Customer Reviews

The Mountaineering Handbook: Modern Tools and Techniques That Will Take You to the Top

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If you're loking for a how-to book on mountaineering there are only a few to consider. Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills is the classic, but it turns out to be too bloated and too non-committal--old school guidance, and not very good at that; sometimes it's just plain wrong. Extreme Alpinism is entertaining, but not a good textbook; it's too idiosyncratic, has little actual depth, and its information is not well organized. That leaves Alpine Climbing and The Mountaineering Handbook, both good choices. AC is certainly aimed at the more advanced climber, but TMH covers all the same territory and more; usually, they agree on details if not on emphasis. The difference is that TMH is more user-friendly, better organized, and covers a lot of basic details that will be new material for most mountaineers and backpackers, and that are missing from AC. TMH tends to offer the logical or technical basis for its advice, which I liked. AC takes a guide's viewpoint, with lots of lists of things to think about when making decisions but not as much of the justification that will help retain its wisdom. TMH is more like advice from you your best friend, and it covers many more subtle details. AC's photos are often hard to interpret while the illustrations in TMH are usually very clear. Some of the techniques found in TMH are too new to be found anywhere else; AC is much more up-to-date than FOH, but you wouldn't call it new-school. Here's just one example: using autoblock belay devices is a useful, modern technique. FOH, according to its index, doesn't even mention it. AC mentions two such devices but doesn't give enough information on how to actually use them, warning that when locked they are hard to release. EA is better, but TMH mentions or illustrates a half dozen devices and illustrates many uses, with plenty of coaching. It shows means of releasing them that are better and simpler than even the manufacturers offer. It shows how to use this technique as part of a fast climbing style and it even discusses using autoblock belay devices with modern, thin ropes. If I could pick only one it would be The Mountaineering Handbook, especially if I were getting started or were getting rusty. If I had more experience I might add Alpine Climbing. If I got another copy of Freedom of the Hills, I'd probably blow off most of what it says, just as other experienced climbers do. For entertainment, I'd pick either Extreme Alpinism or The Mountaineering Handbook--or both--depending on my mood.

As a mountaineer, I am always on the hunt for up-to-date textbooks/instruction books with methods/techniques to make my climbs (Aconcagua/Denali) safer, faster, and more enjoyable. And as an avid reader of just about everything--especially history--I am always on the lookout for a good, entertaining book.

I have collected most of the editions of Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills (FOH), and have found them lame/lacking. Extreme Alpinism (EA) is a big step in the right direction. However, Mark Twight mentions methods/techniques but doesn't explain details--as if the reader ought to know them already. This comes off a little condescending.

There are none of these problems in The Mountaineering Handbook. Craig Connally delivers the very best mountaineering textbook/instruction book on the market and does so with a refreshing wit/good humor that makes it an excellent read. (A textbook/instruction book a good read--imagine that!!) As an experienced mountaineer, I found virtually every chapter to be a wealth of useful and often ingenious information:

-His chapter on knots cuts through outdated crap found in FOH--he trashes the holy-grail figure of eight/water knot, and replaces them with excellent instruction on the Yosemite bowline, butterfly, "beer" knot and munter-mule;
-His rope techniques are right on--especially his treatment of using skinny/lightweight ropes which hardly gets mentioned in other texts;
-His treatment of anchors I think surpasses John Long's excellent books on the subject;
-I like his emphasis on lightweight safety, as opposed to "going naked"--a theme known to be lionized in Twight's earlier days;
-He discusses such cutting edge snow/ice equipment as igloos, pulks/sleds, firngliders, trekking poles, etc., that hardly get mentioned in other texts;
-The chapter on climbing forces documents/explains critical safety issues completely ignored in other texts;
-No other text deals with the "angle of repose" issue, which seems fundamental to dealing with mountain terrain;
-Even the antidotes regarding his Native American Grandfather were great--especially the "ten essentials" discussion!!
-ETC. ETC. ETC.

I was disappointed that Connally--a professed ski mountaineer--did not delve into that subject at all. If skis are new school and snowshoes are old, why discuss snowshoes but not expound on skis?? Right now, there really isn't any good texts on ski mountaineering on the market--perhaps this could be his next project (or a whole chapter in an updated edition). Also, I ordered the book through Amazon, got one with misprinted/blank pages in places, returned it for exchange and got the same thing. Apparently, there has been some quality problems at the printers--certainly not Connally's fault.

Now if the climbing community can weasel Connally and Climbing Magazine's illustrator Mike Clelland to collaborate on a second edition with that added chapter on ski mountaineering, what more can an aspiring mountaineer ask for??

If you buy one textbook on mountaineering, this is it.

