Customer Reviews

Climbing Anchors, 2nd Edition (How to Climb Series)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a well written and well researched book. The most significant aspect for me are the new tests on various anchors presented in the book. As a novice outdoor climber, I was most interested in rigging good top-rope anchors and was quite surpised to learn about the faults of the cordelette. Fortunately he introduces a better alternative called the equalette. He also dispels some myths about the sliding X and the fear many have of potential shock loading. The chapter where he describes the tests of various anchor setups is quite eye opening. It really begs for additional tests to be performed and has me thinking about what other false assumptions exist in this sport. A good reference and essential reading for any outdoor climber.

John Long has done the climbing community a great service with the publication of his updated climbing anchor book. His previous works helped create a defacto standard for anchor construction, but suffered from a lack of objective data to support its assertions.

In this new book Long has worked with others to scientifically test the anchoring technique he popularized with his last book, the cordelette. Through this testing he discovered that the cordelette is seriously flawed as a technique for equalizing anchors and puts forth the alternative of the "equalette", a technique that he has worked with others to test extensively in the lab and the the field.

I strongly recommend this book to any climber. As a climber with well over a decade of experience it challenged my assumptions and opened my eyes.

George Marsden
Los Alamos, NM

I was just starting out on outdoor climbing this year when I decided I had to get this book. 'Climbing Anchors' sounded to me at first like it dealt purely with setting up top-rope and belay anchors, but it has a wealth of information on placing trad gear as well.

The first half has detailed discussions on the different types of pro, ranging from natural pro to passive/active pieces and fixed gear. John Long talks about how (and how not to) use these protection systems. It's still pretty up-to-date circa 2008, with the only omission I can think of being the Omega Linkcams.

The latter part deals with falls forces and anchor-building, with a large portion devoted to equalizing anchors. Near the end Long introduces a new equalizing system called the equalette, which is both (somewhat) self-equalizing and resistant to shock loading if a component fails.

After reading this book, I gained enough confidence in gear placement that I was leading easy trad within my first season of outdoor climbing.

The book is well-illustrated throughout with both photographs and diagrams, and the author's assertions are backed with test data where available. It's also surprisingly readable, with the history of the various pieces of gear thrown in, as well as humorous anecdotes from his own climbing career.

Overall an important book for climbers and aspiring climbers to read.

Climbing Anchors (2nd Edition) by John Long is a newly updated guide and reference to building safe and solid climbing anchors. It combines the best content from "Climbing Anchors" and "More Climbing Anchors" published in 1993 and 1996 respectively.

Here in one comprehensive volume is all the necessary instruction to help climbers place pro, tie critical knots, and construct SRENE anchors. Introduced in this volume is the "self-equalizing" but "limited extension" Equalette anchor system. This technique is an important one to have in a climber's anchor-builing arsenal.

I found this book to be informative, well presented and enjoyable.
I am still getting my head around the technical material. It does make sense and I will be using it in my climbing endeavours.
One thing that bothered me was the changes in the closeup photos.
I would recommend this book to all climbers planning to leave the gym and head outdoors.

A great way to learn the fundamentals for new trad climbers, but also a useful reference for everybody else. Clear prose and good illustrations make a technical subject easy to follow. This book should be on every climber's bookshelf.

Many sections wouldn't apply to a sport climber, but even if you're just top-roping, reading this book is more than worth the time and money. It's more like a toolbox than a how-to guide. Even if you have zero interest in trad, it's nice to know how to place a nut or cam when you have a fifteen foot runout between bolts.

I like this book a lot. I've been climbing for over 20 years, but took a break in the last 5 or so and am just getting back into it. A lot can change in 5 years, and this book really was a big help in getting familiar with the latest in anchor system building. The real test data for various systems is a big plus that exposes problems with many systems I once viewed as 'good enough' (using John Long's terminology). If you were taught only one or two methods of setting up anchor systems, get this book. You'll be surprised how much variety can be in the various systems, and you'll see how one system can have advantages over others in different situations. To end on a funny note, I got a real kick out of the front and back cover pictures. It would seem that given that both pictures are of climbers on apparently chossy unstable towers, the strength of their anchor systems is the least of their worries! I'm not sure if this was intentional, but it did make me giggle to see such photos on an anchor system book. :)

Climbing Anchors is an extremely informative book. Being a climber with only 4 months of indoor top rope experience, I bought the book with the intention of just learning how to set up top rope anchors outdoors. There is MUCH more information than just how to set up top rope anchors. While this is a great book to get a general idea of how to set anchors, I would suggest taking a class in conjunction with reviewing the book as it can get VERY detailed. As I continue to learn more and more about climbing, I find myself constantly going back to this book to get a better understanding of all the different types of anchors out there. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

This is a great resource for anyone who climbs, it has a lot of theory and some really cool test data as well as lots of examples and practical advice. Its an easy read, well written walks the line between a very technical guide and light anecdotal beautifully.