Climbing and mountaineering Books

Book Synopsis'Well if you have a big life, a lot of stuff happens. Dad had a big life.' - Peter Hillary Edmund Hillary is a towering figure among adventurers. His conquest of Everest and his dedication to the welfare of the Nepalese people is well known. While much has been written about what Sir Edmund Hillary did, 'Ed', the man behind the legend, is less well known in large part because he controlled how his story was told. The years leading up to Everest and the other great adventures are remarkable enough, but it is the drama of Ed's later years that throws light onto the world of the private man: the death of his wife and daughter in an air crash, his remarriage to the widow of an old friend, and, finally, the falling out, after his own death, of family members and those in his inner circle. Ed's image was that of a simple, straightforward man, but in reality he was a complex bundle of paradoxes. He was an individualist who always worked with a team; a young loner who came to be loved by millions; a sometimes distant father who was seen as a surrogate parent by thousands of Nepalese; and a left-leaning thinker who accepted the highest order of chivalry from Queen Elizabeth II. This is the story of the man behind the legend.

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Book SynopsisOn Thin Ice is Mick Fowler's second set of climbing memoirs, following Vertical Pleasure. Here, the celebrated mountaineer records his expeditions since 1990 where, despite work and family commitments, he maintained a regular series of 'big trips' to challenging objectives around the world with a sequence of major successes. The combination of exotic travel with major climbs provides the ultimate adrenalin-soaked holiday experience that Mick Fowler has mastered to the full. We are transported from the cliffs of Jordan to remote peaks in deepest Asia via Taweche and Changabang in the Himalaya, with jaunts to the Andes and Alaska thrown in for good measure. That Fowler has organised this routine for years, while holding down a conventional nine-to-five job with the Inland Revenue, has constantly amazed his peers. In this, his second book, he has also mastered the skills of amusing travel-writing to entertain us as a preliminary to the finale of a titanic struggle on each of his fiendishly demanding climbs. His ascent of Siguniang in 2002, with Paul Ramsden featured hard ice climbing on a fabulous face in deepest China and was so admired by the international climbing community that it won the US Golden Piton and the French Piolets d'Or, both awards given for the finest alpine achievements in the world during that year. Fowler describes his travels in the great traditions, with engaging modesty and wit, but the climbs themselves are frequently so dramatic that the anxiety and tension forces its way to the surface to be matched by a corresponding relief and triumph when success and safe descent is achieved.Trade Review'The paradox of a highly professional tax man being arrested for climbing has the hint of iconic myth about it, and deliberately taps into the anarchic, anti-establishment impulse seemingly ingrained in all serious climbers.' (Tim Noble, Climbers' Club Journal). 'We are invited to visit places from Jordan to the Himalaya and share in activities of a collection of climbing partners which include some of the biggest names in mountaineering.' (Paul Hudson, Fell and Rock Climbing Club Journal). 'Mick Fowler's name is utterly synonymous with adventure - British style.' (Dave MacLeod, Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal). 'On Thin Ice is inspiring at every turn. Fowler's humility is a nice touch, and while I believe it is genuine, this is no ordinary bloke, this is a truly extraordinary climber.' (David Stevenson, American Alpine Club Journal). 'What shines through the book is the palpable enjoyment and enthusiasm which enables him to keep making tiring and difficult journeys to potentially dangerous mountains.' (Stephen Venables, Climber Magazine).

