Customer Reviews

Self-Rescue: How to Rock Climb Series

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

 

 

The book covers all aspects of rescue of a fallen climber, from freeing oneself from a harness to ascending or decending the rope to finally hooking up and hauling the victim to safety. I've read numerous books on climbing and if your looking for a book on self rescue, this is the one!

The American Alpine Institute recommended this book to me after I took their basic mountaineering course. I've read it several times now. It explains important topics like escaping from a belay, pulley systems, lowering methods, rappelling with an injuryed partner and self-belayed solo climbing. The illustrations are excellent.

This book is for the experienced climber who understands the importance of self rescue skills for multipitch trad climbing.
It does not take the place of a professionally-led self-rescue course! If you try to learn the techniques on your own with this book you will be frustrated. This is the reference for after you take such a course.
While it is shows many scenarios, it can be confusing with so many variations. They should have concentrated on the principles so the climbers could think their way out of a specific situation using the basic scenarios.

I am an aspiring Big Wall climber. I would not be caught dead 2000 feet off the deck without the information contained in this book. Regardless of your goals as a climber, you owe it to yourself and your partner to learn and master the techniques contained in this book. BUY IT!

The book presents a few scenarios (though not enough) for self rescue but ultimately the author produces such complicated and mumbled solutions that understanding the diagrams is work. Most of the solutions could be presented in a simpler way, with less backups, less fuss whitch is usually the way emergency situations require you to act. Also very common devices such as the croll, tibloc and other vertical devices are not at all mentioned. I think this could be better.