Customer Reviews

Accidents in North American Mountaineering

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the fifth report in this series I've read. It is the best resource for finding out what really hurts, cripples and kills people involved in mountaineering. You may read "On Rope", John Long, Craig Leubben, Craig Connelly, "Freedom of the Hills", etc., to find out what to do correctly, but the ANAM books will provide a strong sense of what can go wrong, when and where procedures should become your friend, and you'll read real case studies of how to avoid problematic issues when in the wilderness or mountainous terrain. Regarding practical mountaineering and climbing, I've learned at least as much from ANAM as I have from any other five titles. I believe it should be required reading for anyone transitioning from gym climbing to real rock. Or for those who seek the freedom of the hills.

Arrived on time, in brand new condition. Woot. Great to learn from other's mistakes rather than first hand. A friend recommended I read this, and I recommend it to you. One thing I didn't realize was that these are skinny books published each year: there's a lot to read. Have each of your buddies buy a different year and keep it in their car so ya'll can read some each time you drive out to a climb.

Catalogs all reported climbing accidents and gives how the rescue was carried out. Also gives analysis on why accident happened. Really helpful for people in the outdoor indusrty and for researching climbs/mountains. Learn from others mistakes and hopefully you won't find yourself in these situations.

Each accident review is terse and to the point. Somewhat dry but very informative. The reality is most accidents are due to pretty simple screw-ups - I don't know how many times I counted people abseiling off the end of the rope ... but a more in-depth level of analysis would reveal this often happens due to an inability to control/stop your drop by friction alone while setting up your next anchor point. Simple misses like this stop me from giving this a 5. However this is one of the few books around that is helpful and informative and factual rather that conforming to pure rhetoric of what we perceive as accident causing situations.

I would 'strongly' recommend not only the 2008 book but the entire series! The price is right too! And regardless of your level of expertise whether it's rock climbing or Alpine version therein. It reminds me of my aviation interests [the real McCoy albeit SEL "single donkey" Cessna/Piper stuff] in terms of the 'very' popular with the "GA" [General Aviation] crowd, "I Learned About Flying From That" which eventually reached book form and the articles collected under one cover because so much could be 'learned' from the analysis of GA aviation close-calls, "stupendous errors of judgment" [sic] and 'survived' accidents. Or, conversely, with the book in question in this review, climbing accidents of whatever venue. Not to mention the stuff that has been forgotten or all too often filed away or, worse still, certain safety and 'common sense' considerations that can get ignored or put on the proverbial back-burner in the excitement or zeal of the moment. Do the words "summit fever" ring a bell?

True story -- one mountaineering website-master [and an authority on the sport] became so vexed at reporting so 'many' climbers [well experienced inclusive and not just novice climbers] being belayed "off the rope" into a fall [or oblivion therein with 'fatal' results], he wrote in desperation [and I back him 110%] with regard to the rappel belay rope, "Tie a friggin' knot at the end of the rope ... is that so damn hard to remember!" [sic] Or a careless moment of inattention and what the combination of an ice axe and crampons can do [** not to mention practicing self-arrest techniques where in one case the 'wrong end' [!] of the ice axe was used for the self-arrest and the novice says, "I thought the 'broad' end of the ice axe would have "a wider gripping power" [sic] than the 'pointy' end ... " [sic -- and in this particular case and specific type of axe, the broad adze end] -- as the long [and quite dangerous when aimed at the climber's face] business end of the ice axe was inches from the climber's head and face while the adze side of the ice axe was buried in the snow! Ohhh, it does happen!] or carabiners [** humorous sidebar -- because that word is not heard every day by those outside of the climbing/mountaineering/emergency services/ military or SWAT oriented folks, I once asked a college class of mine [the class I was giving was in European history], "Does anyone know what a 'carabiner' is?" ... and a volunteered answer was: "Isn't that a World War II German Army rifle?" You're smiling, yes, but fess up, years ago, and before your involvement in the above cited areas, did the word "adze" ring a bell with you?] where no-one notices that the weight is entirely resting on the biner 'gate' and countless other checks that 'should' be done. Ehhh, fess up now, you 'always' wear a helmet as a matter of course, right? And how many times have you read this one as the 'primary' cause of a rappel accident: "Misuse of a grigri" or another classic, "failure to check anchor." You know what I mean! And what was it the 'lead' said, "That weather will miss us for sure ... let's keep going!"

This too -- another book [now in its "7th" edition -- 2003 was the last one], "Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills" which, IMO, is 'the' mountaineering reference tome [500 pages +] to have on hand! A veritable goldmine of information but the North American 'accidents' series is an excellent adjunct to same and much can be learned. Or, shall we say, re-learned!

Doc Tony

Personal Note! Here's a website free of all advertisements including those annoying dancing GIF's and JPEG's or sales hype a la mode that offers ad free page after page of solid information [including accident assessment scenarios, gear discussion including GPS and map/compass stuff, how-to's, things to avoid [check out why that TV hawked 'space blanket' can actually 'hasten' the demise of a hypothermia victim], assorted you-name-it climbing/mountaineering topics, what's happening here and there from Hood to the Himalayas, links, tips, mountaineering organizations, Q&A stuff, etc. etc. ] -- traditionalmountaineering.org. [no need to use "WWW"].

PS: This just in! New 2008 publication by Pete Hill just out, "The Complete Guide to Climbing and Mountaineering" now available at Amazon. See my Amazon review on this excellent book. What I like about it, in particular, is that it does not 'assume' that the reader is some sort of 5.14d and/or Everest/K2 summiteer and thereby explains everything with accompanying color pictures and diagrams without the gaps on the assumption that the reader can fill in the blanks, so to speak, based on their 'assumed' collective experiences. The book is highly recommended!

Sensational edjucation-the most important way to understand the frequency and causes of climbing misfortune.

I was dissapointed. Specifically ordered the book to review accidents in Canada, and upon opening the first page found out that there is only one report from Canada, apparently the Alpine Club of Canada is looking for a new editor. This would have been nice to know prior to ordering the book. Should have been titled Accidents in United States Mountaineering.