The Mountaineering Handbook

 

The Mountaineering Handbook
Page Type Gear Review
Object Title The Mountaineering Handbook
Manufacturer Craig Connally
Page By Kaallin Krimp
Page Type Oct 21, 2007 / Oct 24, 2007
Object ID 4151
Hits 5453
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Product Description

(From the back cover)
If your experience as a backpacker or rock climber is drawing you higher; if the cold, remote alpine environment calls you nearer, this book is for you. The Mountaineering Handbook will teach you the skills that will take you to the top. Even if you're already an experienced mountaineer, you'll find detailed descriptions of the newest and most effective techniques to refine and organize your methods and equipment.
The Mountaineering Handbook isn't mired in outdated traditionalism; its new-school techniques are safer, more effective, and more fun for mountaineers at every level. With constant emphasis on light, fast, and efficient mountaineering, Craig Connally shows how to:

- Move quickly up and down rock, snow, and ice with appropriate safety systems.
- Manage mountain hazards, including rockfall, avalanche, lightning, and high-altitude illness.
- Maintain sound nutrition and training according to the most up-to-date science.
- Understand the human factors of mountaineering - the social and psychological forces that influence critical decisions.

Connally's passion for mountaineering is evident in his writing. He intends to move mountaineering into the twenty-first century, but he's also determined to turn the traditional how-to book on its ear by injecting personality, humor, and thoughtfulness into every page.

Craig Connally puts many years of mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and climbing rock and ice into his engaging writing. More importantly, he has applied his advanced degrees in science and his career as an engineering manager to sort out and explain what works and what doesn't in the mountains.

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Contemporary (1 Jan 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0071430105
ISBN-13: 978-0071430104

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Reviews


Viewing: 1-4 of 4

Alan Ellis - Oct 24, 2007 9:22 am - Voted 5/5

Excellent!
A nice supplement to Freedom of the Hills. This book has techniques and methods not described in Freedom. It is easy to read and is a good reference. Highly recommend.

Kaallin Krimp - Oct 24, 2007 2:56 pm - Voted 5/5

Yes...
I agree with Alan Ellis. This is an easy reading, wellwritten and describing book and a good supplement to Freedom.

UncleBob - Nov 5, 2007 5:29 pm - Voted 4/5

Mountaineering for/by geeks
I liked this book despite a few caveats. The focus is quite gear-centric which I find to be a weakness. A lot of ink is spilled over minutiae like brand names of pole extension and such than is necessary or useful. More could have been spent on the strategic aspects (Conditions like abc lend themselves to technique xyz because) as opposed to the tactical (I like to this peice of bling bling when I do this).

The anchors section is good but focuses a lot on force vectors and load calculation in a way only a nerd would love or appreciate. The geeky attention to the knobs and buttons of climbing permeates the whole book and the author's (slightly) pudgy self-portaits demonstrating the techniques only make the impression worse.

But the information inside is GOOD, a lot of it is fresh and innovative and would fit more into the FOTH style of climbing than the Twight school.

Get this book and enjoy it after those late night D&D sessions ;)

Props - Jan 22, 2010 5:42 pm - Voted 5/5

Well done
We all have have opinions, and experience to back those opinions up, and this author is no exception. I didn't find this to be a problem, though. In fact I quite liked it. Hearing other people's opinions and why they hold them helps me to understand my own and adjust them as necessary. As far as the technical (^^geeky^^) content goes, I loved it. It's not because I love to delve into the science so much, but because that's what I think a good book on this subject should do. My knowledge is based on my own experience and my interaction with others, and I find this kind of book supplements my knowledge where I need it most. I refer to it all the time. Thumbs up!

Viewing: 1-4 of 4