Reviews (6)

Great overall climbing guide
If you don't know where in JTree you would like to climb or if you plan on doing a little bit of all kinds of climbing, this is the book to have.It provides an overview for the whole area with great maps and photographs to easily locate all rocks (and there is a lot of them so the book is thick).Some of the maps and info are out of date and need to be replaced (the Hidden Valley campground/Intersection Rock map and information about showers).I also found myself constantly writing on the map page references for the different rocks.It may also be nice to include a guide on all major toprope, bouldering, and sport climbing sections, although these exist on the web.Overall, I had an amazing trip and knew where to go every day, I just wish I had more than 5 days to climb there.Ooooh, also the book doesn't tell you that you will have no finger tips left or that the ratings are really hard and you shouldn't use them :-)A 5.10c in JTree is apparently not a 5.10c anywhere else, but this is a one of a kind place!

This is the book.
There are others out there, but Vogel's Rock Climbing Joshua Tree is the definitive overall guide that both new and experienced climbers rely upon. However, for more detailed information on routes in specific areas of Joshua Tree (Lost Horse, Indian Cove, Hidden Valley, etc.), don't leave home without Alan Bartlett's excellent guides.
Missing details, but great guide
This is a very comprehensive guide to Joshua Tree for climbers. It is the book that we always take with us as the defintive reference. Generally, the information is accurate and the maps detailing which rock is which in various formations is quite good.Read more

Subjects:  1. California    2. Guidebooks    3. Joshua Tree National Park    4. Joshua Tree National Park (Cal    5. Joshua Tree National Park (Calif.)    6. Mountaineering    7. Parks & Campgrounds    8. Rock climbing    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Travel - United States    12. United States - Pacific - California    13. Sports & Recreation / Mountaineering   

Reviews (1)

Essential for Exploring Ecuador on Foot
Climbing and Hiking in Ecuador, 5th Edition was a real treasure of off-the-beaten track hikes and good descriptions of the more established routes.I spent several months exploring in Ecuador, staying out of the major cities.This book was great for getting to known the less known areas of Ecuador.Recommend some use of GPS and purchase topographic maps from the IGM, since none of the routes are marked, need to have good navigation skills. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. South America    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Climbing & mountaineering    5. Ecuador    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / South America    8. Walking, hiking, trekking   

Reviews (7)

It's an additional resource; not "the Bible"
The book is a decent additional resource to Urioste's "Red Book" (see also her 2003 26 trad routes addendum).Combined w/ the Red Rocks' SuperTopos the three will almost give you one good guidebook's worth of beta. Need Improvement
I've been living and climbing at Red Rocks for two years now.Swain's guide book publicizes a number of new routes that are not in the previous guide; however, not all descriptions are adequate, and a few are even dangerous (such asfixed anchors indicated in the book where there are none in reality).You may also tire of the author's rather feeble attempts at humour!Having said this, I do use the guide alot, and when coupled with the older Urioste guide it serves its purpose.I am saddened however, by Swain's decision to not include arelatively large number of very good routes that were in the old guide-- thereby effectively 'erasing' good routes from the public memory.This amounts to a kind of bizarre censorship, as many of the routes he has left out are quite good and worth preserving.I, and many others, hope for a more enlightened guide book in the future; meanwhile, however, Swain's guide will suffice for most occasional visitors.

Total Pile
I do not believe this book can even be considered a guide book. No topos for certain areas. Poor descriptions. I went to Red Rocks with this book and it only got me to where I needed to park. I used the kindness of locals to get me to where I needed to go. Don't waste your time on this book. It's a pile. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mountaineering    2. Outdoor Skills    3. Sports    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Travel - United States    6. United States - Pacific - Nevada    7. Sports & Recreation / Mountaineering   

Reviews (13)

