Customer Reviews

Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book hits the sweet spot between Freedom of the Hills and Mark Twight. Finally, a book for those of us who know the basics, maybe have done some guided mountaineering trips or novice routes, and already know how to rock climb, but need to know more in order to venture further on our own. The authors frame everything in terms of making decisions, which is very helpful when you are doing things for the first time. Good discussions of equipment, hazards, weather, navigation, and protective systems. The approach is very down to earth and practical.

...but not to the extreme.

This book is the second chapter in an aspiring alpinists handbook. I found myself over the years amassing a pile of pooks on running, fittness*, nutrition*, supplements*, advanced rock climbing, ice climbing, crevasse rescue, orienteering*, navigation*, avalanche evaluation, etc. This book would have saved me a few bucks by putting alot of this in one place.

* = These are covered well in this book.

If you know Freedom of the Hills like the back ouf your hand, have Extreme Alpinism and a good book on slightly more advanced rock skills, don't bother. If not, get it.

Even with this book, you need a resource of some sort in avy eval and advanced rock/rope skills.

I agree with the reviewers above (below) that this book complements "Freedom of the Hills". In particular it focuses more on the decision making process than most books of these types. Although I've never traveled with either of the authors, they seem like lovely people and the stories they tell flesh them out for the reader. They also answered a question I had when I wrote them via email. In all, a solid book that it would do to put on your bookshelf.

The section on Common Problems with Decision Making was alone worthy the purchase!I could identify many issues and suggestions with my own experiences. Very well laid out book and a must read for anyone venturing into the sport of climbing, or those of us who wish to brush up on skills and ponder ways of continuous learning no matter the level of prior experience. One of definite climbing "bibles" written by people who do it for a living and are prepared to share their experiences and knowledge. Five stars IMHO!!! Happy climbing!

I liked this book, it has a lot of overlap with Freedom of the Hills and other basic books. The chapters in snow climbing are pretty good. Some of the gear stuff is a little dated, but you can't help that. I would recommend it to anyone, but a really experienced mountaineer. If you want a bit more I highly suggest Mark Twights Extreme Alpinism, that book covers the high speed low drag stuff.
If you are just getting into alpine style climbing this book is a must read.

This is the book to buy after Mountaineering: Freedom of the hills. It doesn't cover hard rock and ice technique, but it covers allot of alpine specific techniques. Terrain belays and how to eat ground on terrain that isn't full on belayed but still needs some additional security over un-roped travel.

It does a great job covering the decision making process instead of just being a how-to.

I have read them all and have been climbing for 13 years - this book is more up to date and applicable than Freedom of the Hills and delivers more practical how-to technique and information than any other single climbing book out there. I have read it so much the binding fell apart and I had to have it spiral bound. I teach mountainaineering skills to beginners often and always recommend this book to them. It is the first place I go to when I write curriculum for teaching mountaineering. Every chapter is well organized, with great photos and succincly written text, all presented in a format that the careful reader can go back to again and again to learn how to perfect the craft, because the authors are world class guides and they know what they are talking about. I would recommemend this book to every level of climber over any other book on mountaineering / alpinism . Well worth the money.

I bought this book because I had been out of alpine climbing for 10 years and I wanted to get back into it. The authors are professional mountain guides but more than that, alpine climbing seems to be an integral part of who they are. I picked up a lot of very helpful information that covers everything from training, to equipment and boot selection, to alpine travel and avalanche knowledge. It is very suited to the Sierra Nevada range, where I do most of my climbing. This is the best book I have found on the subject.

Well, I am completely biased having climbed several times with Kathy. In practice, all her mountain judgment seems so seamless! One minute we're just chatting away and the next we're on an exposed ridgeline for five miles, still calm and collected. It's amazing how much judgment is about the conditions (the mountains and ours), and knowing how to read them correctly. One memorable experience was just killing some time during a complete whiteout, and seeing what was possible with a new GPS gizmo. Anyway, what I've learned from Kathy and this book? How to judge my limits far better than before. It's easy to get overconfident and stop thinking. When I'm alone in the mountains now, I actually pay attention and learn to retreat better. Those mountains will wait for another day -- although the glaciers may not!

A gem of a book for all aspiring and experienced climbers. Mark Houston and Kathy Cosley are highly respected working mountain guides. Their book is full of practical and modern advice based upon their years of climbing around the world. Climbers of every level will want this well written addition to their library.