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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Active outdoor pursuits > Climbing & mountaineering
Mountaintops have long been seen as sacred places, home to gods and
dreams. In one climbing year Peter Boardman visited three very
different sacred mountains. He began in the New Year, on the South
Face of the Carstensz Pyramid in New Guinea. This shark's fin of
steep limestone walls and sweeping glaciers is the highest point
between the Andes and the Himalaya, and one of the most
inaccessible, rising above thick jungle inhabited by warring Stone
Age tribes. During the spring Boardman was on more familiar, if
hardly more reassuring, ground, making a four-man, oxygen-free
attempt on the world's third highest peak, Kangchenjunga.
Hurricane-force winds beat back their first two bids on the
unclimbed North Ridge, but they eventually stood within feet of the
summit - leaving the final few yards untrodden in deference to the
inhabiting deity. In October, he was back in the Himalaya and
climbing the mountain most sacred to the Sherpas: the twin-summited
Gauri Sankar. Renowned for its technical difficulty and spectacular
profile, it is aptly dubbed the Eiger of the Himalaya and
Boardman's first ascent of the South Summit took a committing and
gruelling twenty-three days. Three sacred mountains, three very
different expeditions, all superbly captured by Boardman in Sacred
Summits, his second book, first published shortly after his death
in 1982. Combining the excitement of extreme climbing with acute
observation of life in the mountains, this is an amusing, dramatic,
poignant and thought-provoking book, amply fulfilling the promise
of Boardman's first title, The Shining Mountain, for which he won
the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1979.
American Brad Washburn's impact on his proteges and imitators
was as profound as that of any other adventurer in the twentieth
century. Unquestionably regarded as the greatest mountaineer in
Alaskan history and as one of the finest mountain photographers of
all time, Washburn transformed American attitudes toward wilderness
and revolutionized the art of mountaineering and exploration in the
great ranges. In The Last of His Kind, National Geographic
Adventure contributing editor David Roberts goes beyond
conventional biography to reveal the essence of this man through
the prism of his extraordinary exploits from New England to
Chamonix, and from the Himalayas to the Yukon. An exciting
narrative of mountain climbing in the twentieth century, The Last
of His Kind brings into focus Washburn's deeds in the context of
the history of mountaineering, and provides a fascinating look at
an amazing culture and the influential icon who shaped it.
Publication of early development at Huntsham Crag and Near
Hearkening Rock in the 1999 Symonds Yat guide led promptly to an
explosion of exploration of the numerous sandstone outcrops and
boulders throughout the northern sector of the Forest of Dean. This
new 2006 guide describes the many hundreds of short climbs and
bouldering routes of between 5 and 12 metres on natural sandstone
that in places attains top gritstone quality. The guide is the
first to appear in the Climbers' Club's new design and is printed
in full colour throughout.
No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant victories and
hardships more brilliantly than Jon Krakauer. In this collection of
his finest essays and reporting, Krakauer writes of mountains from
the memorable perspective of one who has himself struggled with
solo madness to scale Alaska's notorious Devils Thumb. In Pakistan,
the fearsome K2 kills thirteen of the world's most experienced
mountain climbers in one horrific summer. In Valdez, Alaska, two
men scale a frozen waterfall over a four-hundred-foot drop. In
France, a hip international crowd of rock climbers, bungee jumpers,
and paragliders figure out new ways to risk their lives on the
towering peaks of Mont Blanc. Why do they do it? How do they do it?
In this extraordinary book, Krakauer presents an unusual fraternity
of daredevils, athletes, and misfits stretching the limits of the
possible. From the paranoid confines of a snowbound tent, to the
thunderous, suffocating terror of a white-out on Mount McKinley,
Eiger Dreams spins tales of driven lives, sudden deaths, and
incredible victories. This is a stirring, vivid book about one of
the most compelling and dangerous of all human pursuits.
Fontainebleau is the world centre for boulder style climbing, with
thousands of boulders scattered throughout the majestic forest.