THE High Sierra Hiking/Climbing Encyclopedia
This massive tome is oriented to those who really want to stray from the beaten path and adventure the Sierra Nevada.The book covers the Sequoia/Kings Canyon region to north of Yosemite.Trails, cross-country treks, mountain passes and peaks not found in other guides receive mention here.The comprehensiveness of this makes it a singular achievement that stands out from the many other books on this region. Be forewarned though, because of the sheer scope here, a great deal of information can not be listed for each topic.If you plan to hike an established trail, you would be better served by any number of other guides out there.Secor's text is oriented more for the Sierra veteran, particularly the climber, and mountain peaks seem to get a bit more space here.Nonetheless, there is still plenty here for the non-technical backcountry adventurer.Despite the encyclopedic style of this thing, it's not altogether dry.Sample text:"The only thing 'enchanted' about Enchanted Gorge is its name.This is a difficult cross-country route..."
a must have
This is THE guide to mountaineering and peak-bagging in the High Sierra. All others pale in comparison.
Not For Novices
Secor's Tome really is a wonderful book for experienced hikers with routefinding and rock scrambling skills.I can sit for hours with topo maps and his book, looking up peaks and routes.But be careful if you're a beginner (or experienced only on-trail) when reading the reviews that say this is the "Bible" for the Sierra or "the book to own if you're only going to own one".Beginners could easily get themselves into more than they bargained for. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Guidebooks    3. Hiking    4. Mountain Climbing    5. Mountaineering    6. Reference    7. Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev    8. Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Trails    12. Travel Guides - U.S.    13. Climbing & mountaineering    14. USA   

Reviews (4)

Wonderful off-trail hiking in the Sierra
This book is the ideal companion for everyone who likes walking off-trail on uneven terrain with a heavy pack. We used it last summer to hike a section of "the high route" (from devils postpile to tuolumne meadows) and it was so marvelous, we are going back this summer for another section. Roper gives exactly the amount of indications needed for a successful trip, although some experience in off-trail mountain-hiking is required. The high route is not trivial, even if no technical climbing is involved. The only thing: for most people it doesn't matter to have a single connected route. It would be nice to have other (shorter) routes in the same style, which are not necessarily connected. Maybe in another book? I don't know of anything comparable.

Great book for the strong willed
My girlfriend and I recently took some of Ropers advice on a Mt. Conness Loop 5 day hike in Yosemite.It was an increadible trip.Roper gives just enough hints to get you there but few enough to make it still feel like exploring.Be advised however when he referes a section of your hike as 'adventurous' or 'exciting' he means it.We pushed ourselves to the physical and mental limit on this trip.

practical guide to an undescribable experience
This book outlines a magnificent experience following an off-trail, higher version of the Muir Trail through the High Sierra.We have followed most of Roper's route over several years:sometimes we thought we were lost oroverwhelmed, but it always turned out fine, and usually excellent.Hetreads a fine line between complete instructions that would allow nomistakes, and an experience that gives the hiker their own opportunity forroute-finding, discovery, and growth.This is one of our favorite books,and we keep an intact copy plus another one torn apart for each journey andsometimes given away to people met along the way who need it.We stilltravel the trail some of the time, but genuinely value this alternativefarther away from the crowds. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Backpacking    2. Guidebooks    3. Hiking    4. Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev    5. Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)    6. Travel    7. Travel - United States    8. United States - Midwest - West North Central (General)    9. United States - Pacific - California    10. Climbing & mountaineering    11. North Central & Mid-West states    12. Travel & holiday guides    13. Walking, hiking, trekking   

Reviews (8)

Very informative
Having gone through the preparation to climb Kili, I found this book to be very informative ... especially the sections on traveling through Tanzania and Kenya.Much thanks to the other reviewers for warnings on the use of Diamox and the need for conditioning.

An essential guide!
Cameron Burns has filled a void with the publication of this climbing and trekking guide for Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. While much is probably written about Kili, there is very little practical literature about Mount Kenya. The introductory pages are full of useful hints for traveling in Kenya that, from my recent experience there, all ring true. The route descriptions on Mount Kenya, while lacking in some detail, certainly convey the necessary information for a successful climb. It is already time for a new edition, however, since some of the features have changed. Kami Camp, for instance, no longer exists.

Agree with Keith Kendall - Caution advised
As others have noted Mr. Burn's book is well written, and informative. But as Keith D. Kendall correctly observes in a review elsewhere on this page, the notion that a trek to the summit of a 19,000 foot peak may be accomplished without achieving a high level of cardiovascular fitness is not only misleading and potentially dangerous, but frankly absurd. Ditto for Mr. Burn's comments on the use of Diamox, which he either doesn't understand(his comments in the book indicate little experience with its correct use), or again, dismisses out of hand as he has never had to use it. You may. The information in the book is valuable, but as with everything else, it is only a single point of view. I liked the book a great deal, but take some pause when obvious misinformation is attributed to an `expert' source. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Guidebooks    3. Hiking    4. Kenya    5. Kenya, Mount    6. Kilimanjaro, Mount    7. Mountaineering    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Tanzania    11. Travel    12. Climbing & mountaineering   