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Book SynopsisKen Wilson’s Classic Rock is one of the most popular and iconic works of climbing literature ever written. Along with Hard Rock and Extreme Rock, it has acquired legendary status. First published in 1978, Classic Rock represented the absolute best of British climbing at that time, quickly establishing itself as a must-have publication. It is a celebration of 80 of the best lower-grade routes in Great Britain, bringing them to life through a superb selection of photographs, anecdotes and essays from some of the most accomplished climbers of the day. ‘Ticking’ the book became an instant and obvious challenge, and remains so to this day (Wilson wasn’t a fan, describing it as ‘puerile ticking’). Any climber working his or her way through the book will be taken on a tour of the finest routes on the best cliffs and crags to be found throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Many of the routes in the book were established over a century ago. At that time the Victorian and Edwardian alpinists, flushed with successes abroad, sought harder challenges at home. With their well-honed confidence, they went straight for the biggest cliffs of Scotland. Anyone seeking to retrace their steps will immediately be transported to bold lines of weakness up otherwise daunting precipices! Before long these pioneers trailed their hemp ropes and balanced their hobnail boots up the sea cliffs of Cornwall and the gritstone edges of the Pennines, and the crags of the Lake District and North Wales. These climbers provided us with a great national treasure – a repository of adventure and spectacle that can provide a lifetime’s enjoyment and challenge. An ascent of a great historic route will rarely disappoint. Such routes retain much of their original challenge, unsullied by the pitons and bolts often found on their continental equivalents. They take bold, logical lines up otherwise difficult cliffs – usually cleaned and stabilised by years of use. Classic Rock provides a mere sampling of these treasures. This latest edition has been transformed with over 300 new colour photos. These sit alongside archive images to create an inspirational dialogue between today’s climbers and those of history. Fifty-five chapters, contributed by acclaimed climbers and writers such as Jim Perrin, Paul Nunn and Angela Soper, describe the finest classic rock climbs in Britain.Table of ContentsPreface The Early Days of Classic Climbing PEAK AND PENNINE1 FLYING BUTTRESS, APRIL CRACK, BLACK SLAB Stanage Edge Jim Perrin 2 SAIL BUTTRESS, TOPSAIL, POWDER MONKEY PARADE Birchen Edge Charles Clark 3 CENTRAL CLIMB (K2 and Modern) Hen Cloud Paul Nunn 4 VIA DOLOROSA, BLACK AND TANS, TECHNICAL SLAB The Roaches Dave Cook 5 PARSONS’ CHIMNEY Almscliff Crag Angela Soper 6 RED PENCIL DIRECT Penyghent Anthony Greenbank NORTH WALES7 MILESTONE DIRECT ROUTE Milestone Buttress Barbara James 8 GASHED CRAG, FIRST PINNACLE RIB, GROOVED ARÊTE Tryfan Showell Styles 9 DIRECT ROUTE Glyder Fach David Cox 10 HOPE, LAZARUS, THE ARÊTE, GREY SLAB Idwal Slabs/Glyder Fawr Ron James 11 GREAT GULLY Craig yr Ysfa Tony Moulam 12 FLYING BUTTRESS, SPIRAL STAIRS Dinas Cromlech Roger Grimshaw 13 CRACKSTONE RIB, WRINKLE Carreg Wastad Dave Cook 14 NEA Clogwyn y Grochan Nea Morin 15 THE CRACKS Dinas Mot Anne Wheatcroft 16 MAIN WALL Cyrn Las Sir Charles Evans 17 AVALANCHE, RED WALL, LONGLAND’S CONTINUATION Lliwedd Harold Drasdo 18 CREAGH DHU WALL Tremadog Rocks Jim Perrin 19 WILL-O’-THE-WISP Craig Cywarch John SumnerSOUTH-WEST ENGLAND20 PITON ROUTE Avon Gorge Mike Thompson 21 CLIMBERS’ CLUB ORDINARY Dewerstone Mike Banks 22 THE DEVIL’S SLIDE Lundy John Cleare 23 DEMO ROUTE Sennen Robert Moulton 24 TERRIER’S TOOTH, PENDULUM CHIMNEY Chair Ladder Dave Cook 25 DOORPOST Bosigran Mike Banks THE LAKE DISTRICT26 LITTLE CHAMONIX Shepherd’s Crag Angela Soper 27 TROUTDALE PINNACLE Black Crag Anthony Greenbank 28 GILLERCOMBE BUTTRESS Gillercombe Joann Greenhow 29 NAPES NEEDLE Great Gable Paul Nunn 30 TOPHET WALL Great Gable Dennis Gray 31 ASH TREE SLABS, C ROUTE Gimmer Crag Lord Hunt 32 BRACKET AND SLAB Gimmer Crag Tom Price 33 BOWFELL BUTTRESS Bowfell Walt Unsworth34 MURRAY’S ROUTE Dow Crag Anthony Greenbank 35 NEW WEST CLIMB, RIB AND SLAB Pillar Rock C. Douglas Milner 36 JONES’S ROUTE DIRECT FROM LORD’S RAKE Scafell Pinnacle Tony Toole 37 MOSS GHYLL GROOVES Scafell Crag Tom Price SCOTLAND 38 SOU’WESTER SLABS, LABYRINTH Cir Mhor, Isle of Arran Graham Little 39 RECESS ROUTE, PUNSTER’S CRACK, ARDGARTEN ARÊTE The Cobbler John Mackenzie 40 NORTH FACE ROUTE,AGAG’S GROOVE Buachaille Etive Mòr Tom Weir 41 THE CHASM Buachaille Etive Mòr Ken Crocket 42 LONG CRACK,ARCHER RIDGE,CRYPT ROUTE Aonach Dubh/B.nam Bian John Mackenzie 43 CLACHAIG GULLY Glen Coe Allan Austin 44 ARDVERIKIE WALL Binnein Shuas Bill Skidmore 45 SAVAGE SLIT Coire an Lochain Doug Lang 46 THE CLEAN SWEEP Hell’s Lum Crag Allen Fyffe 47 THE TALISMAN Creagan a’Choire Etchachan Brian Lawrie 48 SQUAREFACE Garbh Choire, Beinn a’Bhuird Martin Burrows Smith 49 MITRE RIDGE (CUMMING/CROFTON ROUTE) Garbh Choire, Beinn a’Bhuird Robin Campbell 50 EAGLE RIDGE Lochnagar Bill Brooker 51 THE CIOCH NOSE Applecross Donald Bennet 52 CIOCH DIRECT, ARROW ROUTE, INTEGRITY Sron na Ciche, Isle of Skye Paul Brian 53 THE BLACK CUILLIN RIDGE Isle of Skye Ted Maden 54 TOWER RIDGE Ben Nevis Robin Campbell 55 THE LONG CLIMB Ben Nevis Malcolm Slesser Other Good Climbs Map Guidebooks/Maps Grading Comparisons Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisIn Distant Snows, mountaineer John Harding recollects his worldwide adventures spanning sixty years across Europe, Iran, East Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Arctic. He climbed many classic peaks including Mont Blanc, Mount Kenya, and Mount Cook, explored obscure ranges, and pioneered ski mountaineering expeditions in Turkey, Spain and Greece.Written with candour, a sharp eye for the tragicomic and with a sympathetic insight into the history and culture of indigenous mountain peoples, Harding’s compelling narrative proclaims the power of nature, the glory of landscape and the spirit of the mountains. Distant Snows is a window into the mind and passions of a mountaineer while faithfully preserving the memory of the many characters who accompanied him on his mountain odyssey.With a foreword by the celebrated explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Distant Snows offers tales of serious undertakings as well as more leisurely exploits, complemented by