Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes : Columbia River to Stevens Pass [Paperback]

Fred W. Beckey (Author), Fred Beckey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1987

The long-awaited revision of Fred Beckey's comprehensive and indispensable climbing guide is here at last. The first volume in the classic Cascade Alpine Guide series, Columbia River to Stevens Pass features expert information on more than 300 climbing and high routes, including Mount Rainier. Here you'll find geographical, historical, and geological overviews of the majestic North Cascades region, plus important tips on safety and backcountry usage and enough technical and grade information to make clear exactly what type of route you are embarking upon. The new, third edition is thoroughly revised and updated with new maps and photos, plus all the most recent resource materials. Without a doubt, this exhaustive resource should be a staple in every serious mountaineer's collection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Beckey's] encyclopedic, three-volume guidebook, Cascade Alpine Guide, is mandatory reading for anyone aspiring to [these] summits. -- Backpacker --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; 2nd edition (March 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898861276
• ISBN-13: 978-0898861273
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,399,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full beta for the Northwest!, June 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes : Columbia River to Stevens Pass (Paperback)

Fred Becky has been know in producing the most comprehensive mountaineering guide books for the Northwest. This particular book covers all peaks from the Columbia River (south) to Stevens Pass (north) and from Yakima (east) to Seattle (west). Within this area, routes for over three hundred peaks are described by Becky. This Becky guide also has an excellent introduction that includes Cascade Weather, Special Dangers, Geographic Aspects, and Winter Travel and Climbing to name a few. You will be given enough technical and grade information to fully understand exactly what type situation you are getting into. Please note that although easy peaks are listed, this is not a beginners "how to" guide

Each peak is listed with the exact height and the first ascent history. Since most every peak have more than one way to the summit, this guide explains each alternate route. While most of the routes are classic mountaineering, there are many technical climbing routes detailed. Almost every peak is photographed and accompanied with some other type of drawing to give the reader more detailed instruction. With over 300 pages, this one of the most comprehensive guide books for this particular region.

For example, on popular peaks such as Mt. Rainier, a 9 page history and geological study is given along with backpacking and climbing regulations. 15 pages of route description along with 16 b/w photographs of the Mt. Rainier gives the reader excellent beta that will necessary on summit day.

After reading through the guide, the reader gets an idea how enduring Fred Becky has been over the years. About the author states, " His intimate knowledge of the topography has been gained through many years of personal experience, including the ascent of hundreds of peaks - many of them first ascents - in all parts of the range". Well worth the price tag, this book will pay for itself weekend after weekend. Hell, you may even end up quitting your job and bagging peaks! full time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is the bible, but....., March 7, 2010

By 

Brad Allen "Middle Fork Giants" (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Vol 1- Columbia River to Stevens Pass (3rd Ed.) (Paperback)

There was a time when this was the only book for finding routes in the Cascades (to Stevens Pass) but times have changed. This is still the most comprehensive guide to climbs and has the best descriptions for the oddball, out-of-the-way, and esoteric climbs but there are much better guidebooks for the more popular climbs and routes. Fred Beckey's book has become the reference to check after you find your hike in another guidebook. It will give you detail that might not be in the other one, it will show alternative routes, and will frequently have nearby routes not in your other guidebook.

But buyer beware: This is not really the book for new or novice climbers. Fred Beckey is notorious for rating climbs easier than they are. He also has grand details on some things (check out his route for Mt. Garfield) yet will have comments like "just go up the spur to obvious ledge" on a mountain covered with spurs, ledges, and loose rock. I use Beckey extensively but it is my reference for climb information, not my guidebook.

This book belongs in every climber's library but it should not be the first guidebook you buy for Washington (which I would recommend as Jeff Smoots Climbing Washington's Mountains).

5.0 out of 5 stars Hiking bible of the cascades, December 24, 2009

By 

S. Dennis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Vol 1- Columbia River to Stevens Pass (3rd Ed.) (Paperback)

This is the hiking bible of the Cascades--it is for the mountaineer/avid hiker who wants to step it up a notch. Beckey always offers an in-depth historic perspective of each hike in the book (which is sometimes longer than the trail description). Harder technical routes have detailed directions, but the easier routes are sometimes lacking in detail (it would be obvious if you were Beckey). Although, I've found the lack of direction is sometimes nice for you are able to discover the hike on your own. I've also found that if there is a lack of direction, it usually doesn't matter what you do, you'll get to the top without much added danger.

If you're a hard-core hiker looking for a challenge, this book is for you. If you plan on getting this book to JUST climb the direct route of Mt Baker or the Disappointment Cleaver route of Rainier, the Becky series would be overkill. His series really lets you explore every peak there is, not just the big 'classics'

This book is not for the beginner. If you're not interested in mountaineering, alpine, or rock climbing, but still want to get outdoors, I HIGHLY Recommend the Foghorn Outdoors Wahington Hiking book instead of the "Beckey Bible". That is the best book, in my eyes, for Washington Dayhikes (plus many longer hikes too).

Basically, if you call yourself a mountaineer in Washington, this book needs to be on your shelf.