Subjects:  1. Arizona    2. Guidebooks    3. Mountaineering    4. Rock climbing    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Travel - United States    8. United States - Mountain - Arizona    9. Travel / United States / West / Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, UT, WY)   

Reviews (2)

Classic Climbs
This is probably my favorite guide to the Sierra and I drool just thinking about the opportunities Croft has opened up for anyone seeking a challenge. Mt tattered dog-eared copy sits right over my desk, so I can take it down and be reminded of all there is that is great.
Very useful addition to the Sierra Climber's library
Croft has such stature in the climbing world that by mere inclusion of a Sierra route in this book, he will define it as a classic for the next generation of climbers.We bought this book in an East Side climbing shop en route to the Sierras to bag classic climbs, and found it very useful.The topos aren't up to modern standards (e.g., "Supertopos"), but there is enough detail to get an experienced climber up most of these routes.The major contribution is to identify the classic routes of the range, something he is highly qualified to do.If you plan to do much technical climbing in the High Sierra, buy it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Outdoor Skills    2. Sports    3. Sports & Recreation    4. Sports & Recreation / Mountaineering    5. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)    6. California    7. Campgrounds    8. Guidebooks    9. Hiking    10. Mountaineering    11. Rock climbing    12. Sierra Nevada Mountains (Calif    13. Travel    14. United States - West - Pacific   

Reviews (1)

SWEEEET!
Just got my copy and after spending a couple hours with this guide, all I can say is Wow! Kinda thick, but so much info and really liked the history section. Can't wait to visit some of the new spots...
Read more

Subjects:  1. California    2. Guidebooks    3. Joshua Tree National Park    4. Joshua Tree National Park (Calif.)    5. Mountaineering    6. Parks & Campgrounds    7. Rock climbing    8. Special Interest - General    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Travel - United States    12. United States - Pacific - California    13. Sports & Recreation / Mountaineering   

Reviews (10)

Basic essentials
I am planning to Summit Mt. Shasta in the upcoming year; however, I cannot even consider myself a novice--beginner, maybe.I have NEVER climbed before--this book gave me basic information that will help me to plan my trip...everything from general mountain climate to a packing list.Without reading this book, I am afraid I may have not known the essentials (basics) to take with me!

Guide book designed to get you to the top...
After reading the review titled "A big disappointment" it seems the reviewer has misconceptions about the book. From his eyes, not knowing anything at all about Mt. Shasta and never climbing it before, he was looking for a book that would match climbing Mt. Everest or one that is so advanced that the reader climbing Mt. Shasta for the first time would have no choice but to "look elsewhere." It would be like writing a guide book and then adding a review that condemns the book because it does not have information about the American presidents. The reviewer talks about his extensive climbing experience in his bio. Guide book designed to get you to the top...
After reading the review titled "A big disappointment" it seems the reviewer has misconceptions about the book. From his eyes, not knowing anything at all about Mt. Shasta and never climbing it before, he was looking for a book that would match climbing Mt. Everest or one that is so advanced that the reader climbing Mt. Shasta for the first time would have no choice but to "look elsewhere." It would be like writing a guide book and then adding a review that condemns the book because it does not have information about the American presidents. The reviewer talks about his extensive climbing experience in his bio.Read more

Subjects:  1. Sports & Recreation / Mountaineering    2. United States - Pacific - California    3. California    4. Climbing    5. Hiking    6. Hiking & Camping    7. Mountain Climbing & Mountaineering    8. Mountaineering    9. Travel   

Reviews (2)

Nice Job!
I have all the ice guides to colorado, and this one is about the only one I trust.Ratings are, in my experience, slightly conservative, which is better than being the other way, particularly for ice climbs where gettingin over your head can be very serious.Route information is, for all theroutes in the book I've done, very accurate.