Harding’s personal photographs and hand-drawn maps. This is a must-read for mountaineers, lovers of the natural world and those with aspirations of adventure.Trade ReviewThe book is a fantastic reminder that you can have great adventures without being a top flight, up to the moment Tiger. – Stevie Haston Harding’s numerous achievements, and the fact that he still alive to tell the tale, are proof that much can be attained through determination, some degree of prudence and an open mind. Not only is this book a good read for anyone interested in mountains, Harding's knowledge of the history and culture of the places he visits, so eloquently woven into the narrative, brings a dimension to mountain adventure that will appeal to a wider audience than the mountaineer. – Adele Long, editor of the Alpine Club newsletter Whether you’re an armchair adventurer, a ski mountaineer, or a travel fanatic you need to read Distant Snows. All 18 chapters will inspire you to get outside, explore the mountains, and chase your dreams. Add this one to your book shelf of mountaineering novels. – Derek Lennon, A Mountain Journey I think this book will become a classic of its genre, a life story packed with interest, adventure and history. – Dennis Gray With over 300 pages packed with stories from all the corners of the earth Harding truly has had an insatiable thirst for travel and exploration. – Nick Carter, Alpha MountaineeringTable of ContentsPreface; Foreword by Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE; Chapter 1 The Persian Expedition; Chapter 2 At the Crossroads; Chapter 3 Snow on the Equator I: Mount Kenya; Chapter 4 Olympian Heights: Greece and Anatolia; Chapter 5 Snow on the Equator II: Mount Kenya and Ruwenzori; Chapter 6 Kurdish Hakkiari; Chapter 7 Antipodean Ventures I; Chapter 8 Mixed Fortunes; Chapter 9 Mountains of Paradise; Chapter 10 End of an Era; Chapter 11 'Ski mountaineering is mountaineering'; Chapter 12 Antipodean Ventures II; Chapter 13 The Taurus; Chapter 14 The Pontic Alps; Chapter 15 Mediterranean Snow to Arctic Ice; Chapter 16 Hellas Rears its Mountains; Chapter 17 Alpine Envoi; Chapter 18 Treks Far and Wide; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature. The Uncrowned King of Mont Blanc by Peter Foster is the biography of scientist and mountaineer Thomas Graham Brown, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the mountain earned him the soubriquet, and whose achievements in the Alps and Greater Ranges place him at the forefront of British mountaineering between the two world wars.Born in Edinburgh in 1882, Graham Brown first pursued a career in the sciences as a physiologist – his exacting father demanding the highest standards – and the results of his research, largely unrecognised at the time, now underpin current understanding of the nervous control of movement in animals and man. His mountaineering career began in earnest after the First World War. From rock climbing in the Lake District he progressed to guided climbs in the Alps, where in 1927 he was fatefully introduced to Frank Smythe with whom he made the groundbreaking first ascents of the Sentinelle Rouge and the Route Major on the Brenva Face of Mont Blanc. This resulted in an obsession with the mountain and a feud between the pair that smouldered and flared for twenty years.Ambitious, determined and uncompromising in his views, he never left others feeling neutral: Geoffrey Winthrop Young thought him ‘a vicious lunatic’, yet Charles Houston felt closer to Graham Brown ‘than almost anyone else I know’. Graham Brown’s life was one of turbulence in his career, relationships and in the mountains, whether on expeditions to Mount Foraker, Nanda Devi and Masherbrum, or most frequently, the Alps.Peter Foster has drawn upon diaries, letters and extensive archival research that illuminate the highs and lows of Graham Brown’s scientific and climbing careers, and explores the imbalance between the significance of his achievements and the lack of recognition he received. But, above all, The Uncrowned King of Mont Blanc allows one to hear Graham Brown’s voice: querulous, opinionated and, to the discomfort of his many adversaries, almost always right.Table of ContentsForeword by Lindsay Griffin. Introduction. Chapter 1: Early Influences. Chapter 2: First Steps in Physiology. Chapter 3: Sherrington and Liverpool. Chapter 4: Physiologist at War. Chapter 5: Professor. Chapter 6: A New Direction. Chapter 7: To the Alps. Chapter 8: Climbs with F.S. Smythe. Chapter 9: Fallout. Chapter 10: Alpine Heyday. Chapter 11: The Alpine Club. Chapter 12: Annus Mirabilis. Chapter 13: C.S. Houston and Mount Foraker. Chapter 14: Himalayan Prospects. Chapter 15: Nanda Devi. Chapter 16: Masherbrum. Chapter 17: Interlude. Chapter 18: Return to the Mountains. Chapter 19: Editor of the Alpine Journal. Chapter 20: Alpine Historian. Chapter 21: Vagabond Professor. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisI personally have always been quite comfortable either halfway up or halfway down a steep, snowy mountainside. Ascents and Descents is the autobiography of Peter Allison: civil engineer, rock climber, ski-mountaineer and mountain guide. Starting out on the crags of north-east England as a young boy, Peter soon became immersed in the emerging climbing scene of the 1950s, when harnesses were a thing of the future, and hemp ropes and plimsolls were the staple climbing gear. He soon began to explore ice climbing and mixed climbing, progressing to crags in the Lake District and then the Alps, and claiming several first British ascents. Over the course of an impressive sixty-five-year climbing career, he climbed hard lines on the high mountains, including the North Face of the Eiger and the Hoernli Ridge on the Matterhorn. Having initially juggled climbing with a thriving and extremely busy quarrying business, Peter decided it was time to dedicate more time to his love of the hills, and qualified as a mountain guide, subsequently specialising in routes on the Chamonix Aiguilles, the Aiguille du Chardonnet and the Aiguille d'Argentiere. He built an excellent reputation, balancing fun and risk with safety and prudence, and always putting his clients first. Ascents and Descents tells of the highs and lows of climbing, from standing on a summit in perfect conditions to the frustration of years of rehabilitation from a broken pelvis. Peter Allison recounts his colourful story with honesty, humour and frank detail, leaving you in no doubt about his true passion for the mountains.

