Product Description
This title discusses the skills, techniques, equipment, and physical training necessary safe and enjoyable rock climbing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Delightful reading, makes me want to get out on the rock.
I normally find "how to" books dull.Not this time.I feel like I've been climbing with someone form the old school.It's not often you can gain true experience from reading a book.

Fun to read book with great information!
This book will give you the basics of what you need to know to begin rock climbing, or to help you move on from top roping to lead climbing.But, unlike the other "how to" books out there on rock climbing, it iswritten in a breezy, entertaining style that will hold your interest like agood novel. You won't feel like you're reading a "how to" book atall.It even makes you laugh!I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Product Description
Climbers at all levels benefit from working to build core strength, opening the door to higher levels of achievement. This new edition of the Mountaineers Outdoor Expert series classic is completely updated and expanded. There is new instruction on yoga, Pilates, and herbal supplements, as well as an expanded section on core training. The book contains more information about rehabilitation after an injury, plus several new training programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

good trainging guide for climbing
Has good breakdown and suggestions to jump start cardo training specifically for climbing or trekking. I followed the cardio planning to the letter and my conditioning improved drastically.Easy to understand max performance thresholds. Good approach to pointing out what to avoid, what is myth vs fact. pay attention to the tips-he explains what NOT to do, This definitely is accurate and on spot to prevent injuries. Aerobic conditioning chapter is great. He provides a template for cardio planning. Most trainers charge and arm and leg toset this up for you.
I highly recommend purchasing a heart rate monitor for this type of training. Eventually you will be able to work out without the HR monitor since the training will teach you how to pay attention to your body's cues.

Super informative
What a great book. Awesome info. Very detailed. I took this book to work took it with me anywhere I went I couldn't put it down. There is more information in here than just about climbing. In it is nutirional information, wokout techniques and plans. Couldn't have asked for anything else to be included that wasn't already. Great for beginniners and expeienced climbers alike or anyone who wants to improve their workout or overall fitness level. Buy it. Absorb it. Enjoy it.

Very informative - great resource!!
I bought this book as a gift for my son who loves to climb.He told me this was a great resource and very informative. He was very pleased with the book - pay no attention to those reviewers who are rating this 1 star.Wonder how many mountains they have climbed??

A "Must Have" for anyone looking to improve their climbing performance
"Climbing: Training for Peak Performance," has an honored place on my book shelves, nestled between Fred Beckey's "Cascade Alpine Guides" and The American Alpine Journal collections. Soles' writing is crisp and entertaining while imparting detailed information about effective training practices. He is obviously very knowledgeable about climbing, the challenges of the sport, and the best methods of training for those challenges. A "must-have" for any climber who wants to improve their fitness level specifically to improve their climbing.

Climbing: Training for Peak Performance
Great book. Nice to get through all the nutritional information that really makes sense.

If you're going to Climb, spend the time to Train.And the best way to making training work is to "Train Smarter, not Harder" and this book Climbing: Training for Peak Performance, does just thatClimbing: Training For Peak Performance by Clyde Soles ... Read more

Product Description

More than 300,000 North Americans call themselves rock climbers.

The thrilling pastime of rock climbing includes a number of variations such as free climbing, roped climbing, adventure climbing, and bouldering. The Climbing Handbook covers them all in an exceptionally comprehensive guide designed for climbers of any level of experience.

From the basics for beginners to techniques and tactics for more advanced climbers, this book provides the tools to maximize the climber's experience. With more than 350 color photographs and easy-to-understand diagrams, this essential guide combines step-by-step exercises with practice programs that will allow climbers to safely explore all aspects of the sport.

Topics include:

• Choosing the right equipment
• Key grips and techniques
• Essential safety skills
• Ascending and descending
• Strategies for difficult climbs
• Avoiding problems
• Rescues and safety procedures
• Building strength and skills
• Competition and specialized climbing
• Where to climb around the world.

With comprehensive information, insider tips from the world's climbing experts, and a user-friendly format, The Climbing Handbook is an essential guide for all rock climbers.

