Customer Reviews

Climbing Mount Rainier: The Essentials Guide

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book had little juicy content of what it is like to climb Rainier. If you've already climbed it and are looking for more challenging routes, that this is your book. If you are a first time climber, this book will probably fall short of your expectations.

At first glance, a Rainier climbing guide by the legendary Fred Beckey and a veteran RMI guide sounds like a can't miss. How disappointed I was. The book looks thrown together. The route descriptions are good, but referencing the routes on the photos is difficult at best. Many of the photos are clearly the same ones found in Beckey's CAG. There's nice photos of Alex and Fred's friends climbing the routes, but I'd like to see more comprehensive views and overlays of the routes than of people climbing or camping. The introductory information is hurried. It reads somewhat like a promo packet for a guide service trying to get you psyched about climbing the mountain without telling you too much. It ends up being aimed either at completely competent climbers (and presuming that they already know plenty about Rainier), or at total novices who are intent on hiring the guide service. It fails to speak to the market of novice to intermediate-experience climbers looking to climb Rainier independent of a guide or looking to move beyond the standard routes. This "Essential Guide" is missing a lot of essential information. I found it to be frustratingly disorganized.

If you want a big name draw, and lots of old pictures meant to impress rather than inform, than this is your book. This book seemed like it was rushed and not at all put together as well as others I have seen. Although Beckey is undoubtably a climbing guru around these parts, I have never associated his name with Rainier. As for the other author, I am sure he is quite qualified at writing a guide for the one route he "sheepherds" clients up in the summer, but heck I could regurgitate route descriptions from other books also. After reading this book I was left wondering whether or not somebody's savings account was rapidly dwindling and needed immediate damage control. This book will get you by, but when lives are on the line I want the best, and this folks ain't it.

I've climbed Rainier 35 times via 18 routes and this book hits the nail on the head! For years I was happy enough that there were no guides exclusively for Mt. Rainier - I felt as if the Mountain were mine - but then I know that's a common feeling shared by many because of our love for the Mountain. I was skeptical when this guidebook was released - but, whoa! - its definately on track. The descriptions are clear and accurate, and the photos do a great job of sharing the "feel" of the routes. The overlays are exceptional, large enough to be really useful and readable. I took a look at desriptions of some of the more popular routes (I've climbed the Emmons Galcier, Kautz, Disappointment Cleaver, Gibraltar Ledges and Liberty Ridge routes several times each) and they are dead on accurate. It was great to see good descriptions of some of the more uncommon routes also like Kautz Cleaver, Kautz Headwall and Edmunds Headwall. Even with this "advertising," I don't think these routes will become "overcrowded" any time soon. The book, overall, left me with a very positive feeling, and I'm anxious to try more routes. The book is a welcome edition to my library, and an excellent resource for climbers who want to explore the Mountain!

This Rainier guide presents much of the same information found in the original "Cascade Alpine Guide" (almost verbatum). It has a number of new and interesting photos, however, the route descriptions are short on details and the layout is a bit disorganized.

This is a good guidebook for those who already know a lot about climbing Mount Rainier.

When faced with the challenge of buying the best guide book for an area or mountain or whatever, the difficulties dramatically increase when you risk buying the book from a source on the internet. Though Amazon is a great online store, don't get me wrong. The descriptions of the books aren't enough to discriminate between the average guide book and the best guide book (or even the sorriest guide books, for that matter). You can't skim through it before you buy it and all of the books look alike for the most part. Plus, they are all titled something like, "This is the best guide book. So, buy me."

Therefore, you're sometimes forced to buy several books, hoping that one of them is going to be good enough to actually be useful. At least, that's what I had to do. So, to save you some time and money, I'm here to tell you that this IS the guide book that you're looking for. If you're seriously considering climbing Rainier or hiring a guide to take you up Rainier, I'd recommend reading this book to familiarize yourself with the route or routes you are planning to take. Don't let the 4 - 6 week delivery time influence your purchase. It's well worth the wait. Many of the others aren't.

Happy Climbing

The book came out the week I climbed Mount Rainier. I picked up a copy and was very impressed with Alex's knowledge and style. Ended up climbing Mount McKinley with Alex and reached the summit with no problems. How's that for confidence in your authors? Most folks get stumped on a mountain due to poor preparation and planning. Read this book and your chances of summiting Rainier improve dramatically. The numerous photos are excellent for getting the feel of the climb as well as the route. A must have book for climbers and residents of the area as you gain an appreciation for what this grand mountain is like up close.

An outstanding work. Thorough. Carefully, Clearly, Consisely written and illustrated to present the climber the best information on the mountain. The authors are without peer in climbling knowledge and skills and present their Rainier experience well. The clear aerial photos and clearly marked routes on the photos inspired my efforts to train harder for my climb. I recently climbed Rainier, my first visit to the mountain, and this guide kept me right on route, even in winter. Thanks Amazon, and Beckey and Van Steen too!

In the past 2 years I've summited Cotopaxi and Aconcagua with Alex and have come to respect and trust his mountaineering judgment and attention to detail. That care is reflected in this book. There is generous use of maps and photgraphs that bring the route descriptions alive. It's almost as if you are "right there" on the mountain. Using red tracings for the routes on top of the photographs really highlights the routes. I especially liked the little tidbits from other climbers and extra "safety tips" about what to watch out for on certain routes. It goes well beyond the standard guide book. I have several guide books that include Rainier, but this is far and away the most complete. It is a welcome and valued addition to my library.

This is an excellent guide that anyone interested in Mt. Rainier must have. The route maps and descriptions make this a truly essential guide.