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Book SynopsisInherited eczema and allergies made Barbara James different from her classmates, something she did not like. She was lucky. The severity of her eczema had lessened when her teacher introduced her to the Snowdonia hills. In 1964 she became a full time mountaineering instructor and mountain rescue first aider in Capel Curig at a time when there were few females instructing or leading difficult rock routes. Divorced in 1976 and with a mortgage to pay, Barbara needed a job, and became the first and possibly the only woman civilian to be employed by MOD to train soldiers. At the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion in Folkestone she learned another language, new codes of behaviour, and to lead expeditions. After early retirement, Barbara took her first holiday in 11 years. She was probably the second person to go, unaccompanied, to the magical Falkland Islands soon after the conflict. Alone she walked up Tumbledown, communed with wild life and was told that "Anyone can learn to fly". So on return, her 50th birthday present to herself was to get a Private Pilot's Licence. A year later she flew a Cessna 40 hours solo around Florida. But nothing Barbara had done was as challenging as surviving, alone, the furiously tourist evenings in Tenerife's Playa de Las Americas. Only the magical El Teide National Park and the genuine, spontaneous kindness of the Canarians ensured her return. She rented an apartment in Adeje village and the locals' initial suspicious looks soon disappeared. Itching to Climb tells the story of one woman's undaunting spirit in the face of adversities, of a life spent facing challenges head on, with a singleminded determination to achieve despite the difficulties that life had laid in her way. This is a story of encouragement and hope for anyone who suffers with eczema, or any similar debilitating condition.