Customer Reviews (2)

Good general overview, but a good editing would help it
As a disclaimer to this review, I ought to mention that Steve Long's book is the first I've read on the subject of rock climbing, and I am an extremely callow climber.That said, my general inexperience as in the subject might be helpful for others interested in gaining introductory insights into climbing, and my review might also elucidate whether this book is too elementary for more experienced climbers.

The book has an ambitious, remarkably broad set range of topics discussed--including history of the sport, genre divisions in rock climbing, safety techniques, travel and climbing-site specific information, tips on picking out equipment, instructions on climbing maneauvers, tips on diet and exercise, notes on competitions, and much more.Considering both the eagerness of the project and the slightly-larger-than-pocket size of the text, it should not be unexpected that while the general topic of climbing is discussed in a very complete fashion, some specific individual topics are exceptionally abbreviated discussions.

Overall, the book seems inclusive, outlining most of the climbing approaches and equipment which i would have anticipated or hoped for, plus a few which i did not.The book is chock-full of illustrations, diagrams, photographs, and the like, which to me seem an absolute necessity for any adequate hands-off presentation of climbing technique.There were a few places in the text where perhaps a superfluous (but often aesthetically inviting) photo of a glorious rock face with an attached climber or a diagram for an exceedingly simple technique or a redundant tip bubble might have been omitted in order that the abridged description of a procedure might be made more clear.However, in general these tended to add clarity to my novice understanding of materials, procedures, setup, safety, knots, equipment, and the like.

There were two sections which I felt were particularly well-constructed--namely "essential safety skills" and "key techniques".Each seemed helpful, descriptive, comprehensive, and--with several notable exceptions--left me with relatively few unanswered questions compared to many of the other sections.Thankfully, these two sections seemed to make up the real meat of the books, such that the best information was available from the largest and most interesting portions of the work.To me, the simplest of diagrams and photographs--those intending to portray only one idea, technique, or feature--were by far the most helpful.Grip techniques were very clear, as well as most of the vital diagrams describing safe anchoring techniques for cams, webbing, rope, pitons, and the like.I found some diagrams attempting to explain, for example, rope techniques which became confusing by attempting to illustrate full sequences of connections in a diagram without proper correlating explanations.

The most salient pitfalls of the text are with overall clarity and organization.Most notably, I think that readers as green or greener than myself might experience some difficulty with climbing techniques or terms not being properly described before they are used in the book.Some very basic terms in climbing have quite different jargoned meanings from their status quo definitions, and many of these--protection,jug, second, natural, and psych come to mind immediately--are defined much later than they are first used (and in some cases, never defined at all, even in the glossary).Perhaps the guide is not intended for those of us too callow to recognize these terms or techniques, but if this is the case, then it is a mistake for the work to define them--as it often does--later on.Prusik, for example, is used multiple times at the beginning of the book, but is not defined in the glossary and not explained in the book until page 48.Likewise, jug is needed to understand a suggested exercise on page 91, but is not defined until page 94.Psyching is used on page 82, but explained on 85.Conversely, sometimes terms or procedures are defined redundantly; the munter hitch, for example, is described in nearly the same words on both pages 53 and 64.Additionally, some portions simply seem out-of-place.Rigging a repel, ascending and descending, and constructing a prusik are relegated to the back of the book, away from the other sections on other related in-climb techniques.Sometimes a bit more information might have been provided, such as diagrams (page 57 could have used one concerning threads) or simply further description (page 53 mentions some configurations being "weak" for equipment, but does not describe them).I thought that the sections on techniques and safety skills might have benefited from the addition ofa brief section consolidating and describing the fundamental ideas of loading, directionality, and force.

These weak points should not entirely overshadow the benefits of the book, however.By the end of the work, many of the questions and problems and confusions that were left by individual sections were largely answered.Unfortunately, this was often only after they were mentioned elsewherein the book, such that a full understanding of equipment and procedure might require two readings for some novices.In general, instruction is succinct and clear, and the information is relevant.True, the book could use enough editing to warrant a second edition, but it is certainly an excellent source of information in its current form.

