How to Rock Climb!, 4th (How To Climb Series) [Paperback]

John Long (Author)

Book Description

Series: How To Climb Series | Publication Date: November 1, 2003

How to Rock Climb!, now in its fourth edition, is the world's top instructional book on climbing. All the fundamentals--from ethics to getting up the rock--are presented in John Long's classic style. Revised and updated to reflect the modern standards of equipment, technique, and training methods, this guide includes sections on face climbing; crack climbing; ropes, anchors, and belays; getting off the rock; sport climbing; and much more. It is the essential how-to book for rock climbers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

How to Rock Climb!, this time in its third edition, has always been the most thorough rock climbing instructional book on the market. All the fundamentals--from ethics to getting up the climb--are presented in Long's classic, rib-splitting style. Totally updated to reflect today's standards in equipment, technique, and training methods, How to Rock Climb! gives beginning and intermediate climbers an edge. Inside are tips from improvement--and staying alive! Includes a glossary of terms and quick-refernence index. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

How to Rock Climb!, now in its fourth edition, is the most thorough instructional rock climbing book in the world. This nuts-and-bolts guide serves as an introduction to rock climbing for beginners, and helps the intermediate climbers hone their knowledge of the sport. All the key elements, from ethics to getting up the climb, are in this book.
In clear, concise, and entertaining prose, veteran rock climber John Long provides the basics and distills the intricacies of modern technical rock climbing in all its diverse forms., Beginning with an overview of the history of climbing and the ratings system, Long then gives a complete review of face and crack climbing skills. He introduces the equipment needed to get up and down the rock and the art of leading. Sport climbing ¿ climbs done on protected routes ¿ training methods, and how to get started on your own climbing adventures round out this guide. Throughout the author stresses that safety and simplicity are the keys to climbing.
Inside you'll find: footwork and handhold positions; finger, hand, and off-width cracks; equipment, including ropes, anchors, and carabiners; information on belaying and belay devices; tips for leading and finding routes; downclimbing and rappelling; information on sport climbing; training, including bouldering and climbing gyms.
Use this best-selling book to face a wall, select a route, and climb!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: FalconGuides; 4th edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762724714
• ISBN-13: 978-0762724710
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Mountaineering > Rock Climbing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Undeniably classic, yet strangely flawed, July 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Rock Climb! (How to Rock Climb Series) (Paperback)

This is undeniably one of the major "textbooks" on rock climbing, and contains a great deal of useful information. Yet it has some rather disturbing flaws. Firstly, even though I read the 1998 edition, outdated information from earlier editions had not been updated. At times I felt like I was reading a book describing rock climbing in some parallel universe: Long refers to brands and items of gear not currently in existence (what's a Salewa Antz?) and some recommended techniques (tying into a trad anchor with the rope rather than with slings or a cordelette) are very rarely, in my experience, used. The text often makes references which will prove confusing for the beginner, and would benefit from a better glossary. The 1998 edition also has some sections so full of misspellings that they appear to have been written by a quasi-literate person. In summary, everything in this book is good information, but some of it is not entirely relevant to the way climbing is done today, and some of it is presented in an unclear manner.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How to Rock Climb!, July 2, 2002

By 

Bill (midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Rock Climb! (How to Rock Climb Series) (Paperback)

I'm a beginner at rock climbing and reading this book for instructional purposes. While it does a good job of explaining fundamentals I have found certain sections difficult to follow - often times different moves will be referecned before the section that explains them (sometimes with a referencing page, sometimes without). I also found it poorly edited in some spots - mis-refenced pages, paragraphs seemingly in wrong order (ie. pg 62 claims there is a "taping" illustration on pg 60, it is clearly on pg 63; the last and second to last paragraphs on page 63 seem to be flip flopped).

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Covers the basics, April 13, 2000

By 

Bayan Dakuginow (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Rock Climb! (How to Rock Climb Series) (Paperback)

It does an outstanding job of covering the basics in easy to understand terms, it goes over both technique and equipment. The only thing I would like to see is a more comprehensive glossary, there are a few terms not covered.