I bought this book as an adjunct to Freedom of the Hills. The Mountaineering Handbook positions itself as "New School" and counterposes Freedom of the Hills as "Old School." It is very thought-provoking but does require the reader to use critical thinking skills. I would caution beginners (and I am a beginner although I do have many years of SAR experience) to get some real-world experience before relying on this book as a resource.

While Craig Connally provides useful insights, many specific claims are made without providing references. For example, he decries the weakening effect of the water knot as compared to the double fishermans for tying runners. To test his claim, I watched a friend who works at a testing lab measure the force to break two identical 1-inch nylon runners tied with each knot. In each case the knot broke at about 5000 lbs.

On the other hand, his claim that the water knot too easily unties is verifiable by just rubbing the knot between two hands. It will in fact fall apart in short order. Since reading this and then trying if for myself I have been much more diligent about checking all water knots before every use. I have also switched to sewn runners or the double fishermans for runners that I don't intend to retie.

Connally also has good points about the overemphasis on self-arrest to the detriment of the self-belay, the dogma of always using the end-person to initiate the placing of anchors in crevasse rescue, among many other valid criticisms of the "Old School."

If you are looking for a replacement for Freedom of the Hills I think Connally's book falls short, but as a thought-provoking challenge to many unquestioned traditional practices this book is very worthwhile.

I've been backpacking for many years and tried to get into climbing at various points in my life. I took rock climbing and snow travel courses and even the Sierra Club's "Basic Mountaineering Training Course". I never felt like I had enough information from these courses to "put it all together". However, when I read this book, I realized that moutaineering can make sense. If you like to know the "whys" as well as the "hows" in doing things, this book will deliver. Many of the author's ideas and techniques are still not widespread which turns the reader of this book into an evangelist of sorts trying to explain to gym climbers, for example, why the Yosemite bowline is a better tie-in than the figure 8 follow-through with a safety knot. Mr. Connally covers a lot of ground in this entertaining book and wisely places "advanced" topics and techniques at the end of the book so a beginner, like me, won't get bogged down (and possibly discouraged). I feel now that I can continue to take courses, go on guided trips and find a climbing partner with more confidence, and finally start a much-delayed climbing career. Now, if only I could find a climbing partner or guide like Craig...

Well, I just purchased this book and I have to say I'm pretty disappointed. I own many of the books already compared in reviews here, and have climbed for years, and I feel that the other books are much better.

Here's why....

First, some of his choices are pretty odd, and are presented as 'the only way':

- Advocating the use of a backup sling sewn onto a 4000lb-test rap ring (if you're that worried, why not just use two rings - it's lighter, simpler, and won't tangle your anchor!)

- Spending four pages on avalanche discussion, but only one sentence on avalanche transceivers, and then only to call them 'corpse locators'

- Talking about the flipping problems of the figure-8 when used to join two ropes (he calls it 'ring-loading') and advises the use of the overhand (EDK) instead... but neglects to mention that the overhand can also flip.

And then, some of his photos are just plain hazardous (!):

- Transferring an entire belay to hang off only a skinny klemheist cord on page 316

- A subtle triaxial loading of a carabiner on a tree on page 142 (the force on the spine is inward, not outward)

- Not backing up any of his Munter-Mule combinations (they don't call the Mule knot a load-releasable-slip-knot for nuthin') on pages 315-317

And the above points were just from a day of reading and skimming...I'm sure the list goes on.

Sure, he's got some great stuff apart from all this. He includes a lot of numbers (everything from gear strength to giardia concentration) which I like. The nutrition chapter is quite nice, as is his chapter on anchor physics. Plus, I feel that the book is definitely more 'modern' than Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills, and cuts out a lot of items most mountaineers don't care about (aid climbing, dual-line rock rescue, etc).

But, being advertised as a 'handbook', I feel that this book (a) is too biased and (b) has enough subtle errors to make me say that other books are a more suitable basis for beginners. In short, I'd recommend spending the extra bit of $$ and getting both MFOTH and Alpine Climbing, and using Alpine Climbing to learn 'modern' climbing, and using MFOTH for the basics.

Just my two cents. Rock on.

In my opinion there are three books worth considering if you want to learn modern mountaineering. The options are:

Alpine Climbing by Cosley & Houston
Extreme Alpinism by Mark Twight
The Mountaineering Handbook by Connally

It's hard to tell which one is the best since they all have different perspective.

Mark Twight's book was the original of the series. His book is focused on alpine ice and snow. He doesn't have much information for alpine rock climber but the book is still a very inspiring read. If you're into 24h+ single pushs and hardcore routes, this is your book.

The Cosley & Houston book suits best for people wanting to climb easy mixed routes. Their perspective is on what they do for living, which is guiding classic alpine routes. They teach the European style which is aimed at going fast. If you're a leisure climber not too interested in details about equipment, I'd say this is the book for you.

