The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree: 60 Favorite Climbs from 5.5 to 5.9 [Paperback]

Charlie Winger (Author), Diane Winger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

A detailed guide that provides all the information a moderate, trad climber will need for a climbing trip to Joshua Tree. *Detailed directions to locate each climb *Full-color photos of every route *High-quality, moderate climbs that are sure to become your favorites *Descent instructions for every climb Many climbers who visit Joshua Tree spend as much time searching for good routes as they do actually climbing. This guidebook offers the moderate climber a fun, varied, and challenging "tick-list" of 60 great Trad climbs, and makes it easy to find your way around. With color photos of every route, detailed maps, and easy-to-follow driving and hiking directions, you'll be able to climb numerous routes per day and make the most of your climbing trip. Key features of each climb are described, and you'll even know what to expect when you reach the top of a route and you want to set up an anchor and later descend. Are you looking for an area with a concentration of a certain grade or climb? Color-coded overview maps will help you choose your spot.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An exceptional guidebook for moderate climbers wanting to get the most out of their...trip to this desert rock oasis. -- Camp4.com

The book covers, in extensive detail, some of the best introductory crack climbs in the park. -- The Inyo (CA) Register

These climbs will test the abilities of rock climbers able to climb bolted routes with higher ratings -- z

About the Author

Charlie Winger is a prolific mountaineer who has climbed hundreds of peaks in Colorado, California, the 99 peaks on the Sierra Club's Desert Peaks List, 5 of the 7 continental summits, and much more. Diane takes a more relaxed approach to hiking, with some of her favorites being treks in New Zealand, Peru, and Nepal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Colorado Mountain Club Press; Revised edition (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972441395
• ISBN-13: 978-0972441391
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #635,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Mountaineering > Excursion Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JT Trad Review, November 24, 2004

By 

Veikko J. Kammonen (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree: 60 Favorite Climbs from 5.5 to 5.9 (Paperback)

I think this is a great book for someone like me for the following reason:
1. The climbs in the guide are all within my skill level. Almost all the guides I have contain a large majority of climbs that are beyond my abilities and it is a pleasure to find a guide that is tailored to my skill level.
2. The climbs, their locations, approaches and descents are described extremely well. I don't know how much time I have spent trying to locate climbs whose approaches are very poorly described. I've also tramped for hours trying to locate a supposed quality climb, and then much to my dismay, the climb has turned out to be not worth the effort.
3. The photographs, route descriptions and gear recommendations are again very well done. I have done some of the climbs in the guide and can attest to their quality.

I highly recommend this book for climbers of moderate ability who enjoy quality traditional climbs, and don't want to purchase a guide that mostly contains climbs beyond their ability level.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE BOOK!!, February 2, 2005

By 

Dan Blanchard "rckjnke" (Santa Cruz) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree: 60 Favorite Climbs from 5.5 to 5.9 (Paperback)

Wow! Great book, color detailed photos of routes, sun/shade orientation for all routes & basically all the info that one needs to have a memorable trip in Joshua Tree. Also great to have a book that has a focus on climbs under 5.10. All in all this is the most informative climbing book I have ever purchased. Would have been happy paying twice the price I paid for it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree review, December 3, 2004

By 

Meredith Lazaroff (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree: 60 Favorite Climbs from 5.5 to 5.9 (Paperback)

"The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree" is my favorite rock climbing guide book because it is very reader friendly. It is logically organized by climbing area in a color-coded fashion. This makes it straight-forward to quickly find the maps and approach/route descriptions of interest. For each climbing area, easy-to-read maps clearly show where to park and the approach for the various rock formations and routes. Informative approach descriptions are accompanied by colored pictures that show the rock formations from the angle seen on the approach.

Close-up photos show each route in a highlighted fashion making it easy to identify and stay on your chosen route. The Wingers provide route descriptions that are helpful to moderate trad climbers. Clearly described descent routes are also provided. Other information in the book that I find particularly useful includes whether the route is in the sun or shade making it possible to choose routes accordingly on hot or cold days. Also, the Wingers frequently mention other nearby moderate routes for those times when the route you originally chose is occupied or you want to do multiple routes in a given location. The Winger's thoughtful work on this book enables climbers to maximize climbing time and minimize time spent looking for routes.

I highly recommend the Winger's book to climbers interested in moderate Joshua Tree climbs. Every time I open this book, the organized lay out, beautiful pictures, informative descriptions and entertaining writing style make me dream of returning to Joshua Tree for another climbing trip. I certainly will take this book on my next Joshua Tree climbing adventure. I can't wait for my next trip!