Excellent book for any climbing enthusiast to have
I don't usually write reviews on Amazon, but this book has been extremely useful to me and was deserving of a positive review.This is an excellent book for any climbing enthusiast to have.It is very well-written and the illustrations/photos are extremely clear and instructive.The book is comprehensive yet concise, and it is organized logically; it can be read straight through or easily used as a reference.The book details the large variety of climbs that are possible, from top-roping to sports/trad climbing, to aid climbing.Regardless of your ability, there's something to learn in here for everyone.Thanks in part to this book, I have a more complete picture of what climbing is all about, and I feel much more confident with my own climbing skills. ... Read more

Product Description
Climb focuses on the most exciting descriptions of thehardest climbing in the world, from the cliffs of Yosemite to thewindswept towers of Patagonia to the high peaks of Alaska and theHimalayas. Stories include Chris Bonington's classic account of theAnnapurna expedition thatintroduced technical rock climbing at high altitude; Chris Bonington's classic accountof the Annapurna expedition that introduced technical rock climbing athigh altitude; Tom Patey's hilarious profile of the great climber andeven greater misanthrope Don Whilans, describing an attempt the twomade on the Eiger North Face; John Long on a day spent climbing hardrock unroped in Joshua Tree's desert; and Rob Taylor breaking a leghigh on Africa's Mount Kenya. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Climbing/Mountaineering compilation
This is a great compilation of climbing stories. Some are inspiring while others will make you think about whether this is really something you want to be doing. Also highly recommended for those addicted to mountaineering literature is the editor's book "Epic" for more of the same...

Another installment in Willis' anthology series
Willis has a genius for searching climbing literature and coming up with gripping passages to incorporate into his anthologies. Some readers will find that they already own most of the original books, making the anthologyunnecessary. However, for those who only like the exciting bits, or whodon't want to collect dozens of volumes, Willis' works are perfect. Thelatest installment continues to incorporate writings on many differentclimbing styles and historical periods, both fiction and nonfiction.

An exciting and inspiring read
As you can see from the table of contents and the editorial reviews, this book contains writings by lots of great mountaineers and climbers.Many of the authors discuss experiences when they have had to deal with fear, loss,and the difficult question of risk; they also share some of the lessonsthat they have learned from years of being challenged by nature and otherpeople.Willis' compilation includes a selection of both fictional andtrue stories that I found to be a balanced combination of very funny,poignant, sad, and--best of all--inspiring.Reading this book really mademe want to get outside!One of the convenient things about this book isthat the stories are rather short, so it's easy to pick it up for a briefescape from the hustle and bustle of the city...There is also abibliography so one can read further about any of the stories, if onechooses.

Climb: stories of survival from everest and K2
The book was very good.It gave me a very good time reading.Itwas so good I couldn't even put it down!I recommend it to everyone who engoys climbing stories! ... Read more

Product Description
The definitive guide to rock climbing routes in themagnificent national parks of the Colorado Plateau: Zion NationalPark, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, ArchesNational Park. ... Read more

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

Customer Reviews (3)

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

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

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

Product Description
The stately Flatirons rise majestically above Boulder,Colorado, a city considered by many to be the center of rock climbingin North America.For decades these cliffs have beckoned climbers tofind adventure on routes ranging from slabby, casual Sunday cruises tooverhanging, cutting-edge desperates.The rock quality isoutstanding, the setting is unsurpassed, and the power of theFlatirons remains forever in the hearts and minds of anybody who’sever called Boulder home.Rock Climbing the Flatirons is the secondbook in a series of three that replace Richard Rossiter’s out ofprint Boulder Climbs South and Boulder Climbs North.Rossiter’slegendary attention to detail translates into clearly drawn topos,easy-to-use maps, and thorough route descriptions that will guideclimbers to many years of challenge and fulfillment in the mostrevered of climbing areas, the Flatir ons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good guidebook for Flatirons
I like Richard Rossiter's guidebooks - they are always good.The topos are easy to use, and it seems comprehensive.The layout that the Falcon guidebook series uses is also outstanding - much better than any climbing guidebooks I've used in the UK where I am from.I take a star off because there aren't photos of every crag with the routes on.I regard that essential. ... Read more