This 2nd volume covers all of the quieter areas that are 'deep' in
the forest (TOP SECRET), hidden from the crowded hotspots. The
climbing in these areas is stunning, with over 130 classic circuits
that comprise of 5000+ problems. The beautifully clear graphics and
1400+ photo topos, also allows for an additional 4000+ off circuit
problems to be included. This book gives an exceptional level of
detail with problem styles, heights, and even crash pad ratings. *
9000+ climbing routes - 60 venues - beginner to expert* 130+ quiet
circuits away from the crowds, covering all standards* Ultra modern
graphics, and 1400+ quality photo topos* Ideal for indoor
bouldering gym enthusiasts to explore outside* Bi-lingual
guidebook, French and EnglishThis is the second in the series from
Jingo Wobbly. Font Bloc Vol 1 - Fun Bloc, covers 7000 problems with
100 circuits. 9781873665152.
This Scottish Mountaineering Club definitive climbers' guidebook
details all the rock and winter climbing to be found on the
beautiful and remote-feeling islands of the Inner Hebrides and
Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. This is the only fully
comprehensive guide to the climbing on the beautiful and
remote-feeling islands of the Inner Hebrides and Arran. The guide
covers Arran, Canna, Rum, Eigg, Muck, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Iona,
Colonsay, Oronsay, Islay and Jura plus a number of smaller, lesser
known islands off the wild, west coast of Scotland. Written by the
recognised experts to the area, the guide also gives extensive
information on access to the islands, accommodation and amenities.
It features full colour throughout with action photos to inspire,
and detailed maps and photo-diagrams to help a climber make the
most of a visit to the islands. The clear format is modern and
user-friendly, including flaps on the cover that double as
reference information and page markers, and colour-indexed tabs for
quick location of crags of interest.
ritten by one of the best-known rock-climbing instructors in the UK
this is the definitive and comprehensive 'how to climb' textbook
(55,000 copies sold), now in its revised and updated third edition.
It covers un-roped bouldering and movement skills as well as every
aspect of indoor, single and multi-pitch rock climbing, abseiling,
problem solving, the climbing environment, the history and
development of the sport and much more. This book is a reference
tool for every climber, from novice to expert, as well as
containing specific ideas for anyone wanting to help coach and
instruct others. It is the official handbook for the UK and Ireland
qualification system that includes all of Mountain Training's
qualifications as well as their Rock Skills courses. It is endorsed
by the BMC, Mountaineering Scotland and Mountaineering Ireland.
Thoroughly updated to reflect developments in climbing since the
second edition, the indoor climbing content has been expanded and
several chapters have been rewritten and reordered to support new
and developing climbers alike. Its functional design remains, with
easy-reference colour-coded pages, striking illustrations that
complement the text and inspiring photos that give a genuine
flavour of the breadth of climbing possibilities across the UK and
Ireland. It is the second of a series of manuals from Mountain
Training UK and Ireland that includes the highly successful 'Hill
Walking' and 'Winter Skills'.
