Customer Reviews

High Sierra Climbing: California's Best High Country Climbs

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

 

 

This book is of typical SuperTopo quality; that is to say, quite good. You would be hard pressed to find the level of approach/route/descent and historical detail presented here in any other single source. One minor issue is some overlap with the SuperTopo Tuolumne Free Climbs book, but that is excusable.

This is another example of the professional work from Supertaco. The book includes lots of new information and locations. I have climbed many of the routes in the book and find the info to be "spot on". This is a must have book for climbing in California. Another great guide (from Supertaco) with history, climbing beta, acurate topos, and a few tips to keep the epics under control.
I recommend this guide over all others for this area!!!

If you buy only one climbing guide for the Eastern Sierra, Supertopo's High Sierra Climbing is the book. The climbs highlighted in this guide are each of the fine quality from Grade III to 5.11b (16 of the 27 are in the 5.5 - 5.9 range) and the descriptions, to include approach, climb, decent, and needed gear, are clearly described for each route. Even if you own other Sierra climbing guidebooks, the detail described herein could warrant the purchase of this guide. For example, all but 3 of the routes in this book may also be found in Climbing California's High Sierra, 2nd: The Classic Climbs on Rock and Ice - but the quality and level of detail in Supertopo's guide is hands-down far superior. As another reviewer pointed out, eight of the routes in this guide are also present in Supertopo's Tuolumne guide, so there is some redundancy if you already have other Supertopo guides. But still, this guide deserves a five star rating just for the quality of the route descriptions. It is a great buy, even at full retail price.

If you are traveling a long distance to do a couple of classic climbs in the High Sierra, this is the resource you need. The book is very detailed about the climbs it contains. I especially appreciate the photograph of the descent gully for Whitney to access the Mountaineers Route. This book will certainly avert epics and help trip planning.

The world is full of bad books written by amateurs. But why settle for the merely regrettable? High Sierra Climbing is a bad book written by experts. Gripping, squeezing, mashing, bashing, this book will give a man cramps and a woman a prostate. It delivers. Don't fail to miss it if you can. This book will draw readers like a magnet draws hungry flies!