Product Description
·Skills and strategies unique to big walls-illustrated in full color ·Includes modern speed and free climbing tactics that have revolutionized wall climbing ·Key training exercises (practiced near the ground) and real life examples reinforce instruction

Dangling sweaty-palmed from a 3000-foot cliff for days on end, Jared Ogden taught himself to climb his first big wall by trial and error. Why should you have to do the same? Ogden, who has climbed El Capitan's Nose in less than twenty-four hours, wants to jump-start your education.

Whether you're a weekend warrior or a full-on wall addict, you'll learn the tools of the trade and how to use them; different leading and hauling scenarios and why some are better suited than others; multiple following set-ups for different terrain; how to choose your partners and routes; staying on route; how to live on a wall; the steps involved in doing first ascents; big wall style and ethics; and more. Ogden will have you racked and ready for prime big wall climbing destinations in North America including Yosemite, Zion, Rocky Mountain, and the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Parks; the Alaskan Range; and the Bugaboos of British Columbia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great book
This book covers tons of information about big wall and is both motivating and informative.

Precise, clear and with an excelent quality


Clearly written with no bulktext at all, excelent colored print so the diagrams and photos are simple to understand.

It assumes you are an intermidiate (or advanced in some topics) climber, and of course, the book is about the mother of all disciplines of rock climbing, bigwalls.

Required reading!
An invaluable guide to artificial and big wall climbing from one of the real masters.Very well written, friendly and comprehensive in its scope. HIghly recommended!

Reasonably detailed, good reference book
Provides a good background to the basic aid climbing process.Better than the Long/Middendorf book in my opinion, though some things are covered better in the latter. Long's book, as always, is a more enjoyable read.

Good for Multipitch and Beginner Big Wallers
Chapters are easy to read...color yes color pictures give clear examples of setups! Great book to review multipitch techniques and big wall climbing alike!

... Read more

Product Description
Mental training is scarcely covered in the climbingliterature, yet it is as important to performance as strength,flexibility, and technique. In his unique approach to mental training,Arno Ilgner draws essential elements from the rich "warrior"literature, as well as from sports psychology, and combines these withhis extensive climbing experience to create The Rock Warrior’s Way.

Here is a comprehensive program for learning how to focus your mentalresources during a challenging climb. It includes step-by-stepguidance on motivation analysis, information gathering, riskassessment, mental focus, and deliberate transition into action.

Poor use of attention creates fear, which can manifest itself as anything from performance anxiety to sheer terror. By using attention more purposefully we can understand how fear is created, deal with it effectively, and free ourselves to get back in touch with a far more powerful motivating force: our love of climbing. We can then create the kind of unbending intention that leads to outstanding performance. The Rock Warrior’s Way is a revolutionary program for climbers who want to improve both their performance and their enjoyment of climbing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Achilles' heel
>>>>>>>---------Carlos Castaneda---------->

"An important component of the warrior literature for me is the work of
Carlos Castaneda"pg xxvii

his work is suspect and considered fiction, so you built a whole mental schema
based on fiction..that's funny the 1000 headed dragon has swallowed u whole

would you rely on a pro that's suspect, when 50 ft above it.

I have a suggection for your next book Arno "The Rock Sorcerer's Way"
and base it on Harry Potter..

Rock Warriors Way - Great book
This is a great book allowing climbers to understand the mental elements of climbing and improve ones ability to deal with the mental pressures of climbing accordingly improving overall performance.

One of the best instuctional books for climbing you will ever buy!!
This is one of he books that is really worth having!!!If you apply the techniques it gives you it will not only take you to the next level in climbing, but also help you in your everyday life.