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Book SynopsisIn August 1979 twenty-seven-year-old Mike Trueman set sail from the south-west coast of Wales, en route to Cornwall. The young army helicopter pilot was helping to move his friend's yacht from Northern Ireland to the south coast of England. But as they sailed out into the Irish Sea, the sky turned progressively darker and the winds gathered pace. Over the next twenty-four hours the two young sailors battled to survive force-10 gales in what became known as the Fastnet disaster and which claimed the lives of fifteen sailors off the coast of Ireland.Almost seventeen years later, Trueman was at Camp 2 at 6,400 metres on Mount Everest as the May 1996 tragedy unfolded high above him. As stricken guides, clients and Sherpas tried to survive the fierce storms which engulfed the upper mountain, Trueman was able to descend and - using his twenty-four years of experience as an officer in the British Army - coordinate the rescue effort from Base Camp. The Storms is the remarkable memoir of a British Army Gurkha officer. Trueman, a veteran of twenty expeditions to the Himalaya, gives a candid account of life inside expeditions to the highest mountain in the world. He gives a unique personal perspective on the 1996 Everest storm, as well as on the fateful day in May 1999 when Briton Mike Matthews disappeared high on the mountain after he and Trueman had summited.

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Book SynopsisIn 1959, sixteen-year-old Ian ‘Spike’ Sykes left school and, after a short period of work at Leeds University, joined the RAF. Already a keen climber, he signed up on the promise of excitement and adventure and was posted to the remote RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team in the north of Scotland. It was the beginning of a journey which would see him involved in some of the most legendary call-outs in Scottish mountain rescue history, including the 1963 New Year tragedy on the Isle of Skye.In the Shadow of Ben Nevis tells Spike’s story from growing up in Leeds in the aftermath of the Second World War, to his time with the RAF during the cold war. After leaving the RAF, he remained an active member of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and was involved in the first lower down the north face of Ben Nevis – an epic 1,500-foot descent to rescue stricken climbers in the middle of winter.Following a two-and-a-half-year stint on Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey, he returned to the Highlands and opened the first Nevisport shop with his close friend Ian ‘Suds’ Sutherland. Together, they brought Sunday trading to Fort William and were one of a small number of shops to revolutionise outdoor retail in the UK. Later, he was a key player in the development of the Nevis Range ski area. Over many years, and against all odds, the project became a reality and a great success.Recounted within these pages are a great many lively tales of adventures and mishaps, told with immediacy and charm. With a foreword by legendary Scottish mountaineer Hamish MacInnes, a close friend of Spike’s, In the Shadow of Ben Nevis is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Scottish mountaineering and mountain rescue.Trade ReviewThis book tells of the life and experiences of a unique character and should appeal to anyone with a spirit of adventure. – Stu Gallagher, Alpine Club One man in his time plays many parts.’ This is certainly true of Spike, and this autobiography takes us through them ‒ RAF MRT member in the primitive pre-helicopter days, outdoor instructor, FIDS ‘gash man’, entrepreneur, Lochaber MRT member, and throughout it all a climber whose experience ranges from hitch-hiking and barn-dossing as an impoverished teenager to helicopter drops into exotic locations. Not a typical climbing autobiography ‒ and all the better for it. – R T Richardson, former president of the Scottish Mountaineering Club Suffice to say, In The Shadow... is a rattling good yarn, and that’s before you even get on to Sykes’s life-saving work with the Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team and his climbing adventures in the Alps, the Yukon and elsewhere. – Roger Cox, The Scotsman This book is a good read about a man and his life of adventure in the mountains and out of them. – Nick Carter, Alpha Mountaineering It recounts many lively tales of adventure and mishap. – Eilidh Davies, Highland News His stories of epic mountain rescues before the age of helicopter assistance, good communications, organised rescue teams and enforced drink driving laws are riveting. – Dave McLeod, Blogspot Hats off to Ian Sykes for a terrific read. Very highly recommended. – Ullapool NewsTable of ContentsForeword by Hamish MacInnes; 1 Fort William Station; 2 Garforth; 3 Fulneck; 4 Kinloss Mountain Rescue; 5 The Alps; 6 A New Year on Skye, 1963; 7 Locheil; 8 Falkland Islands; 9 Deception Island; 10 Stonington; 11 That's One Small Step for Man; 12 Nevisport; 13 Callop; 14 A Mandarin Murder; 15 The Snow Goose; 16 Nevis Range; 17 Lotus Flower Tower; 18 An Autumn in Siberia; 19 Cochamo; 20 Wadi Rum; 21 The End of the Century; 22 Discovering America.

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Book SynopsisThis is the updated 2nd edition, now in full colour. "Scrambles & Easy Climbs in the Lake District" is about the appreciation of rock, the exhilaration of climbing, and the sheer pleasure of doing it in some of the most beautiful places on earth. By discarding the arbitrary division between scrambles and rock-climbs, the books makes its readers free to explore all the Lake District's rocky places. This book, by two experienced rock-climbers, Jon Sparks and Judith Brown, also offers sound advice on how to get started and how to progress; routes that are safe in the wet, and those that should be saved for perfect conditions; and, where to eat, drink and sleep between the ascents. But above all you'll find 69 routes, from scrambling Grade 1 to rock-climbing V.Diff, which explore the many faces of Lakeland rock. There is no better way to spend a Lakeland day than climbing Scafell Pike via the Esk Gorge, Thor's Buttress and Ill Crags. "Scrambles & Easy Climbs" offers a score of such expeditions, from valley floor to airy summit, with hands on rock almost all the way. Less arduous, but equally enjoyable, are days on valley crags like Shepherd's or stand-alone scrambles like Cam Crag Ridge. You can clamber on sunny Pikes Crag high above Wasdale Head; potter about above the oak woods of the Duddon valley; or climb Kirk Fell the wet way, through the waterfalls of Ill Gill.

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Book SynopsisThe first ascent of the Matterhorn in July 1865 is one of the key events in the history of mountaineering. It was the climax of five years' struggle by the English mountaineer Edward Whymper in competition with Jean Antonie-Carrel, the Italian mountain guide who had grown up in the mountain's shadow. It also produced perhaps the most famous mountaineering accidents of the 19th century, bringing to an end the 'Golden Age of Alpine climbing'. This is the story of the events leading up to this remarkable ascent and its terrible aftermath. This is a gripping classic.Table of ContentsPrologue: Men and the Matterhorn; Part One: The Cast Assembles; Carrel and Bersagliere; The Heir to the Marquess of Queensbury; The Clergyman from the Crimea; Whymper, the Man of the Matterhorn; Part Two: The Play Begins; Parties Converging on a Mountain; Parties Meeting below a Mountain; Part Three: The Tragedy; Ascent; Descent; Part Four: The Aftermath; Search; Enquiry; What the Critics Said; The Abiding Questions; Bibliography.

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Book Synopsis"Preposterous Tales" captures an energy charged tour of the globe by two of Britain's best known and most colourful climbers. Having honed their rock and ice skills on home turf, Neil Gresham and Tim Emmett set out on a crusade which landed them in scrapes in such unlikely destinations as Mongolia, Cuba, Brazil, Quebec and Vietnam. This is an inspiring and uninhibited celebration of climbing at its most diverse.

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Book SynopsisCraig Weldon was born in 1974 in Glasgow. He has been a student, an engineer, a submersible pilot, a songwriter and failed music studio owner, an itinerant temp worker, a technical editor, and a public servant - but the one steady thread has been his love of the hills and his hill-walking companions. Introduced by Hamish Brown.