The Dorset Rockfax is now the established source of climbing
information for this increasingly popular area. With a huge
increase in new climbers coming into the sport from the
metropolitan areas of Southern England, this book represents their
closest extensive sport climbing area. The fifth edition of the
Dorset Rockfax and the biggest Rockfax guidebook yet. It covers all
the sport climbing across Portland, Lulworth and Swanage in Dorset
and also the best of the trad climbing. The book features all the
new developments since the previous book in 2012 and a few extra
areas. Every crag has been rephotographed and presented with big
aerial overviews and detailed new maps. Crags Covered Portland -
Blacknor North, Blacknor Central, Blacknor South, Blacknor Beach,
Blacknor Far South, Battleship Edge, Battleship Back Cliff,
Wallsend North, Wallsend South, Coastguard North, Coastguard South,
White Hole, Lighthouse Area, Cave Hole, Beeston Cliff, Godnor,
Neddyfields, Cheyne Cliff, Dungecroft Quarry, Lost Valley, The
Cuttings, The Knobs Lulworth Swanage - Winspit, Hedbury, Dancing
Ledge, Guillemot Ledge, Cormorant Ledge, Blackers Hole, Fisherman's
Ledge, The Promenade, Cattle Troughs, Boulder Ruckle, Subluminal
The Needles
HEARD ISLAND, an improbably remote speck in the far Southern Ocean,
lies four thousand kilometres to the south-west of Australia - with
Antarctica its nearest continent. By 1964 it had been the object of
a number of expeditions, but none reaching the summit of its
9000-foot volcanic peak "Big Ben'. In that year Warwick Deacock
resolved to rectify this omission, and assembled a party of nine
with impressive credentials embracing mountaineering, exploration,
science and medicine, plus his own organisation and leadership
skills as a former Major in the British Army. But first they had to
get there. Heard had no airstrip and was on no steamer route; the
only way was by sea in their own vessel. Approached from Australia,
the island lay in the teeth of the 'Roaring Forties'and 'Furious
Fifties'. One name, only, came to mind as the skipper to navigate
them safely to their destination, and safely home - the veteran
mountaineer turned high-latitude sailor H. W. 'Bill' Tilman,
already renowned for his 'sailing to climb' expeditions to
Patagonia, Greenland and Arctic Canada, and the sub-Antarctic
archipelagos of Crozet and Kerguelen, to the north-west of Heard
Island. He readily 'signed on' to Warwick Deacock's team of proven
individuals and their well-found sailing vessel Patanela. In this
first-hand account, as fresh today as on its first publication
fifty years ago, Philip Temple invites us all on this superbly
conducted, happy and successful expedition, aided by many
previously unpublished photographs by Warwick Deacock. 'The
Skipper' - a man not free with his praise - described the
enterprise as 'a complete thing'. photographs, maps, drawings
In 1909, while dreaming of the Himalaya, Norwegian mountaineer Alf
Bonnevie Bryn and a fellow young climber, the Australian George
Ingle Finch, set their sights on Corsica to build their experience.
The events of this memorable trip form the basis of Bryn's
acclaimed book Tinder og banditter - 'Peaks and Bandits', with
their boisterous exploits delighting Norwegian readers for
generations. Newly translated by Bibbi Lee, this classic of
Norwegian literature is available for the first time in English.
Although Bryn would go on to become a respected mountaineer and
author, and Finch would become regarded as one of the greatest
mountaineers of all time - a legend of the 1922 Everest expedition
- Peaks and Bandits captures them on the cusp of these
achievements: simply two students taking advantage of their Easter
holidays, their escapades driven by their passion for climbing. As
they find themselves in unexpected and often strange places, Bryn's
sharp and jubilant narrative epitomises travel writing at its best.
Balancing its wit with fascinating insight into life in early
twentieth-century Corsica, the infectious enthusiasm of Bryn's
narrative has cemented it as one of Norway's most treasured
adventure books. Peaks and Bandits embodies the timeless joy of
adventure.
This is the incredibly popular and indispensable guide to ski
mountaineering routes in Scotland from the Scottish Mountaineering
Club. Written by two experts and illustrated with colour
photographs and route maps, this facsimile reprint covers the hills
from the Borders to Ben Rinnes, Mamlorn to Moruisg, with photos
that inspire. The reprint has the same 112 photographs and 72 maps,
121 pages as the original. This is the first and most sought-after
guidebook to ski mountaineering in Scotland, first published in
1987 and unavailable since 2011.
This is a new book aimed at young climbers learning the National
Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme (NICAS). It features cartoon
illustrations giving step-by-step instructions on the basic skills
required for Levels 1 and 2 of the scheme and is fully endorsed by
NICAS. It is also endorsed by the Mountaineering Council of
Scotland. The book is beautifully illustrated by Sophie Mitchell
with appealing drawings and comes with a robust hardback fold-out
cover and is package with a short section of cord which enables
readers to practice the knots they are learning in the book.