Excellent
A great overview of the ice climbing available in Colorado. The best book on the market. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mountaineering    2. Sports    3. Sports & Recreation    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Mountain - Colorado    6. Climbing & mountaineering    7. Colorado    8. Travel / United States / West / Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, UT, WY)    9. Ice Climbing    10. Climbing    11. Outdoors   

Reviews (3)

Lots of Great Hikes
Zdon does a great job of listing hikes in the southern Nevada and California desert. The descriptions and directions he gives are highly accurate. I've done a few dozen of the hikes listed in the book (some before and some since seeing the book) and can attest that the book is highly reliable. One feature that Zdon works into his hike descriptions which I like a lot is a description of the plants in the area. For instance, in describing the Kingston Range (an area I have not yet got to explore) he tells of a yucca-like plant called the nolina and of a "relict stand of white firs" on this desert peak. Details like this make me want to get out and explore that area! (He also mentions that the hiker should keep a watch out for ticks while climbing Kingston Peak, but that's important advice too!) Another interesting area Zdon covers is the Sheep Mountains which are northeast of Las Vegas. Zdon goes beyond the typical Joshua Tree and Death Valley hikes that are covered in dozens of books and includes the lesser hiked areas in the deserts of southern Nevada and California.

A great resource
Although I'm waiting try the new hikes detailed in this book (I'll wait till summer passes, thanks), I have found it to be a great read on its own merits. The physical descriptions of the areas covered are detailed and evocative without being flowery; the driving and trail directions are as exact as they can be given the remoteness of some of these areas. Mr. Zdon knows these places inside and out, and he goes well beyond the obvious choices into some wild and relatively unexplored terrain. This book introduced me to some new places I want to experience, and made me realize I don't know my "familiar" spots as well as I thought. The volume is also very handsomely illustrated and produced.

Hiking California & Southern Nevada desert summits
Andy Zdon has done a very thorough job researching the approaches and hiking/climbing routes in this guide book.I especially liked the fact that he warns the reader against taking passenger cars up roads which he feels require 4WD capability.The inclusion of general area maps and actual photographs make the book even more useful.Descriptions are great but someone said "a picture is worth a thousand words". Included in the descriptions are such useful topics as the anticipated round trip elevation gain and hiking distance.In some instances Andy has added his personal comments regarding safety issue or things like "don't underestimate the difficulty of this hike".The personal touch gives the guide book user more of a "hands on" feel to the overall hike. I recommend Desert Summits to all of those folks who are planning to get out and hike/climb the areas described in the book.Hey, here's another "list" to get you out of the house this winter. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. California    2. Guidebooks    3. Hiking    4. Mountaineering    5. Nevada    6. Travel    7. Travel - United States    8. United States - Pacific - California    9. United States - Pacific - Nevada    10. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (2)

Ozark climbing at its best
This book is very informative and easy to read.Gives great route descriptions; and the topos make finding your way around the area and locating the different routes a breeze.This is a "must have" book for climbing in the Sam's Throne area.

Informative and interesting
As climbing becomes more poplular, more guide books are being writen.I have found that most of these books give less than adequate descriptions of the area of interest.This book does not fit this catagory.Instead ClayFrisbee gives very informative route descriptions and provides good toposto add to finding a specific route.His description of the history andspecifics of the route also make the book more interesting to read thanmost climbing guidebooks. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Hiking    2. Mountaineering    3. Sports    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Travel - United States    6. United States - South - Arkansas    7. Rock Climbing    8. Outdoors    9. Arkansas   

Reviews (3)

Delivers You to the Wolves
I am an experienced world traveler and mountain climber who used this book in 1999.I must say, I have never been so disappointed with a travel book in all my life.A few points:in the little town of Tlachichuca, Secor leads you to ONE person for climbing assistance.Knowing that, they take FULL advantage of climbers, grossly overcharging for services.Two: Secor's route descriptions are seemingly detailed but upon use are revealed as painfully inadequate.For instance, at Citalt�petl, Secor makes not one word of mention regarding "la lengua", the tongue of the glacier, which turns out to be the most difficult part of the whole ascent.Finally, and this is the most personal and non-important point to a casual reader, I don't like Secor's decision to follow the poor precedent set by the Mountaineers of favoring non-indigenous peak names.Thus as Tahoma and Koma Kulshan became Rainier and Baker, the majestic Citalt�petl is reduced to Pico de Orizaba.All in all, this is a good start (given the lack of anything better) but definitely make sure that every piece of information used from this book is followed up by a second source to avoid certain rip off and/or disappointment.

