City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering

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.Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Maurice Isserman, Stewart Weaver

July 11, 2008
Mountain climbing has always had a last frontier quality. The race to the North and South Poles ended in the early 1900's, Africa and South America were explored by the 1930's, leaving the Himalayan Mountains as the last challenge for adventure. Mr. Isserman and Mr. Weaver has written a comprehensive history of the conquests of the world's highest peaks. Starting from the competitive nationalist expeditions of this century to the solo attempts of today, the book is clearly written and well-researched, with over 100 pages of documentation and notes. The reader can read as a follow-up Maurice Herzog's "Annapurna" (1952), an epic tale of the French harrowing attempt to be the first to conquest a Himalayan peak.
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.Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Jon Krakauer

October 19, 1999
I am not a mountain climber, spelunker or even a camper, but I loved this book. You don't need to have an outdoor passion to appreciate the incredible story. Being able to get a glimpse into what the human body and mind are capable of is fascinating. And, seeing how so many reacted under the most disastrous of circumstances was unbelievable. I could not put this book down. It was as good as any fictional mystery I've read and kept my undivided attention for the few nights it took me to devour it.
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.Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: The Mountaineers

2003-09
This is an incredible mounaineering text, and it is well put together.
The item was in perfect condition, as described, and arived promptly. Thank you!
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.A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Bill Bryson

May 04, 1999
Having spent many nights on the AT and the surrounding towns I found this book delightful. It's full of great snapshots of life under the canopy, trudging up and down the muddy trail, encountering people who seems equally strange to you as you do to them. Bryson brings his experience of living abroad and the subsequent well-honed observational skills to the simple act of walking and being part of nature. A fun, thoughtful and well done book.
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.Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Jon Krakauer

May 19, 1997
I was impressed enough by INTO THIN AIR, his '97 account of the previous year's Everest climbing disaster, that picking up a used copy of EIGER DREAMS was a done deal. I didn't pay enough attention when buying it, however( at a local used bookstore) to learn that it was a compilation of climbing-related stories he'd previously published in 'Outside', 'New Age Journal' and 'Smithsonian'. I have nothing special against collections of previously published work. If I haven't read the material, what's the difference? But, as a writer myself, they always make me nervous somehow. Maybe it's the image of the writer badgering his agent about getting the cash flow flowing again and the agent placating him with, 'Why not pick some stories that aren't doing you ... Read More:
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.Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Brian Lopes, Lee McCormack

March 13, 2005
I'm a rider of intermediate skill and wanted to better understand some of the more intricate dynamics of mountain bike riding to further improve my riding techniques - this book does it in spade loads.

The book is well laid out and gives good step by step instructions as well as the reasoning behind why things are done.

Tips I found particularly useful are the various weightings applied to wheels, pedals and handlebars to load tyres for better grip, etc in certain situations such as cornering climbing. A lot of these things you can pick up with experience but if you know why in the first place some of these things become self evident before you pick up bad habits.

The language is a bit weird in places as some of the other ... Read More:
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.Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert)
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Craig Luebben

2004-03
Craig Luebben's book is possibly THE Best Single Book written for rock climbing. It should be THE textbook for all people interested in learning to climb as it begins with basic but critical hand and footholds, basic climbing gear, knots, belaying, and rappelling. Later chapters for intermediate or advanced Sport or Trad climbing go into great detail. You will find yourself reading and referring to this book for your entire rock climbing lifetime.
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.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Joe Simpson

2004-01
Joe Simpson's disastrous experiences climbing Siula Grande in 1985 make for one of the greatest true adventure stories of the twentieth century. After Joe's accident on the mountain, he and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, nearly achieved an unlikely descent. When Simon is unable to continue Joe's rescue, he does the unthinkable (which Joe does not blame him for), and Joe's hellish troubles begin.

Sounds like the outline for an exciting and heart-wrenching adventure, doesn't it? Unfortunately, Joe was not an experienced writer when he penned Touching the Void, his first book, and it clearly shows. The reader is often disoriented by Simpson's use of mountaineering jargon (e.g., cols, ridges, and gullies). And although the book provides a brief glossary, it's ... Read More:
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.The Self-Coached Climber: The Guide to Movement Training Performance
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Dan M. Hague, Douglas Hunter

February 27, 2006
This book really took me by surprise...I was expected the normal lame guide to technique that briefly explains moves while barely saying anything about when and where to use these moves. However, I was amazed when I began to flip through the pages of this book. The Self-Coached climber not only has amazingly detailed images (in color too) and captions to match, but it also features a very well written and deep text. It doesn't just explain moves so that we have a finite toolbox and think like computers, it explains the theory behind all technique. The theory, which once applied to your own climbing, will cause drastic improvements in your ability.

Buy this book. It is the most essential beta you can own.
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.Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
City Travel Guides > Books > Mountaineering
by: Nick Heil

April 29, 2008
About a year or so ago I read Michael Kodas [High Crimes] and gave it
a bad review. The reason was that the journalist - Michael Kodas - was
so much in the book that any objectivity disappeared.
Anyways, in the comments to my review somebody suggested this book.
And, yes, this is the way these stories should be written - the
author is not in the picture, the writing is engaging and interesting,
I think he is trying to be as objective as possible, his research
in preparation for this book is extensive. Bottom line - a great book as
far as my opinion goes.
My only note is that the author explains some things about
altitude sickness, about Everest, etc, that I already know based on
previous books, so this was a little boring ... Read More:
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