Climbing Books

I found this book in the "english" section of a bookstore in Grindlewald and it was my introduction to the facinating world of mountaineering through literature. I have read many similir books since and nothing compares to this series of harrowing tales that progresses from the earliest climbs, through the first successful climb in the 30's and on to the stories of the worlds finest climbers and their attempts on this infamous wall. I was afraid to sleep after reading the Kurtz chapter it was so utterly depressing.

Originally bought this book when on a ski trip to Grindelwald, Switzerland. With the narrative, superb pictures, and the ability to look up at the mountain in question, it left an indelible impression of the people who attempted it. Even standing at the foot of the Eiger's north face ('nord wand' in German . . even they have a play on words - 'mord wand' - death face), it's hard to imagine attempting the climb in winter. It's an eerie story-telling.

Arthur Roth does an excellent job detailing the history of climbing the Eiger North Face. Having lived in Switzerland, I visited the Eiger on several occasions and would marvel at that massive Wall before me. The book is an excellent narrative regarding the various climbs over the years and is in part a tribute to the many climbers who have lost their lives in those attempts. A "must read" for anyone hiking or climbing in Europe.

This is a consistently interesting history of climbing on the Eiger's North Wall from the late 19th century to the late '70s. I'm not sure I've read a better narrative on mountain climbing, and I can't imagine a better book about the Eiger (though I've never read Harrer's THE WHITE SPIDER). Roth's account is well written, fair minded, vivid, sometimes harrowing, and always informative. Though I'll probably never have the money to see the Eiger firsthand (and I have neither the nerve nor experience to even think about climbing it), Roth provides us poor armchair alpinists with the best picture of the famous mountain that we can hope for. It's a shame that the book isn't more readily available. And why is it only in large print? This makes no sense to me. The photos are good, especially the ones that indicate the various routes, landmarks, and places where the unfortunates died. I had a hard time putting this book down. This is an absolute must for anyone interested in mountains and/or mountaineering, and I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if I could.

I read this book several years ago. Never have i read a more compelling story about Man's life and death struggle with a Killer Mountain. Great Photographs and a great explanation of the science of Climbing, even for a novice. i highly recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure.

This is the expedition book about the first ascent of the difficult Southwest Face route. Bonington's own writing, a little dry, is supplemented by interesting excerpts from the diaries of his teammates, including Pete Boardman, who as always writes beautifully. This is the ascent on which Mick Burke was lost. Overall, though not quite among the very best of mountaineering books, this is a classic and belongs on all shelves. The photos included capture the bleakness and mystery of the terrain and the precarious box-tent camps beautifully.

For many years Chris Bonington was one of the leading organizers of British climbing expeditions and a superb climber in his own right. He wrote a whole series of books around his expeditions, all of them well worth reading of you like these kind of books. In "Everest the Hard Way" he leads a team that successfully climbs to the top via the South West Face. This was back in August 1975, and it was (and is) a pretty amazing story. There are some great descriptions of the climb, the camps, the preparation, the personalities of the climbers. I picked up this one when it was first published and highly recommend it! I've been to Base Camp myself, looked at the mountain, and there's no way I'd be trying it, even the easy way! But I don't mind reading about it!

The climbing team that Bonington put together for this expeiditon reads like a whos' who of British climbing in the 70's - and sadly, a number of them later died in climbing accidents. This particular expedition lost one climber, Mick Burke, in a summit bid. Basically, they climbed the south-west face of Everest, the steepest and highest face in the world, including the sheer 1000 ft "Rock Band" at 26,000 ft. They put up 6 camps, the highest just above the Rock Band at 27,300 ft and in one of the summit attempts, 2 members of the team successfuly bivouaced out on the South Summit.

The books got a great collection of photos, like most of Bonington's books do, as well as a huge series of appendices (150 pages out of the 350 page book) on the organisational, logistical and other aspects of the expedition. Like all Bonington's books, it's well written, descriptive, and conveys the challenges, both physical and mental, that the climbing team faced. Published in 1976, it's still, 30 years on, a really good read about a climbing team that took on one of the toughest climbs in the world and suceeded.

