Trekking and Climbing in the Andes (Trekking & Climbing) [Paperback]

Kate Harper (Author), Val Pitkethly (Author)

Book Description

Series: Trekking & Climbing | Publication Date: September 1, 2002

Authors Kate Harper and Val Pitkethly provide clear, authoritative coverage of trekking routes in South America in this new book in the Trekking and Climbing Guide series. The Andes prove a unique climbing experience for the daunting mountaineering challenges, the breathtaking views, and the vibrant cultures and history of the area. Learn the details of the treks and peaks, both accessible and inspirational, before you go. Practical tips on traveling in the Andes and information on trekking styles, local ecological concerns, and mountain photography are also included. Includes 26 treks and 18 climbing peaks, from the classic to the newly-charted routes, fully detailed and mapped through Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kate Harper is an experienced mountain guide who has trekked all over South America. Based in the English Lake District, she divides her time between trekking and local community work. Val Pitkethly has been leading treks in the Andes for many years. She is based in Canada but also leads treks in Nepal and Europe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811729613
• ISBN-13: 978-0811729611
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,295,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not really a climbing guide; more of a coffee table book, January 8, 2003

By 

Claudio Steinman (Pto Natales, Chile) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trekking and Climbing in the Andes (Trekking & Climbing) (Paperback)

There are several shortcomings in the book that keep it from being a reliable and useful climbing guide. First, it is too bloody large and heavy to haul around, being printed on heavy paper stock so that the photos are pretty. Second, it was not well proofed, and a book that has three authors should have some luck in catching basic information errors if there were indeed three qualified persons involved. Instead, we believe that the errors in many of the simpler subjects point to the possibility of more grave errors in significant details. A modern and serious trekking or climbing guide would include detailed positional data, including topographic and GPS coordinates. These are generally lacking. There are also some fundamentally silly statements, such as "Bolivia is a relatively safe country." Bolivia? Safe? Perhaps compared to Colombia. But Bolivia is fraught with hazards ranging from generally poor health and hygiene, unsafe tourist accommodations, treacherous public transport, and considerable street crime in the cities, even if you don't accidentally end up in one of the coca-growing regions. (There is also a statement that Peru is relatively safe, so evidently the authors' perception of "relatively safe" is not shared with those from the civilized countries). In the Chilean portion of the book there are considerable errors, including one that describes going "clockwise" as a way to make the John Gardner pass "less of an uphill struggle." Anyone who has climbed this pass will attest that the western side is steeper and more slippery than the east side, so this book's recommendation is quite backward. Another part of the same chapter even seems to contradict this observation, leading us to think perhaps one author was not really talking to another. Similar errors persist throughout the book, along with misleading information, misspelling of Spanish words, internal inconsistencies, and then the absence of essential data that should have been included. Pretty pictures, though.