Lake District Winter Climbs is a joint production by the Fell and
Rock Climbing Club and Cicerone Press. It is the definitive guide
to winter climbing in the Lake District; every known winter climb
from every part of the Lake District is described - nearly 1000
routes in all, illustrated on detailed colour photo-topos. These
range from classic high-mountain gullies and buttresses on crags
such as Scafell, Pillar, and Great Gable to frozen watercourses and
icefalls including Great Gully on the Wasdale Screes, Launchy Gill,
Low Water Beck and Cautley Spout. And, of course, popular venues
like Great End and the Eastern Coves of the Helvellyn Escarpment
are described in detail. Included too are several routes in
outlying Cumbria. There are also sections on winter equipment,
winter climbing and conservation, climbing walls, accommodation,
and a first ascent list that includes masses of interesting
historical research.
'Mountains have given structure to my adult life. I suppose they
have also given me purpose, though I still can't guess what that
purpose might be. And although I have glimpsed the view from the
mountaintop and I still have some memory of what direction life is
meant to be going in, I usually lose sight of the wood for the
trees. In other words, I, like most of us, have lived a life of
structured chaos.' Structured Chaos is Victor Saunders'
award-winning follow-up to Elusive Summits (winner of the Boardman
Tasker Prize in 1990), No Place to Fall and Himalaya: The
Tribulations of Vic & Mick. He reflects on his early childhood
in Malaya and his first experiences of climbing as a student, and
describes his progression from scaling canal-side walls in Camden
to expeditions in the Himalaya and Karakoram. Following climbs on
K2 and Nanga Parbat, he leaves his career as an architect and moves
to Chamonix to become a mountain guide. He later makes the first
ascent of Chamshen in the Saser Kangri massif, and reunites with
old friend Mick Fowler to climb the north face of Sersank. This is
not just a tale of mountaineering triumphs, but also an account of
rescues, tragedies and failures. Telling his story with humour and
warmth, Saunders spans the decades from youthful awkwardness to
concerns about age-related forgetfulness, ranging from 'Where did I
put my keys?' to 'Is this the right mountain?' Structured Chaos is
a testament to the value of friendship and the things that really
matter in life: being in the right place at the right time with the
right people, and making the most of the view.
Comprehensive climbing approach, route guides to Washington's
Cascades.
This book provides the ultimate guide to rock climbing in the
United States, suitable for climbers and nonclimbers alike,
covering the technical and physical aspects of the sport as well as
the mental challenges involved. Rock Climbing: The Ultimate Guide
covers the history of rock climbing in the United States from its
origins to the present day, documenting the importance and vitality
of the popular sport. The chapters address topics such as the
technicalities of the equipment and clothing, training methods, key
places and events where the sport takes place, the different types
of rock that climbers challenge themselves on, past and present
rock climbing heroes who inspire today's climbers, and the
evolution of the sport over the years-for example, in terms of
climbers' sporting achievements and its growing global appeal. The
book also covers the sport from an unprecedented perspective that
only the author-an experienced climber and social scientist-could
provide, discussing the meaning of extreme sports in our culture,
issues of gender, why climbing can serve an individual focused on
personal achievement and satisfy those seeking to be part of a
community, and how climbers come to terms with the inherent risks
of the sport. A chronological history of rock climbing in the
United States, covering the places, events, and people A glossary
of key climbing terms A subject index
The Climbing Bible: Practical Exercises by Martin Mobråten and
Stian Christophersen is a collection of exercises specifically
designed to help you train technique and strength so that you can
develop and improve as a climber. After two decades of climbing,
training and coaching, the authors have built up a huge library of
exercises, and they share many of them with you in this book. The
first section focuses on your technique, with emphasis on footwork,
grip positions, balance, direction of force and dynamics, among
other things. The second section features exercises to help you
train strength and power – with on-the-wall exercises, finger
strength and fingerboarding exercises, arm exercises and more. Also
included is a section for children and young climbers to help their
parents and coaches create great sessions for kids. This chapter
presents games, technique exercises and physical training ideas for
children. Illustrated with over 200 technique and action photos,
and with insights from the authors and other top climbers, The
Climbing Bible: Practical Exercises will inspire you to try new
exercises in every training session. Keep it in your climbing wall
bag, cover it in chalk and embrace the variety so easily found in
climbing.
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