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Book SynopsisAn inspirational read that will take you to one of the last great frontiers, the mighty Mt McKinley, and an expedition that not only challenged a team of British Mountaineers both physically, mentally and morally, but a trip that nearly cost them their lives. This book takes you on a journey through life changing decisions, both on the Mountain, and on Nigel''s long road to recovery after sustaining severe frostbite. Nigel''s story was filmed as part of the ''Alive'' series by Darlow Smithson Productions for Channel 4 / Discovery Channel.

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Book SynopsisA book for every climber (from beginner to expert) keen to improve their climbing; the things you really need to know without the clutter of an exhaustive ropework manual (and with a lot more helpful advice on climbing moves). The book includes a progressive series of exercises from simple to more complex movements to practice at your local climbing wall, crag, boulders or at home to improve all aspects of your climbing. Most of the exercises are intended for bottom roping or bouldering so you can drill the moves until they become second nature. The aim is to help you climb safer, with more confidence and less effort than before. There's advice on learning (how to make the most of your time spent practicing) and safety (what every climber needs to know). Basic footwork, handholds and body position: the foundations of all the more complex moves like corkscrew rock-overs and the secrets of arete climbing. Resting: how to take time-out in some improbable places. Advanced techniques including exotic (but really handy) foot-locks and dyno's as well as redpointing tips. Lead climbing: reading routes, placing runners and sound tactics for success. Mind games: how to improve your confidence and conquer your fear of falling. And finally training: identifying your weaknesses and making yourself strong and fit to challenge your dream goal climb. The section on training young people will be of interest to any parent or coach. It contains progressive exercises and drills to help you get practicing straight away and to help these skills become second nature. It includes tips and techniques from the most basic steps to exotic (but very useful) foot-locks and 'chicken wing' jams. It will appeal to a wide range of climbers.

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Book SynopsisThis book explains to the hillwalker, in easy to understand but accurate terms, how geology has shaped the landscape of the Lake District. A selection of fifteen guided walks is used to illustrate this in terms of what can be seen on the ground. "Rock Trails Lakeland", divided into two parts, is intended to help those who love the Lake District's mountain scenery to understand how this beautiful landscape came about. The first half narrates the story of colliding continents, volcanoes, mountain-building and glaciations in creating the Lakeland, explaining why volcanoes occurred, the rocks they created and how to interpret signs of mountain-building and glaciations on the ground. The second half describes recommended walks of differing levels of difficulty, all with a wide variety of geological features to be seen and, most important, with consistently fantastic views of the very best of the Lake District's wonderful scenery. The author has concentrated on what you can see as you walk around the hills, highlighting conspicuous, easily visible features in rocks as well as the overall shape of the terrain while accounting for the present-day landscape. This is the second book in the series from Pesda Press, following the publication in 2008 of "Rock Trails Snowdonia" (9781906095048).

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Book SynopsisThis book is in the same series and is a natural follow-up to the successful "Climbing Games". With the increase in the use of climbing walls more people are learning to lead indoors. This tends to be a more rapid progression than it may be outdoors, and also allows access to much steeper leading at a lower level of climbing experience. There is also an expectation that falling off is the norm, a complete reversal of early stages of leading outdoors on traditional climbs. Teaching leading indoors should be done progressively, the aim being to develop the climbing skills needed very thoroughly. Developing the skills for safe and efficient lead belaying is equally important. Ian Fenton has been involved in teaching leading outdoors and on indoor walls for a number of years. This has also involved evaluating and signing off other instructors to teach leading, at a number of climbing walls; both prior to the advent of the Climbing Wall Leading Award (CWLA), and now as a provider of the CWLA. In the past the teaching of leading has often been done haphazardly, with limited progression, poor route choice and inappropriate belaying. With the help of the exercises in this book it should be possible to design an appropriate progression to suit any individual, of any age or ability, who is learning to lead indoors and lead belay.

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Book SynopsisThese 18 sport climbing crags are, with the one exception of Tyddyn Hywel, situated between junctions 16 and 31 on the A55 and a short hop from the expressway. They are only one and a half hours from Manchester and three quarters of an hour by car from Llanberis and Gogarth. Easy route finding, technical climbing, and bolted routes maes for a fun day out. It's a great way to bag a few routes on the way back from Anglesey or Snowdonia or enjoy a full day of varied and fun climbing with short walk-ins. The new third edition features 157 new routes, 6 new crags and 8 new sectors. All 437 routes (from F2 to F8c, including a handful of trad) are accessible single pitch sport venues with varied aspects and are either situated a short walk from car parking or are accessible by rail and bike.

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Book SynopsisA selected guide to over 2,550 routes in the North-West, the Far North, the Hebrides and Orkney. Volume 1 extends this area South of the great Glen. These guides will take you to some extraordinary places to experience some of the best rock climbing and scrambling around. Explore the renowned rough Cuillin gabbro on Skye, sample the delights of sea cliff climbing on the islands of Lewis, Pabbay, Mingulay and Orkney. From convenient roadside crags to remote mountain routes and Hebridean sea cliffs, they're all here. This 3rd Edition of Volume 2 includes several significant recently-discovered venues such as 'Supercrag Sport' (Loch Maree Sport) and 'Supercrag Trad' (Creag Rodha Mor), along with a host of mainly easier additions at the superlative Diabaig. On the islands, many recent additions on the popular Skye sea cliffs of Suidhe Biorach, Neist and the recently-cleaned Staffin Slip South have been included. Similarly, the abundance of superb rock on Lewis, Pabbay and Mingulay has been well documented, with many new topos illustrating the wealth of wonderful climbing throughout a range of grades. Many minor and less popular crags have been replaced, freeing up space to include over 300 new routes, 40 new topos and more than 50 additional action photos. Featuring: * Over 2,550 of the region's best routes from Moderate difficulty to top-end Extremes. * Accessible multi-pitch mountain routes and scrambles. * Sport climbs from F5 to F8c+. * 280 full colour photo topos. * Scale area maps, highlighting the approaches. * Inspirational photographs, including many first ascents.