Very good
The book has a comprehensive list of routes for each mountain, it also provides good advice for begineers. However, there are two things I don't like form this book: 1) Need an update to reflect latest changes (Popo for example) 2) The book looks too simplistic, the format is ver bad for the type of information. The book has very few quality photos and the routes are difficult to follow. Superb
RJ did a great job with this book. I used it way back in 1988 to climb the 3 big ones and found it absolutely accurate. He's got some great tips in there too! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. Mexico    3. Mountaineering    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Volcanoes    8. Climbing & mountaineering   

Editorial Review

Often considered the mecca of American rock climbing, Utah has almost as many routes as it has inhabitants. This is best reflected in Stewart Green's hefty guide, which weighs in at a whopping 537 pages. Green has indeed taken an admirable stab at rounding up descriptions, photos, and beta for every route worth mentioning. He takes the reader from the remote corners of Castle Valley and the Island in the sky to the oft-traveled crags of Salt Lake's Little and Big Cottonwood canyons. Route descriptions are thorough and easily understood. More importantly, most of the route maps are superimposed over actual photographs to insure that readers actually find the walls they are after.Green emphasizes the use of clean aid techniques and doesn't include routes that don't take clean aid.This is admirable and is aimed at protecting the soft rock of some of the desert climbs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Climb On! to the Wonders of Utah
Rock Climbing Utah offers the most comprehensive guide to climbing the best rock Utah has to offer. Utah boasts some of the most diverse, beautiful, and bizarre rock formations imaginable.From the granitecanyons of the Wasatch, to the lunar-like sandstone of Canyonlands RockClimbing Utah will introduce you to the most unbelievable experiences inyour climbing career.It is difficult to cover such a wide spectrum ofclimbing routes, ecosystem changes, and skill levels but this guide does awonderful job.For a broad overview of underrated climbing that oftenrivals Yosemite, this guide is difficult to match. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. Mountaineering    3. Rock climbing    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Travel - United States    7. United States - Mountain - Utah    8. United States - West - Mountain (General)    9. Utah    10. Travel / United States / West / Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, UT, WY)   

Reviews (1)

great book
just blindly flip the pages and put your finger down. there's your next climbing trip. great hike in and route info. the best ak climbing guide i have ever seen ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alaska    2. Guidebooks    3. Mountaineering    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Trails    7. United States - Pacific - Alaska    8. United States - West - Pacific (General)    9. Climbing & mountaineering    10. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (14)

The Last of Its Kind
This expedition of the first Americans (and third group) to summit K2 took place in 1978--which for me doesn't seem like ancient history. But while the equipment was relatively modern, communication was archaic by today's standards. No GPS, no satellite phones, no internet uplinks--the wife of one climber learns of his fate by telegram! Also, because this was Pakistan and not Nepal, there were no Sherpas and only a very small number of high altitude porters and none in the final stages.
Great read ... gripping at times
I had intended to stretch the reading of this over a couple of weekends.Instead I read it in two sittings.I literally could not put it down!I especially liked the author's account of his experience in the "death zone" while making his successful assault on one of the more difficult peaks in the Himalaya - without supplemental oxygen!I had always thought I would like to climb in the Himalaya.After reading the part about Wickwire's bivouac near 28,000 feet, I think I will be satisfied just reading about it.I highly recommend this excellent book!

Be sure to dress warmly!
The most amazing thing about this book is the sense of being there it creates for the reader.If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to be on a high-altitude expedition, this is the book.I've read a number of other mountaineering books, but this one stands out in putting the reader in the action.Aside from that, the book is also an inspiring story of heroes who knew what they wanted and were willing to do whatever it took to get it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mountain Climbing    2. Mountaineering    3. Special Interest - Adventure    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Climbing & mountaineering    7. Himalayas    8. India    9. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Reviews (1)

Stewart Green has big shoes to fill...
Let's get this straight, "Rock Climbing New England" is one of those select guidebooks. Author Stewart Green picks out 15 areas in all of New England and only describes certain climbs in each. That said, there are almost 750 climbs detailed, not at all an insignificant number, and from what I can tell most are done quite well. Read more

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. Mountaineering    3. New England    4. Rock climbing    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Travel - United States    8. United States - Northeast - New England (General)    9. Travel / United States / Northeast / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)   

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. Mountaineering    3. Olympic Mountains    4. Rock climbing    5. Travel    6. Travel - United States    7. United States - West - Pacific (General)    8. Washington (State)   

Subjects:  1. Europe - General    2. Europe - Switzerland    3. Europe - Western    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Alps    7. Climbing & mountaineering    8. Walking, hiking, trekking