A "how to" book written with a story line.The author takes you through his story explaining why he is the right person to write this book.

It will help climbers who are stuck in the stage where fear is halting their progress.It helped me loads to progress and I go back and read it again and again when i have bad days with lots of fear.

Alos comes with a great "suggested reading list"

One of the best instuctional books for climbing you will ever buy!!

Incredible Book
Hello their,

This is actually the 3rd copy I have bought. The last 2 have been for my friends.

This is my 20th season climbing and the ideas in Arno's book have helped me to pull off my hardest lead last year.You see the mental training ask's me to allow room to grow beyond the confines of my mind and of what I think.To look at each climbing day as a new opportunity (I love that word) to expand our personal power, our boundaries of what is possible.Of what we believe is possible.

Life has presented me the opportunity to practice these idea's in non climbing areas as well.It has been very helpful in directing my attention towards effective action in the midst of "Life".

Arno's direct approach at the mental aspects of climbing and breaking the bonds that limit our potential ability as climbers and as people, have shown me that I have not even come close to realizing the potential strength inside of myself.

For me Arno's book is one of the 2 or 3 most important books I've ever read, for it's ability to show me an effective way to approach my climbing and my life.

Challenging reading, but well worth the effort
Ilgner's book is definitely not something you'll just breeze through in an afternoon.Some of the concepts are pretty abstract, and a lot of the book's power lies in helping you to look at your own weaknessess and bad habits...which is not something all of us are eager to do.However, if you take some time with the ideas and let them sink in, you may be very surprised and grateful for what you find.

One particularly powerful concept is what Ilgner calls "wishing behavior": wishing that a hold were bigger or that the pro was better or closer to you.Once you become attuned to this you will be amazed at how common, and how unproductive, this kind of thinking is.All around you at the crag (and perhaps in your own mind), you'll suddenly hear voices wailing about how hard and impossible it all is, and how they wish the climb or the climber were different.

Well, the holds are the holds, the pro is the pro, and you are you.That's the challenge you came for, and this book can help you learn to savor it and thrive in it. ... Read more

Product Description
The only rock climbing guide to 650 routes: Prospect Mountain, Twin Sisters, Lily Mountain, Fern Canyon, Fall River Canyon, Lumpy Ridge, Cow Creek Canyon, and Dry Gulch, Big Thompson Canyon. With detailed maps, topos and written descriptions for the routes in the lowlands of Rocky Mountain National Park. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Book
I was very impressed with this book.It is very descriptive with photographic route maps, and easy to read topos.This book covers all the crag areas in Rocky Mountain National Park. I liked the book because of itsease of route finding.For anyone planning to visit RMNP for climbingpurposes, I recomend getting this book before you go.It is the same booksold at the local climbing shops around the park. ... Read more

Product Description
The only climbing guide devoted to Washington’s Olympic National Park—now completely updated and expanded with more than thirty percent additional new material.• New Alpine Rock, Crags and Sport Routes, and Bouldering sections added• Expanded historical and biographical anecdotes • GPS waypoints added for key route descriptionsFrom the hard basalt lava peaks of Constance and The Brothers, to the high-angle faces of The Needles and Sawtooth Ridge, to the sandstone and vast glaciers of Mount Olympus, and hundreds of other mountains large and small: It’s the definitive climbing guide authored by Olympic Mountain Rescue (OMR), a group of volunteers dedicated to saving lives for the last 50 years through search, rescue, and mountain safety education. In preparing this new edition, OMR drew not only on their own extensive experience throughout the range, but also on the knowledge of the National Park and Forest Services and other organizations and climbers.

This greatly expanded new edition adds an Alpine Rock section featuring classic climbs, a Crags and Sport Routes section revealing several rock climbing challenges within a short walk from roads, plus great bouldering locations. In addition, there are enhanced route descriptions for "High Alpine Traverses" including refined Bailey Range data; new traverse legs have also been added. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Olympic Mountains #4
This is a great guide and Amazon was a very good (and easy) place to get it.