I first read this book as a young boy. I was enthralled by the personal accounts from the climbers that took part in the expedition, and by Bonnington's writing style.

Each time I have read it, I gain my respect--anew--for the men who leave the comforts of home and civilization to brave the roof of the world. Of all of the accounts of Everest expeditions, this is by far the best. I especially enjoy the section on logistics. Having been a climber for many years, I enjoy seeing how other people "do it."

The story of the British expedition to the Southwest face of Everest by the expedition leader Chris Bonington. The story is well told and very interesting. Bonington intermingles his own thoughts with the views of other members of the team. One of the better books on an Everest expedition I have read. I found it much more interesting then Tom Hornbein's "The West Ridge." Bonington includes many Appendix sections, almost half the book, on the logistics of the expedition. You could run your own expedition by just reading the appendixes. A classic in the Everest pantheon.

The story of the British expedition to the Southwest face of Everest by the expedition leader Chris Bonington. The story is well told and very interesting. Bonington intermingles his own thoughts with the views of other members of the team. One of the better books on an Everest expedition I have read. I found it much more interesting then Tom Hornbein's "The West Ridge." Bonington includes many Appendix sections, almost a third of the book, on the logistics of the expedition. You could run your own expedition by just reading the appendixes. A classic in the Everest genre.

well written essays and wonderful photos!

This collection of vignettes captures the exciting and impressive mountaineering accomplishments of Galen Rowell, more widely known for his out door photography. Excellent read that shows the diversity of Galen's life.

some of the stories here are in shorter form in his other books, but the full accounts are in this book as well as new ones. most of the pictures in the book aren't in his other books, which makes it worthwhile in itself. unlike his more recent work, this is more like his older work with climbing and skiing stories. sad that these are among Galen's final writings.

This is not a photography book. It's more for mountaineering buffs. But, his photos are included in this book.

This is an amazing book. Some of the best color I've ever seen in one of Galen Rowell's books and with the new essays and new photographs, I'm really glad I bought it even though I already have the original book that came out in the 70's. This is basically a completely new book! Hats' off to the publisher!

I was visiting my record label and the marketing guy had two books on his desk that he offered me. He had gotten them for free. One was on FUBU and one was this. I took this one. The cover art really is attractive enough alone. Skip tells the interesting story of how Jansport came to be. I had no idea they started the trend to use backpacks at school. Along with this story comes several stories of climbing different mountains. If this sounds disjointed, it kinda is. I think Skip has just looked back on his life and wrote about what he found he did that was most interesting. Found Jansport, climb some mountains, the end. Having said that, I went from having zero interest in the brand to reading the book in two days. I wasn't able to put the thing down. It's very interesting, simple to read and even a little inspiring. I felt like building backpacks and climbing mountains for weeks.

This book is more an autobiography of Skip Yowell, one of the co-founders of Jansport. Honestly, the writing style is extremely elementary. And lacked any depth. To his credit he didn't use a ghost writer. But Skip definitely lacks any skill in telling a coherent story. I picked up the book because I'd like to think that I'm a hippie of sorts. And while I don't want to climb the corporate ladder, I certainly am interested in learning more about the small business world that I'm living in. Plus the artwork for the book is amazing in my opinion. So I picked it up. Overall, the book isn't bad. And despite the writing style, I have to admit that reading the stories of a young start-up in the 70's was mildly entertaining. As far as imparting any great wisdom . . . there isn't much of that. But you can tell that Skip and the other founders of Jansport had/have a fun time doing what they do. Their spirit of entrepreneurship and desire to make money all while attempting to be environmentally and socially sound was encouraging to me . . . with my little start-up.

Skip Yowell writes about the evolution of JanSport as it morphs from an idea into an internationally known brand. Throughout, his identification of corporate principles as applied by JanSport easily applies to anyone hoping to create their own business in an authentic, personally meaningful and ethically responsible way. His advice derives from experience. It's a real-world, real-people success story that offers a guide for anyone who is interested in pursuing a long-shot dream.