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Book SynopsisGower Rock aims to showcase the depth and quality of rock climbing on this wild, beautiful yet somewhat unknown peninsula. The area contains a wide variety of climbing on an enticing array of venues. On some routes you can step straight off golden sands onto classic lines; in other cases you can wend your way across peaceful cliff-top paths before dropping into some pretty demanding terrain just a stone's throw from ice-cream-scoffing tourists and pastoral picnic spots. The magnificent areas of Fall Bay and Three Cliffs have enough classic routes to keep you busy on many visits to the peninsula. The sport crags of Southgate compliment and add variety to the well-established hard routes of Oxwich and Pwlldu. The selection of venues and climbs included in this guide will provide plenty of adventure for all climbers, among some of the best scenery in the UK. New in the 2nd Edition: - Fully revised and updated - 14 new crags - 208 new (mostly sport) routes - 23 new full colour photo topos - 1 new area map, highlighting the approachesTable of ContentsIntroduction Using the Guide Access and Conservation Safety and Accidents Visiting Gower 1 Rhossilli 2. Fall Bay 3. Mewslade 4. Ramsgrove 5. Paviland Valley 6. Port Eynon 7. Oxwich 8. Tor Bay 9. Three Cliffs Bay 10. Southgate 11. Pennard 12. Pwlldu 13. Mumbles 14. A Brief History

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Book SynopsisBeing a Mountain Leader is so much more than map reading and ropework. This book is aimed at Mountain Leaders and is designed to help them be a better leader once they have the qualification. There is advice herein for trainees and trainers, for the assessed and the assessor. This book moves away from the technical skills attained during training and assessment and focuses on actually being a Mountain Leader. What it does so well is demonstrate what is required to be a good and effective leader after gaining the qualification. Much of the content is also valid for the Walking Group Leader and Lowland Leader holders.

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Book SynopsisMany of us who participate in adventure sports have wondered: "What if the worst really happened? What if everything I have held so dear were to be taken away in the blink of an eye: my way of living, my job, my social life ... everything!?" An inspiring tale of a remarkable recovery from a hugely challenging, life-threatening accident. In 2013 he was caught in an avalanche which swept him over a cliff. Despite falling 140 metres and suffering serious brain injuries he survived. His prognosis was that in time he might be able to communicate by blinking. Nine years later he has made a remarkable recovery and though sheer determination recovered his fitness levels. Pete does have speech problems and an odd gait but he has gone on to find new challenges. He has recently cycled the equivalent distance to once around the equator and continues to live life to the full.

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Book SynopsisNorway, 1965. A team of young climbers from the north of England camp at the bottom of the tallest vertical rock face in Europe - the Troll Wall. No one has dared attempt this gigantic challenge before. Some say it will never be climbed. This will be the adventure of a lifetime. Rain and snow soak them as they climb. Avalanches and loose rock threaten their lives. A Norwegian team arrives to compete for the glory as the world's media look on. Pushed to the limits of exhaustion, the team spends days on the wall, refusing to given in, even when failure seems certain. "Troll Wall" tells the gripping story of one of the most dramatic first ascents in British climbing history. Written days after their success, almost half a century ago, and newly rediscovered, Tony Howard's account is a fascinating insight into the challenges of climbing a big mountain wall.Trade ReviewThe book is a real page-turner as bit by bit Howard, John Amatt and Bill Tweedale push and push and push for the top, forever driven, forever barred by some new obstacle, the story always moving, devoid of any ego or bullshit. – Andy Kirkpatrick, The Alpine JournalIf you’ve not already done so, get hold and read – you’ll not find a more plainly exciting narrative in its genre. The midnight push for the top up the summit gully had me open-mouthed and breathless. Nothing written by Andy Cave, Andy Kirkpatrick, Mick Fowler or any other recent exponents of mountain writing – excellent though many of them are – comes close to the sheer edgy thrill of it. – Jim Perrin, Climber MagazineTroll Wall is a treasure for its close descriptions. Every uptake of slack and every piton pounded receive equal attention. Howard’s depictions of the strenuous toils of big-wall climbing are straightforward and honest, and more decorative for the times when the sun is shining and spirits are high. This finally released alpine epic is a chance to take in a tale from long ago and appreciate a true pioneer. – Nick Chambers, Rock & Ice MagazineWe can also recommend Troll Wall, Tony Howard’s gripping and previously untold story of the Rimmon Mountaineering Club’s 1965 ascent of Europe’s tallest vertical rock face. For Tony Howard the Troll Wall was to be the beginning of a life of adventure that, though touched upon in the last chapter, would merit a book of its own. – Barry Imeson, Boardman-Tasker Prize 2011A simple story well told, and a classic boys own adventure. A real page turner. – Andy Kirkpatrick, Climb MagazineRichly entertaining and well written ... a raw page-turning tale that brilliantly captures the now historic realities of big-wall climbing of the mid-1960s. – Lynn Martel, Rocky Mountain Outlook (Canada)A truly inspiring tale of one of the greatest achievements in British rock climbing history. – Andy McCue, Climber MagazineA great book, destined for classic status. – Matt Heason, Heason.netA fine fine work by a quite unique individual who has packed more into his lifespan than most of us could manage in ten. Inspirational stuff indeed! – John Appleby, To Hatch a CrowOne of the greatest ever achievements by British rock climbers. – Joe Brown CBE

