The Mountaineering Handbook: Modern Tools and Techniques That Will Take You to the Top »

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.

Modern Mountaineering on Alpine Rock, Snow, and Ice

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 The Mountaineering Handbook isn't mired in outdated traditionalism; its new-school techniques are safer, more effective, and more fun for mountaineers at every level.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 you 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
• Select the best equipment for your personal style and objectives
• 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—The Mountaineering Handbook is clever, insightful, and entertaining. 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.

“Backpackers venture into the wilderness to see a little farther, but mountaineers describe their adventures as means of looking more closely into their own selves—to see a little deeper. Climbing mountains compels introspection because every detail—from the smallest to the most ominous—must be constantly attended to. That’s both exhausting and exhilarating. Exhilarating, because the criteria for success are absolute and absolutely objective—they are chosen by the mountain, not by the mountaineer, and every person is equal when judged by mountains. Success requires mountaineers to appraise their own physical and mental capacities and to know, or discover, the extent of their reserves of competence, commitment, and courage. Mountaineering does not build character so much as it reveals it."—from The Mountaineering Handbook

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.

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.

Part 1: Mountaineering1. IntroductionWho's It For?2. Let's Go Climbing TogetherGet Your Head ReadyGet Your Skills ReadyFast and LightGet Your Body ReadyGet Your Gear ReadyGet StartedBase CampThe Alpine StartThe ApproachThe ClimbOnto the RockRetreatBe ResourcefulBe ToughHave FunPart 2: The Approach3. Moving Fast on the TrailOn the ApproachOn the Climb4. Wilderness NavigationNavigation with MapsHandy Navigation FeaturesResorting to Your CompassAltimetersNew-School MappingGPS and UTMEstimating Travel TimeLostAnother Way of Navigating5. Mountain HazardsRockfall and IcefallRainRiver CrossingsLightningAvalancheAltitudeHeat and ColdSun and UV6. Mountain WeatherWhat You Already KnowClouding the PictureWhen Weather Gets a LiftClimatologyPredicting Mountain Weather Using Local ObservationsLifting the Fog7. The Alpine StartWhy Start EarlyMorning Begins at SundownTurning Off the LightsThe Dread BivouacPart 3: Rock8. Climb Rating SystemsClimb with ClassThe YDSIce with That?Making the GradeWhat Does All This Mean to Mountaineers?9. Your Climbing RopeThe BasicsSingle, Half, TwinWhat Specs Are Unimportant?What Specs Matter?Recommendations for Mountaineering RopesHandling and Caring for Your Rope10. Equipment for Rock ClimbingClimbing HarnessBelay/Rappel BrakesHelmetCarabinersRunners and SlingsCordeletteProtection HardwareNut ToolRap RingKnife11. Climbing ForcesPhysics 001Static ForcesDynamic Forces and Leader FallsReal-World Influences on Fall Forces Strength of Safety-System ComponentsForce Multiplication12. AnchorsTying InSimple AnchorsComplex AnchorsWhat's a Mountaineer to Do?13. RappellingGet ConnectedRappel AnchorsGetting StartedJoining Two Ropes for RappellingFinal PreparationsSelf-Belay While RappellingCast OffAs You AlightLast Is BestFreeing a Stuck Rope14. Climbing on RockPreliminariesBelaying the LeaderLeadingClimbingPlacing ProBelaying the SecondSecondingChangeoverMoving Fast on RockPart 4: Snow and Ice15. Equipment for Snow and Ice ClimbingMountaineering AxCramponsSnowshoesTrekking PolesPulkkeGogglesShovelProtection Hardware and Personal Gear16. Climbing Snow and IceAscending SnowCrampon TechniquesMountaineering Ax TechniquesDescendingRoped Travel on SnowClimbing with ProtectionMoving Fast on SnowClimbing Ice Part 5: Base Camp Basics17. Lightweight MountaineeringStep Lightly18. Equipment for Base CampBoots and ShoesBackpacksClothing SystemsShelter SystemsSleeping SystemsFuel and StovesTen Essentials Rethought for MountaineeringFirst-Aid KitNon-EssentialsTen Essentials for CookingWater Purification19. Performance Nutrition for MountaineersCalorie ConsumptionPartial Repletion Is BestHydrationElectrolyte RepletionCalories on the GoThrowing Fat on the FireProtein—You Eat What You AreReality Nutrition and AltitudeA Dog's BreakfastNutrition on the GoGet Started as Soon as You StopRepletion Starts with WaterThen Total CaloriesReality Dining—AgainCatching Up on ElectrolytesNutritional SupplementsSports SupplementsVegetarian Mountaineers20. Training for MountaineeringFollow the Training Advice of German ExistentialistPhilosophersVO2max—The Measure of Aerobic FitnessPercentage of VO2max—The Measure of Your Personal Aerobic Exercise IntensityHeart Rate—The Measure for Most of UsHow Long Does Training Take?At What Intensity Should I Train?What Aerobic Exercises Work for Mountaineers?Strength TrainingPersistenceMental Training21. Wilderness First AidWilderness First-Aid InstructionFirst-Aid KitShockingTakeaway ExamplePsychological First Aid22. Protecting the Natural EnvironmentLeave No TraceAccessBe Like EdPart 6: Advanced Techniques23. Lightweight RopesRappellingBelaying the Leader on a Thin RopeBelaying the SecondReleasing an Autoblock24. Roped PartiesSimul-ClimbingFixed RopesRappelling by a Group25. Self-RescueThink AheadPlan Your EscapeAscendingPulley SystemsAssisted DescendingEvacuation26. Glacier Travel and Crevasse RescueHow They Get That WayOrganizing the Rope TeamOff We GoSafe CampingWhen Luck Runs OutPart 7: The Human Dimensions of Mountaineering27. Human Factors and Not Technical Factors?Risk Management and Decision MakingControlling FearLeadershipEmergency Response28. Why Do We Do It?Travel SoloTravel with CharlieAppendix A. Additional SkillsAppendix B. ResourcesAppendix C. GlossaryIndex