And finally the Connally book. Well... I could say some things. First of all it should be noted he has done his research on equipment and knots. There is loads of accurate information and some of it might differ from average teaching. This will certainly please the gear freak and engineer. But his accuracy has a downside, too. Sometimes he gets too fixed in his mission like with the nylyn backup loop on a 20kN ring and three piece anchors. Nevertheless, it's a good book. If you're a gear freak or interested in learning the safest techniques, this is your book.

For most mountaineering topics, I turn to Connally's book (The Mountaineering Handbook, the one I'm reviewing) first, then Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher, and finally to Freedom of the Hills or Extreme Alpinism. A couple highlights and comparative advantages of Connally's book include:

Specific gear recommendations. 10- or 12-point crampons? Aluminum or steel? Shaft length and head material of ice axe and why? Axe or self-arrest trekking poles? The other books often don't discuss the trade-offs of various gear options. None of them discuss trekking poles for snow & ice in a meaningful way.

The nutrition chapter. Consuming maltodextrin on the go (and for recovery) works better than anything else I've tried, and homemade gel/goo is now the main source of my caloric intake for any type of longer climbing/hiking. You can approximate how much gel / energy drink / other food you need to consume and how often based on Connally's breakdown of how many calories and how much fluid. I found it hard to find this information elsewhere. Some rock climbing training books recommend high glycemic index drinks post-workout for recovery, but they don't specify what carbohydrates are best (and why) and don't discuss at all the topic of energy intake while exercising -- Connally does. Extreme Alpinism has a very short section that makes some recommendations about using G.U. gel (maltodextrin and fructose, not optimal according to Connally) on the go, but almost no explanation.

Rope, gear, and technique recommendations. Connally's book is one of the few to recommend the bowline for tying in, flat overhand for joining rappel ropes, and beer knot for making home-made runners. There are various clever, minor tips like these sprinkled throughout the book -- everything from how to tie a leash for your ice axe or nut tool to using long runners/cord for hexes and nuts to why a gatorade bottle can be better than a nalgene. Sure, not all of his recommendations are useful (I would never back up a new rappel ring, and why do all these books keep mentioning the GiGi when the Reverso weights 4oz. more?), but 9 times out of 10 they are useful, and sometimes they are eye-opening.

To compare Connally's book with a couple others, Extreme Alpinism seems to have more of a focus on high-altitude, and would probably be more useful to an experienced alpinist or someone looking to push their limits. Alpine Climbing covers a lot of the same material as Connally's book, but is ever so slightly better on navigation, moving on snow, and moving together, slightly worse on weather systems, and substantially worse on general gear recommendations and nutrition/diet. For anchor-building, self-rescue, and training for climbing, I usually turn to other books that specifically deal with these topics because I happen to own them.

Overall, this is a great book, and I would recommend it for someone interested in alpine or general mountaineering. For an alpine snow / glacier focus, Alpine Climbing, Freedom of the Hills, and maybe Climbing Self Rescue might be good supplements. For an alpine rock focus, Advanced Rock Climbing and Climbing Anchors would be good supplements.

This is an okay book if you already have several others and want another viewpoint. It should NOT be the only book you buy. There are too many errors and strong biases scattered throughout to make it a one-source reference. Freedom of the Hills (latest edition) is still a better resource if you're just going to have one. The Houston/Cosley book is more up to date and better researched. Twight's book is getting dated but still has good info for those who are pushing harder.

Preaching lightweight and speedy mountaineering with passion and conviction The Mountaineering Handbook makes an interesting and enjoyable reading. What is more important, it is really useful. I have benefited from reading The Mountaineering Handbook several years ago. Yet some advice contained in the book must be taken with caution. Here and there, in his zeal to be original ('new school'), the author promotes potentially unsafe procedures. For this reason I give 3 stars to this otherwise excellent work.

I've been actively engaged in moderate mountaineering for 15 years, have read everything I can get my hands on relating to mountaineering skills and adventure, and I love Connally's book. I can't add much to what the other reviewers have written about this book; they all have valid assessments as far as I'm concerned. Experienced mountaineers will recognize that the techniques espoused for mountaineering are often as much personal preference as incontrovertible wisdom. Mountaineering also covers such a broad range of issues involving rock, snow, ice, altitude, human metabolism, style, and more. So it's unrealistic to expect that one single book could comprehensively meet everyone's needs and expectations.

To be sure, Connally can come across as a pompous know-it-all, but his writing is engaging. I found the breadth and depth of his knowledge to be impressive and credible, even if mixed with his own opinions about what's best and what isn't. I'd recommend this book to someone who already has some experience and basic skills and wants to explore other perspectives and acquire new skills through the medium of a book written by a master at both mountain craft and word craft. After buying the book two years ago, I keep going back to it for both education and entertainment. It's well worth the price of admission.