A good guide to bad rock
If you already know that you want to climb in the Olympics and want a some decent beta on the climbs, then this is not only the only guide out there for you, but it's really quite good.The route and approach descriptions are generally well detailed and accurate.The book includes scrambles, alpine routes, rock climbs, old school alpenstock und lederhosen ridge treks and even some bouldering areas.
If you don't already know that you want to climb in the Olympics and are thinking of buying this book to come up with some climbing ideas, look elsewhere.The Olympics are the last place you want to go for a few recreational climbs.There are indeed a few classic safe routes, mostly scrambles, on good rock.And there are a few decent alpine routes in these mountains.Mostly though, you've got a range of very poor quality basalt that is heavily weathered and breaks off readily.The book is full or routes with warnings about bad rock and the dangers of party inflicted rockfall.
So yes it's a great guide, but for the small percentage of climbers that want to tackle something a little wilder and less tracked out.

only climbing guide to the Olympic Mountains (revised)
This is the fourth edition of what is, as far as I know, the only climbing guide to the Olympic Mountains. Most of the content of the book seems to be barely revised. In particular, many of the routes in the book are very simple sketches -- things like "follow the rocky ridge for 0.5 miles, class 3". However, what do you expect from a book which covers pretty much every summit on the peninsula?

What's new in this edition is two sections which try to bridge the gap between traditional guidebooks (like Beckey) and the modern crag climbing style of guidebook. The first section is called "Alpine Rock Climbs" and gives more detail about some of the class five routes (including a few route topos). The second new section is "Crags And Sport Routes", which is pretty much self-explanitory.

As before, the book also has sections on High Alpine Traverses and Winter Climbing. Also as before, the main part of the guidebook is organized by geography, with the mountains separated into seven "groups", separated by major river drainages.

Note: like Beckey, this is not a hiking or camping guide. It is assumed that if you want information on the approach trails, you will get that elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
Cliffs of every rock type and size adorn Colorado's peaks and plateaus, offering the rock climber a spectacular arena to pursue the vertical craft.Thousands of crags and cliffs are scattered across Colorado, yielding every type of climbing experience form big-wall aid routes and long, multi-pitch free climbs to short overhung limestone testpieces and fiercely difficult boulder problems. Rock Climbing Colorado is the only guide available that covers all the major climbing areas in the state with routes ranging form 5.0 to 5.14-including big cliffs and faces of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to the smaller crags and outcrops of Pikes Peak, Boulder, Rifle, Shelf Road, Elevenmile Canyon, and much more.In all 37 areas covered, this guide provides first-hand information for area overviews and climbing histories, route betas and topos, as well as detailed maps, and photos. Also included are suggestions for equipment and approach and descent information as well as listings for shops, gyms, and guide services. Rock Climbing Colorado is essential for planning your next trip to one of Colorado's premier climbing areas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Travelers book
This book is the WORST Colorado climbing book I own!For starters look at the publishing date! circa 1995!!! That's nearly 15 yrs old!!It may have been great in the day, but now it lacks all but the classic Colorado climbs.Other newer books tend to have more accurate descriptions of routes and directions, photos, and more routes within them due to the massive amount of climbing routes added since 1995.If you want to own 1 book this is ok, and I'd sell you mine.If you want to really know an area buy a book that doesn't try to encompass the whole state, and focuses on the area you want.

Good general guide for the state
This book (like most Falcon guidebooks that I have used) is a very good general guidebook for the state of issue. It offers the reader a good glimpse of most of the climbing areas in the state, but most climbers will probably want to purchase separate books for distinct areas. It covers most of the classic routes, and is a great starter guide for anyone who is traveling around the state looking for rocks. I have a large library of guidebooks, but I use this book frequently.Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet

a good overview
this book has an excellent overview of the climbing areas in the state. there are not many details for one specific area.good for a general look at climbing in colorado.

