Imagine that you are on a backpacking trek in the mountains. In the morning, from your tent, you admire the surrounding peaks and are drawn to them. What would it take to climb them? Or perhaps you are about to join a party climbing Rainier, in pursuit of a longtime dream. What do you need to know? Mountaineering Handbook will tell you. The central premise of this book is that mountaineering as practiced by the great majority of climbers the great majority of the time involves third-class climbing (with hands and feet) and fourth-class climbing (with the use of a rope for safety) but no fifth-class routes. "Fifth-class" describes the most difficult and technical climbing, wherein the leader must be belayed and intermediate anchors must be used for protection. It's the kind of climbing done by rock and ice climbers on local crags. There it is tough, demanding, and dangerous, but when translated to high and remote mountain peaks it is many times more so. The degree of exposure and the consequences of small mistakes magnify geometrically. And when the object is to summit a mountain, fifth-class climbing is unnecessary. The south col of Everest is a fourth-class route, albeit one requiring the commitment of a major expedition to undertake. That is why, for the greatest number of mountaineers, third- and fourth-class climbing is an end in itself. And it is why a book that covers fifth-class as well as third- and fourth-class climbing is like a book that covers both whitewater and sea kayaking. Mountaineering Handbook is the first instructional guide written for the great majority of aspiring mountaineers, those who fall (no pun intended) between beginner and advanced climber. Many are experienced backpackers who love the mountains and want to take on new challenges there. Others are "peak baggers" or adventure travelers, and still others are sport and gym climbers looking for a way into the mountains. Even many experienced mountaineers will want a book that helps them organize and update their skills repertoire; many use outdated methods simply because of the lack of popular sources for learning anything better.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Mountaineering 1. Introduction Who's It For? 2. Let's Go Climbing Together Get Your Head Ready Get Your Skills Ready Fast and Light Get Your Body Ready Get Your Gear Ready Get Started Base Camp The Alpine Start The Approach The Climb Onto the Rock Retreat Be Resourceful Be Tough Have Fun Part 2: The Approach 3. Moving Fast on the Trail On the Approach On the Climb 4. Wilderness Navigation Navigation with Maps Handy Navigation Features Resorting to Your Compass Altimeters New-School Mapping GPS and UTM Estimating Travel Time Lost Another Way of Navigating 5. Mountain Hazards Rockfall and Icefall Rain River Crossings Lightning Avalanche Altitude Heat and Cold Sun and UV 6. Mountain Weather What You Already Know Clouding the Picture When Weather Gets a Lift Climatology Predicting Mountain Weather Using Local Observations Lifting the Fog 7. The Alpine Start Why Start Early Morning Begins at Sundown Turning Off the Lights The Dread Bivouac Part 3: Rock 8. Climb Rating Systems Climb with Class The YDS Ice with That? Making the Grade What Does All This Mean to Mountaineers? 9. Your Climbing Rope The Basics Single, Half, Twin What Specs Are Unimportant? What Specs Matter? Recommendations for Mountaineering Ropes Handling and Caring for Your Rope 10. Equipment for Rock Climbing Climbing Harness Belay/Rappel Brakes Helmet Carabiners Runners and Slings Cordelette Protection Hardware Nut Tool Rap Ring Knife 11. Climbing Forces Physics 001 Static Forces Dynamic Forces and Leader Falls Real-World Influences on Fall Forces Strength of Safety-System Components Force Multiplication 12. Anchors Tying In Simple Anchors Complex Anchors What's a Mountaineer to Do? 13. Rappelling Get Connected Rappel Anchors Getting Started Joining Two Ropes for Rappelling Final Preparations Self-Belay While Rappelling Cast Off As You Alight Last Is Best Freeing a Stuck Rope 14. Climbing on Rock Preliminaries Belaying the Leader Leading Climbing Placing Pro Belaying the Second Seconding Changeover Moving Fast on Rock Part 4: Snow and Ice 15. Equipment for Snow and Ice Climbing Mountaineering Ax Crampons Snowshoes Trekking Poles Pulkke Goggles Shovel Protection Hardware and Personal Gear 16. Climbing Snow and Ice Ascending Snow Crampon Techniques Mountaineering Ax Techniques Descending Roped Travel on Snow Climbing with Protection Moving Fast on Snow Climbing Ice Part 5: Base Camp Basics 17. Lightweight Mountaineering Step Lightly 18. Equipment for Base Camp Boots and Shoes Backpacks Clothing Systems Shelter Systems Sleeping Systems Fuel and Stoves Ten Essentials Rethought for Mountaineering First-Aid Kit Non-Essentials Ten Essentials for Cooking Water Purification 19. Performance Nutrition for Mountaineers Calorie Consumption Partial Repletion Is Best Hydration Electrolyte Repletion Calories on the Go Throwing Fat on the Fire Protein--You Eat What You Are Reality Nutrition and Altitude A Dog's Breakfast Nutrition on the Go Get Started as Soon as You Stop Repletion Starts with Water Then Total Calories Reality Dining--Again Catching Up on Electrolytes Nutritional Supplements Sports Supplements Vegetarian Mountaineers 20. Training for Mountaineering Follow the Training Advice of German Existentialist Philosophers VO2max--The Measure of Aerobic Fitness Percentage of VO2max--The Measure of Your Personal Aerobic Exercise Intensity Heart Rate--The Measure for Most of Us How Long Does Training Take? At What Intensity Should I Train? What Aerobic Exercises Work for Mountaineers? Strength Training Persistence Mental Training 21. Wilderness First Aid Wilderness First-Aid Instruction First-Aid Kit Shocking Takeaway Example Psychological First Aid 22. Protecting the Natural Environment Leave No Trace Access Be Like Ed Part 6: Advanced Techniques 23. Lightweight Ropes Rappelling Belaying the Leader on a Thin Rope Belaying the Second Releasing an Autoblock 24. Roped Parties Simul-Climbing Fixed Ropes Rappelling by a Group 25. Self-Rescue Think Ahead Plan Your Escape Ascending Pulley Systems Assisted Descending Evacuation 26. Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue How They Get That Way Organizing the Rope Team Off We Go Safe Camping When Luck Runs Out Part 7: The Human Dimensions of Mountaineering 27. Human Factors and Not Technical Factors? Risk Management and Decision Making Controlling Fear Leadership Emergency Response 28. Why Do We Do It? Travel Solo Travel with Charlie Appendix A. Additional Skills Appendix B. Resources Appendix C. Glossary Index

About the Author

Craig Connally is in his third decade of mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and climbing rock and ice. He climbs with instructors and guides and has mentored beginning climbers.