp the, "newcomer to the area" perspective,which is the TARGET AUDIENCE for a guidebook, after all.

This man obviously did not have an editor who (ahem) really tested the guidebook by going there and trying to USE it. Which is the only way to judge such a book.Perhaps he did not have an editor at all.

Use at your own GREAT risk.Please supplement with other general Boulder Area guidebooks to get some sanity into the equation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Good guidebook
This is a comprehensive guidebook.It includes pretty much every major climbing area in WV, VA, and MD.Its got a good detailed chapter on Old Rag mountain in Shenandoah that other guides don't cover nearly as well.On the other hand, you should get the guidebooks for a specific area (like New River Gorge or Seneca Rocks) if you'll be doing a lot of climbing at a particular spot, because of its broad scope this guidebook won't include all routes for those areas, nor the smaller crags scattered around the region.There's a great guidebook called Climb Maryland! that treats all the central MD spots really well.

Very good MD/VA guide book
Eric's book is all encompassing for the DC metro area climber. It is well written and covers all of the popular climbs. I gave it 4 stars, because I would have liked to have seen just a hair more beta and info about individual climbs, but all-in-all this is a "must have."

In-depth? No. Comprehensive overview? Yes.
This FalconGuide is one of the better ones available, and for the travelling climber, or the DC-centric climber, probably THE book to have (there are non-Falcon guides that specifically cover Virginia and Maryland in more detail, but are only really useful if you primarily climb in those specific states). Eric Horst worked long and hard, contacting a plethora of local climbers at the various crags noted within these pages to get route information, do photo shoots, and be given tours of the area to get a general feel of the land. He covers some of the more or most popular areas in Maryland/DC/Virginia (Sugarloaf, Rocks State Park, Great Falls, Crescent Rocks) as well as *the* two big weekend destinations in West Virginia (Seneca Rocks, New River Gorge), but interspersed are numerous "local" crags that you might never have known about otherwise (short of locating one of the state-specific or crag-specific books that might or might not exist). This serves to give you options to go elsewhere when you can't make it to one of the more popular climbing spots, or if the weather is entirely TOO nice and hordes of people have descended on the main crags, alternate places to go and get vertical. Also, the number of small climbing areas gives the travelling climber options for places to go when they simply cannot get out to, say, Seneca when on the road down around, say, Charlottesville. Crack open Eric's guide and see what's nearby!

The route descriptions are pretty good, and nicely supplemented with a mix of topo photos and drawings (if you're not an artist and you've tried to draw a topo to a crag, you can appreciate how difficult it can be to get it just right!).

Eric successfully treaded the fine balancing act to not reinvent the wheel for places that already havae extensive guidebooks (e.g., Great Falls, et al), but at the same time, adequately cover crags that have or had absolutely no guidebook at all.

More than just a simple guide, Eric's book also gives you a little bit of climbing history to many of the crags, details travel/trip information, has nice readable maps. He spends 18 pages on a general introduction, then devotes the next 380 pages to the various crags.

Even if you only climb in Virginia, Maryland, or West Virginia, and already have one of the state-specific or area-specific guides, this is still an excellent book to have for the day when you might want to step across the border. :-)

great book
Very detailed, professionaly written, accurate. In fact provides more information on a given area than other publications. I climbedusing this book as a guide.

Accurate and Useful
This book provides accurate access and route information for over 25 climbing areas in the mid-atlantic region. And contrary to the previous review's comments (obviously "gabriel3493" has some personal issues), this book provides directions and route info only for OPEN climbing areas. In fact, the author spends a lot of time discussing access considerations and climber advocacy, and he definitely does not even encourage trespassing. Read the book, use the book, and you'll see it's "right on." ... Read more

Book 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