I was a highschool classmate of Skip's but lost track of him till 13 years ago. I am amazing to see how far a person can go in a lifetime, how close they can stay to a dream and how he developed an idea/company into a houseold name. Skip was and still is a modest guy who built something truely worth boasting about and had many great adventures along the way. And as an "organizational person" I am glad to see his thoughts on customer service, communications and first hand knowledge of his market, its customers and the application of his product.

Baby boomers who remember the sixties will enjoy this book. So will hikers, campers, students and anyone else who has ever used a JanSport backpack or tent. Skip reveals the serendipity story of how to succeed `without a business plan'.

This book is by no means all bad. There is some good advice, some useless advice, and some just plain bad advice. The problem is that the author did not label the different kinds of advice, probably because he did not know the difference. A better book is Performance Rock Climbing. A much better book is Climbing : training for peak performance.

This is the best and most complete book about rock climbing I have ever read. It focus not only on technique and training, but also on diets, treatments for injuries and also on strategy for accomplishing goals. It definitely is a must buy for any serious rock climber.

This is NOT a book on the basics of rock climbing. Instead, it reveals sensible and effective techniques and training methods...both physical and mental...for any level rock climber, beginner to elite! Well written and fully illustrated. Not many climbing books like this. Highly recommended

This is the only training book in my climbing library - probably because I don't need anything else. The amount of knowledge passed on by top climbers is large and complete: including in- depth topics on diet, muscle physiology, and mental techniques. This book can help beginners avoid common training pitfalls and intermediate + advanced climbers look for new ways to push past their current limits. Excellent.

It is a very helpful book in my opinion. This is one of three climbing books I own. It doesn't focus on things like place pro, building anchors but it is designed to improve the climber both mentally and physically. A huge chunk of the book focusses on helpful mental techniques which I believe most climbers need to work on rather than getting stronger, but it does give a chapter on strength training and diet and nutrition. Best book on self improvement I have seen.

This guy knows what he's talking about. Read this if you're even mildly interested in the topic as you get it straight from one of the best in the business. Instruction, stories, personal recommendations from what he eats for breakfast to how to choose your tools and other sharp bits when the freeze sets in and the drips beckon!

An absolute awesome book with very meaningful test-based training and funny stories - the illustrations are even better - ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!

Written in thoughtful and lively fashion, Gadd distills his 20 years of collected wisdom into 230 pages. Discussions on tools, technique, nutrition, training are all useful - this is a book for the aspiring ice warrior as well as the climber with a few seasons under his / her belt. The constant Red Bull pimping gets a bit distracting but a guy has to pay the bills, afterall. Highly recommended.

This is simply the best book on ice climbing technique you will find. That's a broad statement, but you'll agree that Will Gadd has done an outstanding job presenting the information in this book. He starts out at a very basic level and proceeds to cover everything from climbing easy ice to mixed climbing. The book offers many tips and tricks as well as stresses the need for safety. There are even a few "war stories" thrown in for your reading enjoyment. The material is presented in an easy-to-read and enjoyable fashion. This book is destined to become the "Bible" of ice climbing technique. From beginner to expert you'll probably find something in this book that will help you improve your technique. A MUST addition to your collection.

This is one of the latest guides on ice climbing. It therefore covers the most modern techniques, is up to date with equipment, and has great color photos. Written by Will Gadd it definitely has the flair of an individual author, reads more like a pro's guide than a technical reference. The type of material covered and order is great. However, the editing of this guide is severely lacking. It suffers from incorrect captions, bad figure references, transposed terms (convex vs concave) and complex procedures described in steps that tend to get you lost in confusion rather than clarify.

If you're an already accomplished ice climber, there will be a few "take home" concepts ("tracking"/cycling vertical progression, and his personal take on mix climbing techniques for instance). A beginner will benefit more from this guide (after reading twice to work around the editing problems).

A second edition, edited properly, will be a top-notch guide on this sport.

This book explains the use and selection of all kinds of climbing and general outdoor gear. If you read this you can become better educatedd on what gear you really need and how to use it properly (safely).
Includes one particular gem: Do NOT get eye surgery if you plan on real mountaineering. You can have severe vision problems at altitude. This led to Beck Wethers terrible Everest injuries.