Excellent and Informative
As always this series continues to offer very good information in regards to how to find climbing routes and the pro that is required on the routes. Gives excellent in depth information as to how to get to the specific climbing areas and even what is available for camping/nightlife etc in the surrounding areas. A big plus to have.

Breadth good, depth lacking
In Rock Climbing Colorado, Mr. Green takes on the ambitious task of cataloguing the major climbing areas in the state of Colorado.While this guide book is an excellent introduction to the routes extant in Colorado,it suffers from its ambition; too many times, I have been at the base ofthe climb wondering what it was and what it was rated.Rock ClimbingColorado does an admirable job of describing select climbs at certaincrags; however, local guidebooks will typically be far superior.To hiscredit, Mr. Green cites the corresponding local guidebooks in each area'soverview.

Rock Climbing Colorado is an excellent resource for planning aclimbing trip; however, once at the crag, the intrepid climber will quicklyrealize how much he needs the local guidebook. ... Read more

Product Description
160 b/w photos & 6 x 9 "This book is a masterpiece. It really shows bouldering like it is: raw, pure, all-encompassing. John Gill is the man!"--Bobbi Bensman.John Gill has been called the conceptual father of sport climbing. His one-armed front levers and inspired aerial moves radically reinterpreted the sport, showing peers and critics that bouldering is as valid as alpine and big wall climbing, or any other focus of climbers' attention and energy. In Master of Rock, the second in Stackpole's Climbing Classics series, Pat Ament, who climbed with Gill at Horse Tooth Reservoir and Flagstaff Mountain, provides rare insight into John Gill, the man, and his evolution into a climbing pioneer.Pat Ament, an accomplished climber himself, is the author of numerous books on climbing, including Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age . He lives in Westminster, Colorado. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

THE GREAT JOHN GILL IN WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS !!
Five Stars!! Pat Ament, a great climber in his own right, proves to be a very good writer as he takes on the life and times of rock climber John Gill. Using some mindboggling photographs of Gill combined with Ament's dead-on prose, we are introduced to the world of 'bouldering'. Most boulder climbers never go more than 20 feet above the ground, they instead are concerned with solving ridiculously hard climbs that are short but brutal in some cases, requiring great strength, tenacity, and explosive climbing moves. How hard can the routes get? I once read a guide book that descrilbed the following climbing move: "place your right foot beside your right ear and pull with both arms" LOL

John Gill possessed the mental toughness and physical strength, partially combining his God-given strength and hard training, to be able to actually do a one-finger pullup on an overhead parallel bar. That capability placed him far beyond most cllimbers. (Don't try that at home) In particular, the high point of the book involves Ament's description of the difficulty of a 30 foot steep vertical spire of rock called 'The Thimble' and Gill's first ascent of it (combined with pictures of the Thimble and the dangerous area below it if one should fall.). It is one great piece of fantastic writing and Gill's ascent set off a sensation within the climbing world. It also helped to validate bouldering as a valid branch of climbing with Gill as the father figure. I've read and re-read that description and it is breathtaking. Ament outdid himself. John Gill's exploits as a climber are AMAZING as the pictures will attest. This book is well worth your time, regardless if you are a climber or not. Five Stars

A mistake in identity
The below reader must be thinking about a completely different John Gill. The John Gill with which this book is about completely revolutionized bouldering as we knew it and has pushed the limits of bouldering in radical new directions.

John Gill
I know John Gill and believe me he is not going to be climbing rocks anytime soon.All he knows how to do is play football, and foul people on the basketball court.Anyone who thinks that he is climbing rocks is seriously mistaken.Thanks for your time.

An Engrossing Biography of a Climbing Legend
I own several of Pat Ament's books (including his soul-baringautobiography), and I've enjoyed reading them all. John Gill has becomevirtually the patron saint of modern bouldering, and the many intriguingphotographs in this book amply show why.Simply put, Gill was an entiregeneration ahead of his time--both in terms of his ability and hisrecognition of dynamic bouldering as the cutting edge of freeclimbing.

