Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

I've been reading this book for decades, but recently bought a Chinese-edition for my husband and I thought I should read it again in my own language so I could understand what he was referring to. I was surprised to find that clothing fabrics have changed since I left the US in 1996. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, since a lot has changed since 96.As always, I find new elements every time I read this book.My husband's understanding of "mountaineers" are the 1000s of fashion decked Asians who take to the hills in Japan, Korea and China, sometimes in high heels, maybe carrying a day pack and dining on pricey dinners at the huts on the peaks. Dinner is helicoptered in, along with wine and beer.So, a cold night in the woods, low temp 29, sleeping in a tent, cooking on a camp stove and, in one private camp site, an open fire, has been a whole new world for him. He doesn't yet understand how bad cotton is -- wet, won't dry, etc., -- and how important it is to dress only in moisture wicking fabrics. He doesn't yet understand, although this weekends overnight low of 29 with a daytime afternoon temp near 70, is helping him, to understand how radically the conditions can change and how suddenly. About 5 degree per hour.Understanding simple facts like blisters on feet, clean water and body temperature control is critical not only to surviving the mountains, but for me, the most important, enjoying it. This weekend after the sunset, it was some 6 hours before moon rise, leaving dozens and dozens of stars visible inside Orion. The sky was exquisite, the sound of the Colorado River, the rustling of the wind in the branches, the warmth of the open fire. It's heaven! Truly heaven. But only if you're not freezing. I should have brought polypro liner gloves and 4-season sleeping bags, but I thought the overnight low was forecast to be in the 40s. Sleeping in winter temps in 3-season sleeping bags was a little uncomfortable.Gotta know the probable conditions, the options for equipment and plan ahead. There's so much planning and thinking in mountaineering. This book is the best way to get the brain juices flowing to think of everything I should have thought of and of course, a great way to move ahead is to realize I should have brought this or that and remember it next time.Life in the mountains is marvelous and this book is a must to make it a truly wonderful experience.

I have been backpacking, hiking, and climbing since I was little, and I am amazed at how much I have learned from this book about subjects I thought I had already mastered. This is the perfect resource for those looking to go from climbing fourteeners on Class Two routes to fall and winter climbs, couloir ascents, vertical faces, and taller glaciated mountains.To be honest, certain areas touched upon in this book are more thoroughly covered by other sources. The segment on avalanches is far from comprehensive, for instance, but the book admits very openly when further information is required, and points the reader in the right direction about where to learn more. However, certain users will not find this book very useful because of its focus on attaining summits. If you are looking for a book on hiking and backpacking, the first one hundred pages will be extremely valuable, but the remainder will be too summit-focused and too climbing-centric to be of much use. For those looking for info on skiing, this book has some interesting observations, but largely avoids the subject. To these people, I would recomend they look for more specialized books in their particular subjects until they gain an interest in bagging peaks.For anybody whatsoever looking to start climbing summits above treeline, performing vertical climbs of any difficulty, reviewing old materials, or looking at improving skills or developing new ones for climbing, this book is absolutely required. No matter your skill level, this book will have useful information to reference, review, or expand upon. There are no other books whose breadth, clarity, and organization match this book's.To put it poetically, for all aspiring mountaineers, this book is the Regolith upon which your skills should build. It should be the anchor upon which you hang. It will be a compass to those who know how to use it and appreciate its value, guiding you in the right direction. As the old saying goes, there are many paths to the summit, and this book will reveal all the ways to get there.

I was first introduced to mountaineering in the Boy Scouts at age 12; Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills was in it's fourth edition, I believe, and my scoutmaster recommended I read it. I consider it not only the most helpful boy scout manual on the planet, but the best manual for anything that involves trails, hiking, camping, backpacking, technical climbing, and beyond. It covers all of the aforementioned as well as proper technique, safety, trail etiquette, gear (which has been updated in this version to include new materials offered to to public - Gore-Tex was brand new and prohibitively expensive when I was younger, but membrane jackets and clothing are common place nowadays), survival, menu planning, climbing gear and technique, and a boat load more. I recommend it for anybody and everybody who wants to get off the tarmac and enjoy the wilderness. Many sections include illustrations so it is easier to visualize. Just about every time I go camping or hiking, I use some tip, technique, or principle found in the book (from digging a proper snow cave or avoiding bears to preserving body heat while stranded at 12,000 feet on a rock ledge on the Grand Teton after the sun went down with only a rain jacket and beanie). Seriously, if you are considering it, buy it! Best $20 you'll ever spend on camping gear. It's not just for the hardcore mountaineer, either, but for ANYBODY who ventures off the paved road. It is several hundred pages, but it is well organized and easy to find information pertinent to your interests and abilities, plus some.

For a beginner it helped to learn the theory first and then go to the rocks especially in relation to knotting and use of the belay device to rappel, etc. The conditioning guide is pretty comprehensive but wasn't particularly diverse; it didn't need to be . It gave guidelines on how to physically and mentally condition oneself and provided examples of exercises one might do. Huge book with lots of info that I haven't even begun to touch yet. Worth every pence.

This is the most comprehensive manual on mountaineering that I have read - I will even forgive it for being American! As we have had some iconic british mountaineering manuals, this does come out on top in my opinion

Ho acquistato questo libro in quanto la versione tradotta in italiano "Il Grande Libro Della Montagna" della Mondadori ISBN 9788804544166 purtroppo non è più disponibile nelle librerie e nemmeno online.CI sono molte illustrazioni e fornisce le basi per molte attività (preparazione dello zaino, montaggio tende, scelta di scarponi ramponi vestiario, nodi, metodi per procedere in sicurezza, ambiente innevato, clima ecc...).Inoltre a mio parere il prezzo è davvero buono considerata la vastità di argomenti trattati in un unico libro.

This book; 'Mountaineering Freedom Of the Hills' is DEFINITELY the Very Best - Detailed - Technical - information for Mountaineering, Rock Climbing or anyone out exploring - adventures in the mountains!It has IMPORTANT Life Saving Information! ANYONE who ventures out in the mountains or on the rock should have this book and study it Intensely. It may save your life one day. Definitely worth every $ spent on purchase.Highly recommend. (Note: the paperback copy is just as good as hardback copy and a little better price.) If you love the mountains you will love this wealth of information!

Good book, it covers nearly every argument you should be aware of if you intend to be a good mountaineer. Once you have read it you may be happy to deepen your knowledge and technique with other books (like mountaineering outdoor series ) as well as a guided high skill course in your preferred field. Some pictures about nodes are not clear enough but the book is very well done. Personally I'd like to see more breathtaking picture. The most recent edition is not available on amazon Italian digital warehouse, thus you need to move your kindle in uk (and pay gbp over price of 20%) and get the last edition. That's why one star less.