Customer Reviews

Climbing Washington's Mountains (Climbing Mountains Series)

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

 

 

Smoot bills his book as a "Selected Climbs" for the rest of us. I'm not quite sure I buy that, but I do think this book deserves a spot on the shelf nestled in between "Selected Climbs" and Beckey.

Compared to Goldman's "75 Scrambles", it is noticably better in some respects: it covers a wider range of climbing (all the way from class 2 to easy class 5); it covers a wider variety of climbing (more snow routes); and it does a better job at providing and describing options beyond just the most popular route.

This book gave me a great description of the routes to some of the most scenic and captivating peaks in Washington. I especially liked the way he gave other options to chose from if you didn't like the route he chose. The only problem I had was a very minor one, I felt he could have added several more Olympic peaks like the bailey range, stone, and some lesser known (which means less crowded) peaks like McCartney or Warrior. Other than that this book is a must have for everyone from a scrambler to a technical mountaineer looking to climb the Highest peaks of Washington

I think the book is great because it combines
routes from 4 different books.
3 of Beckeys,one the Guide to the Olympics.
It shows the approch roads, trails, every thing on the same page.
I don't have to figure out which Face or route to do
he has already picked the best routes.
There is a lot of climbs that I have wanted to do
but haven't done them because I wasn't sure about the
trails or logging roads in the area.
Now I can do them.
A lot of the climbs seem to be easy on the technical side.
I like that, Now I don't need a partner just
take off on the spur of the moment and go climb something.
There are also some good moderate climbs for a
weekend party of climbers.
I think he has made a good choice of mountains,
the "must do" ones for Alpine climbers.
They are cool looking and in scenic areas.
Some thing for everyone except the hard core rock jock.
The best thing about the book is the author has done
all the home work, you don't have to wade
through a bunch of stuff. Just Climb

Smoot's "Climbing Washington's Mountains" is still the best guidebook available for a wide variety of climbs across Washington state. The routes are thoughtfully chosen to provide a wide variety of climbs from easy to very challenging, from afternoon jaunts to multi-day marathons in all regions across the state. I've done about 20 of his recommended climbs, and regularly climb with friends who have done more than half of his recommended climbs.

Unfortunately, the book was published back in 2002 and is beginning to show its age. For example, I departed on his recommended route for Mt Hinman, only to drive three hours from Seattle to find the forest road permanently closed years prior, ruining my planned weekend ascent. My climb of Mt Chikamin was *much* longer than he described as it's degenerated into a 6 mile bushwhack (instead of the smooth approach hike he described). The approach road to the Monte Cristo peaks that he describes has been washed out for years that adds significant approach difficulty to the routes he describes.

With that said, there are no guidebooks for Class 2-5 climbing printed more recently than 2003, so this is unfortunately a problem with any climbing guide currently available. Smoot's recommended climbs have given me a great smattering of adventures in all regions across Washington, his writing style is clear, and his descriptions (and alternate routes) are generally accurate and trusthworthy. A photocopy of his route description has become a 10th essential for all my Washington climbing.

Another downfall of this guide is the lack of an index or information charts for quickly categorizing climb difficulty and length.

Peggy Goldman also has a very good book on Washington scrambles. I would recommend owning them both, but if I could only own one, I'd take Smoot's as it is more straightforward.

I was very disappointed with this book overall. It has some good data in it but is lacking in other areas, such as trailhead elevations and other pertinent information. I found that I needed to consult other sources whenever I climbed a mountain that was listed in this book.