Ament's writing style here is more straightforward, and lessdense, than in his other writings.Rather than attempt to speak fordisparate voices, as he does in his Royal Robbins biography, Amentgenerally lets those voices speak for themselves in this book.The resultis an expository style that makes for light, enjoyable reading.

Given thefascination that Ament and Gill share with the spiritual aspects ofclimbing, one would almost expect Ament to devote much of his attention toGill's metaphysical philosophies (as did Jon Krakauer in his article onGill that was later reprinted in _Eiger Dreams_). However, by concentratingon the events of Gill's life and his wanderings among the boulder patchesof the American continent, Ament has painted a vivid picture of Gill asJohnny Appleseed, putting up routes--and leaving his legacy--everywhere.Ithink that is what Gill will most be remembered for, even if hisspirituality makes him that much more a climbing guru.

Still the nucleus of American bouldering
I was first exposed to Master of Rock in the seventies with its first publication. Being at the time, a devoted climber and student of style, I spent hundreds of days in the Valley watching John Long, Ron Kauk, John Bachar, Barry Bates, Jim Bridwell, and all, polish their individual styles while applying everything and anything I could grasp from them. I could'nt walk past a door jam without cranking out the requisite finger tip pull-ups. I was 86'ed from Modesto Junior College's campus dozens of times while explaining to the authorities that "my frisbee is on the roof" . . . Imagine my surprise and joy to discover this relatively unknown man through Pat Ament's timely biography of John Gill. I was floored by this person who stayed so low-key yet with so much incredible climbing talent, in a sport not lacking in ego! For this book, Pat Ament deserves my gratitude for it is through this book that I found that element of climbing I was looking for. To me, John G! ill is still the consumate hero of motion on rock, however minimal that motion was. Yes, big walls were beckoning, Yosemite and Tuoloumne test pieces were fondling my emotion, and the smell and taste of my ruck sack permeated my VW Beetle, but to me, none of it mattered without style and art with every climb, as the end result. I grew up as a climber by studying the greatest students and teachers of style and ethics through the seventies. John Gill defined style before I called myself a climber. Thank you Patrick O. Ament for taking time from your study of climbing to write this book and allowing me to discover John Gill. I will always charish knowing who John Gill is now and who he was then. ... Read more

Product Description
Montana climbing offers a lifetime of adventure and challenge.Rock Climbing Montana, formerly The Rock Climber's Guide to Montana is the only guide available that covers all the major climbing areas in the state-including Missoula, Helena, Butte, and Bozeman as well as out-of-the-way crags like Stone Hill, Mulkey and Rattler gulches, and the state's highest mountain, Granite Peak-with routes ranging from 5.3 to 5.13. Climbers from around the state-(Dwight Bishop, Ron Brunckhorst, Bill Dockins, Rafael Grana, Randall Green, Brian Hatfield, Brad Hutcheson, Jason Taylor, Matt Taylor, and many others)-provided first-hand information for area overviews, route betas and topos, maps, and photos.Also included are suggestions for hear, information on locations and types of anchors, approaches, and descents as well as listings for shops, gyms, and guide services. Rock Climbing Montana is essential for planning your next climbing trip in the Big Sky State. ... Read more

Product Description
The German rock-climbers Anette Kohler and Norbert Memmel have compiled this outstanding topo guide to the Dolomites. They have selected 100 fine rock climbs drawn from the grades III to VI with the odd harder route' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book
Great topos, great pictures. It just a joy to look at the content of the book but even better to climb the books routes. ... Read more

Product Description
The Monday Night Football Club can hardly believe it when unathletic Elliot turns out to have a natural ability for rock-climbing. Things turn dangerous, though, when Elliot gets his foot wedged on the side of the cliff and Nick has to save him - with the help of X-Games championship climber Katie Brown. ... Read more

Product 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

Product Description
Rock Climbing Eldorado Canyon Richard Rossitier's newest guide to the Colorado's EldoroadoCanyon, one of North America's premier climbing areas. ... 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