Customer Reviews

Colorado Scrambles: A Guide to 50 Select Climbs in Colorado's Mountains (Colorado Mountain Club Classics)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a sort of top-50 list of the best Colorado mountaineering routes that involve "real" climbing (class 3 and up). The photos and maps are first-rate, and the time estimates are a nice feature in any guidebook. Many of the routes given I've never heard of before (even on mountains which I've visited), so this book opens up a great set of new possibilities for my future climbs. Highly recommended for those Colorado mountain fans who are ready to move beyond the busy 14er routes to something more challenging.

I purchased Colorado Scrambles in summer of 2005. Having moved from Colorado the previous summer, I came out on vacation in September 2005 for mountain climbing and used the book extensively. It is a good mix of route descriptions with pictures. I climbed Lookout Peak, Arrow, Engineer, Vermilion, SW ridge of Sneffels and the Citadel with the excellent info provided by Colorado Scrambles. The book is very good for someone wanting a challenge but not looking for multi-pitch technical climbs. I really enjoyed reading about the obscure summits especially in the Gore Range where there is not much written about the magnificent range.

Mars-man needs to get out of Colorado more. "Scrambling" in the world at large does indeed have a specific meaning that includes 4th and lower 5th class climbing (probably more than it does just Class 3 climbing). I've climbed more than a dozen of the routes in the book including at least one that is not documented elsewhere and one using only this book as a guide and find the book to be a great guide to "interesting" routes throughout the state.

It has a nice balance of well-known classics and hidden gems and provides important information (like GPS coordinates for critical junctures) not available elsewhere. As far as the pictures go, well they are worth a thousand words especially when it comes to routefinding.

I kind of like the 1, 2, 3 general ratings for length and difficulty too (you know, "easy", "medium", "hard"?). It captures more than the technical difficulty of a route's hardest move. The traditional NCCS I-VI commitment grades could also have been used more widely, but I think 1,2,3 is more intuitive for the average person.

There is no expressed or implied correlation between the 1,2,3 length/difficulty ratings and the traditional Yosemite grade. E.g. nothing in the write-up of Kelso Ridge implies that it is any harder than Class 3 (which I find to be accurate).

To be sure, the climbs in this book are not for the beginner or inexperienced climber, but for the intermediate seeking to stretch their limits or the experienced climber looking to ply their craft, this is an outstanding compilation of climbs.

This book is a great addition to any Colorado mountaineer's guidebook collection. Contains many little-known but interesting ridge routes, as well as some of the classics. Cooper's descriptions are easy to follow and the guidebook is well-formatted.

Many other guidebooks concentrate only on the highest peaks or the most difficult technical routes. This guidebook focuses on "scrambles", i.e., off-trail routes of at least moderate difficulty, and ranging into some climbs that require ropework. Best of all, the featured routes have been selected for high quality and aesthetics.

When my Colorado friends first showed me this book, I sat down and went through every page just admiring the color photography. If this wasn't a guidebook, it could make a great coffee table book! Not only are the photos exceptional, but they also help you visualize the difficulty level of many of the crux portions of each route.

After my first pass through, I was also drooling about trying many of the routes described. There are some classic routes such as Sawtooth Ridge (between Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstadt) and the Little Bear/Blanca traverse. Even these well-known routes came to life for me much better in this guidebook than any other I've seen.

Many of the 50 climbs in this book are ones I'm not familiar with. (note: although I live in New Mexico, I do a fair amount of climbing in Colorado as well) I've climbed 2 of the routes in the book so far, and found the maps and descriptions to be right on the money. My climbing partners have climbed about a dozen of the climbs, and agree that this is an excellent guide to all of them. They especially liked the inclusion of GPS waypoints for some of the routes where route finding is a particular problem.

If you have solid experience with moderate climbing and are ready for some wonderful new challenges, I highly recommend this book.

It is refreshing to read a quality guide book that goes beyond the typical 14,000 ft. peak list. While they are useful many of us want new ideas on lesser known peaks and routes. It was interesting to read the exchange about the definition of a scramble. I started climbing in 1974 and I understand and agree with David's assessment. More importantly the book is well organized and the ratings are consistent. The photographs are good, some of them excellent and exceed the typical route photo in other books by far.

Looks like a great deal of time and effort went into presenting the book. Perfect, no. Are there any books without some errors?

Thanks David

John

I own just about every climbing guide for the colorado mountains and this is one of the best. Accurate route descriptions with maps and gps coordinates. Wonderful and informative pictures of some of the best and most scenic routes in Colorado. A must have for any colorado climber, vistor or native.

Dave Cooper has drawn on his extensive mountaineering experience to present this outstanding collection of scrambles in the Colorado Rockies. The exceptional photos themselves make this book a classic in its own right. Combine Dave's creative use of photography with his concise route descriptions and liberal use of GPS technology and you have a real "keeper". Scrambling isn't for everyone but if it's your forte then this is the book you've been lookin for. The scrambles in this book will help you expand your climbing horizons and provide you with many, many hours of satisfying enjoyment in the Colorado mountains.

Money well spent. This book has great beta on many classic routes, detailed maps, and useful GPS coordinates. Some of the routes in this book are serious, but if you don't like the author's definition of "scrambles", stick to Bear Peak and Sanitas.

I have to take a major disagreement with "Martian Bachelor". Perhaps he needs to go back to Mars. This was a very good book that was more than descriptive of the routes. My kudos to Dave on this book.