A very comprehensive book that unfortunately lacks any depth whatsoever. Besides due to the mag affiliation the author avoids to make direct reference to brands and models good or bad as this could anger advertisers. Good for beginers or to learn the basics of gear that you do not normally use.

This book will become THE WORD on technical climbing gear. It is a collection of the best infromation available to date. I would recommend this book to any climber from beginner to expert.

This book is an incredible resource for climbing gear. It's well laid out, easy to read, and full of useful information. If you're serious about your gear then you should own this book. It's the most read book in my "climbing" library.

Excellent content and very well written. An everything you ever wanted to know and a whole lot more, but perhaps didn't even know to ask--book for climbers of all abilities. The information in this book goes way beyond basic information, it gives fascinating details that will guide your life and death gear decisions. I am not reading this book, I'm studying it! Buy this book if you are a climber or love someone who does.

If you enjoyed reading "Into the Wild" or "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", I recommend you read this book. While he did not know it at the time, TJ was an emerging naturalist. His book records his self-discovery through high country recreation. He backpacks for five days criss-crossing the Continental Divide and enjoying Colorado's deep wilderness. He'll take you deep inside a cave high in the mountains of Wyoming, but you won't have to leave the comfort of your reading place. His book documents high country adventure as it existed and as it remains. In this book, he'll take you backpacking, skiing, exploring, running, climbing, caving, and even prospecting for gold. He wrote, "When you distance yourself from the comforts of civilization you put yourself in the hands of nature, and you never know what is going to happen. You have to prepare for and adjust to the ever-changing conditions in the backcountry."

RMAC is destined to become a classic book on wilderness, recreation, and the joys of our natural surroundings. If you like to hang onto your books, I suggest that you order one of the few remaining autographed and numbered copies from the original printing of only 3,000 copies.

The thrills of mountain climbing and caving can be found in this book. TJ Burr's book "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection" gives one the feeling of being there with him.

TJ Burr covers a wide variety of high country adventure activities with his real life stories of backpacking, skiing, exploring, running, climbing, caving and prospecting. He'll take you to the top of Longs Peak, and into the bowels of a mountain cave. I really enjoyed the way he described his wild caving experiences - I felt like I was in there with him. His book is for anyone interested in high country adventure in the Rockies, not just hard core participants.

A book that covers all the adventure topics of activities you'll find in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming.

TJ wrote in a style that really helped me feel like a bystander watching him climb in the Rockies. He had me on the edge of my seat when he had to race down a mountainside to escape the worsening thunderstorm high above timberline. His descriptions of crawling into mountain caves made me feel claustrophobic. I shared the same sensations through his emotional writing style. You can almost feel the excitement of his adventures through his tales of climbing, skiing, and backpacking. I really enjoyed how the author helped me visualize high country places I've only dreamed of visiting. Whether you are an active participant in outdoor adventure or not, you'll enjoy this book. This was the first mountaineering related book I read, and I really enjoyed it.

This makes book makes you stop and think about life and how to live it. You can sit back like most of us do and just exist or you can push to the limits like Roskelley and enjoy some of the greatest personal achievements possible. But this comes at a cost, he's lost friends and climbing partners and I'm sure it's been very difficult on his family relationships. From the sounds of things though, I don't think he would change how his life has turned out. If your thinking about hooking yourself to a rock anytime soon, read this just to make sure you know what your getting into.

Having enjoyed reading Nanda Devi, I bought this book as I liked Roskelly's writing style and subjects. In this book, Roskelly writes short stories from throughout his climbing career and provides a good framework of how he became a climber and how he stayed alive. Probably the most interesting theme through this book was the value he placed on having good climbing partners and how close he was to the partners. That's interesting because it was very clear from reading Nanda Devi that he was very opinionated and compromise is not his specialty. Not only does he stow high praise on these climbing partners, but there is also a story of a renowned hunter who befriends Roskelly and eventually struggles with cancer. This was a particularly heartwarming story of a great individual and his unique ability to hunt.

But the stories that will leave you wanting more involve high-altitude climbing where death is close at hand. One particular story has Roskelly awakening in the middle of the night realizing he is suffering from pulmonary edema and will die if he doesn't drop altitude.

This book provides great mountaineering stories as well as insight into the life of John Roskelly, the renowned climber. I highly recommend this book for anyone with interest in mountain climbing.

For a guy with the reputation of being something of a Neanderthal, Roskelley writes really well. This is an expressive, lucid book which only occasionally slips over the edge into macho and/or sentimentality. Recommended!

Bottom line is that this is a book that is written like it is. Life of a climber means broken relationships, hard times, and amazing acomplishments. This book is down to earth and is a good read from start to finish. Probably the best book he has written

John Roskelley is arguably the greatest American mountaineer of his generation. His credentials are awesome, and he is alive to tell the tale. He is a rarity: a great climber who can also write. Usually the two do not go together; the only other exception I can think of is Austrian great Kurt Diemburger.

Mr. Roskelley's snapshot-style autobiography is a delight. Beginning in his 16th year as a wild child with incredible energy and no focus, he discovered, with the help of his father, the Spokane Mountaineers Club. He never looked back. They treated him as an "adult," which was of vital importance to him, and after his first trek up Mt. Rainier, he knew he had a "forever longing to be above those clouds."

He found himself an unlikely partner who was as preppie, straight arrow as John was wild and rebellious, but they made a perfect team. Both were impatient to a fault, resolute and absolutely fearless as you can only be when you are that young. They rock-climbed at Yosemite, climbed icefalls in Idaho and attacked Dengali (otherwise known as Mt. McKinley) in Alaska.

At an age when most climbers are totally unrecognized, he was invited on a climb up Dhaulgiri, a 26,800 ft. monster in Nepal, Himalaya. He wasn't quite sure what it was; he just knew he wanted to go. The team's successful ascent was only the third that had ever been made.

Mr. Roskelley brings a lot of practicality, bluntness and a touch of the poet when he recounts his adventures and the friends he has made along the way. I am sure he can be a difficult friend. He never minces words and has an appalling way of "laying it on the line" letting tender sensibilities fly where they may. His tenacity in achieving his goals is sometimes like being confronted with a charging Mack truck. He has a reputation of being the worst of the macho, MCP (male chauvinist pig) in a group that is famous for these traits. I don't think this is an entirely a fair evaluation. He doesn't like anything to interfere with the dedication and concentration it takes to successfully climb a difficult peak. Romances and groupies are prime distractions. He has no patience or tolerance for either. Yet he displays in his fine writing a romantic, lyrical side that would probably amaze his good buds on the mountain.

I recommend this book highly to anyone from the armchair adventurer to the skilled climber to someone who just wants a highly entertaining read.

This product is same as described in purchase. Delivery was very quickly and good conditions. I recommend this product and provider. Sincerely. Jose Pena

Great diagrams to refresh your memory or make you consider investigating new techniques. But probably not a "field guide" as such due to the paper quality.

It worries me a little that the author suggests a team of 6 individuals carry 36 'biners by each taking 3...

One of the best, I highly recommend it as a quick refresher. The technology is excellent, and the illustrations clear. Lipke has distilled the material to the essence of what is needed to perform high end rescues.

This is an excellant field refrence guide providing that you have completed a class in rope rescue. Also, the pages are made of paper instead of plastic, which is the norm for Fire / Rescue field guides. Since it is made with paper, it is rendered useless quite quickly in adverse conditions. All in all, only buy this book if you are competent enough to understand the instruction and responsible enough to put it to good use.

The Technical Rescue Riggers Guide is a small, pocket sized wealth of information, similar to the CMC Rope Rescue Field Guide. Written by talented and proficient rescuers from the Pacicific Northwest, it advocates some somewhat non-standard (to the usual CMC / Rescue-3 / etc) school of thought, but has better descriptions of rigging highlines, etc than most field guides. Their recommendations for rope kits are probably the most complete (possibly overdone) I've ever seen, but their technique of color-coding webbing lengths certainly makes sense.

All in all a valuable addition to the rescuers library, and the techniques are worth considering by all rescue teams. All in all,