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Book SynopsisMont Blanc – The Finest Routes is a collection of the 100 must-do climbing routes in the Mont Blanc Massif.Modern alpinism is a multi-faceted activity for which the Mont Blanc Massif is the perfect playground. Classic routes to which every mountaineer can aspire are surrounded by the towering rock faces, huge mixed walls, precipitous ice shields, serrated ridges and narrow gullies that define the massif’s harder climbs.In order to attain these prestigious summits via the most interesting itineraries, this book presents a modern selection of 100 must-do routes, ranging from historic classics to more recent lines, described in order of increasing difficulty.Author and mountain guide Philippe Batoux provides a comprehensive account of each route, outlining its history and atmosphere and giving all the technical information needed to climb it. These written descriptions are complemented by photo diagrams and detailed topos. In addition, every route is illustrated with superbly evocative photos that make best use of the book’s large format.The routes were chosen for the quality of the rock, the reliability of the in-situ gear, the beauty of the surroundings, the prestige of the summit and the enthusiasm the route inspires.Preference has been given to routes in the modern idiom, whether they are gullies that only form in winter, difficult free climbs on high-altitude cliffs, long ridge scrambles or traverses of major summits. There are routes here for all tastes, from famous classics such as the Cosmiques Ridge on the Aiguille du Midi, the American Direct on the Petit Dru, the Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte, the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses and the Kuffner Ridge on Mont Maudit to more recent gems such as Je t’ai conquis, Je t’adore on Pointe Lépiney, No Siesta on the Grandes Jorasses and Le Vent du Dragon on the Aiguille du Midi.

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Book SynopsisPeak Rock is a celebration of significant developments at the cutting edge of rock climbing in the Peak District, from the day that James W Puttrell first set foot on rock at Wharncliffe in the late nineteenth century, through to modern day ascents on the area's gritstone and limestone crags. Meticulously researched and written by a team of local authors, this is the story of the sharp end of Peak District climbing as told through the words of many of the Peak's - and the world's - top climbers, including: James W Puttrell, Jack Longland, Joe Brown, Don Whillans, Ed Drummond, Tom Proctor, John Allen, Ron Fawcett, Andy Pollitt, Jerry Moffatt, Johnny Dawes, Ben Moon, Miles Gibson, Pete Whittaker, Steve McClure, Ryan Pasquill and many more. The late Giles Barker first started work on Peak Rock - then titled Peak Performance - in the early 1980s, before progress was halted by his premature death in 1992. It was almost twenty years before Phil Kelly picked up where Giles left off, pulling together Giles' original research and interviews, which were stored at the Mountain Heritage Trust. Phil enlisted Graham Hoey to work on the book, updating the manuscript with their own interview material and other primary source information, writing a number of missing chapters and also adding a number of chapters, including the significant developments of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Phil and Graham brought in a team of experienced Peak District climbers drawing on their knowledge of specific developments - trad climbing, sport climbing, bouldering, gritstone, limestone - and worked with them to develop individual chapters. This resulting book on the history of Peak District climbing is the most comprehensive to be published since Eric Byne and Geoff Sutton's High Peak in 1966.

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Book SynopsisThe Great Mountain Crags of Scotland is a celebration of climbing in Scotland's wild places, compiled by Guy Robertson and Adrian Crofton. Featuring contributions from many of Scottish mountaineering's great writers and climbers, and beautifully illustrated with breathtaking photography, it delves deep into the heart of some of the oldest mountains on Earth. This is a book for anyone with an interest in Scotland's wild places, where the mountains and cliffs, rather than the climbs, take centre stage, transporting the reader far from towns and cities, and deep into the wilderness. The crags are the tallest, steepest and most majestic anywhere in the British Isles. They are all situated in a high mountain environment, and always a good hike from the nearest road. A visit to any of these great crags is therefore a worthy end in itself. For those wishing to venture onto the crags, all the climbs described are highly adventurous, relying solely upon leader-placed protection. Many of the crags and climbs are described and illustrated here in detail for the very first time. Among these pages are accounts of some of Scottish mountaineering's greatest triumphs, but also accounts of necessary failures - chasing elusive conditions, knowing when to go down, when to return. The authors relate their personal experiences of these cliffs and the climbing, and contained here are real treasures: schoolboy Dave MacLeod soloing on The Cobbler in winter after catching the train from Dumbarton, Mark McGowan's gripping first-hand account of soloing Shibboleth on Slime Wall of Buachaille Etive Mor, Grant Farquhar's recollections of a cherished first ascent on the Great Prow of Skye's Bla Bheinn, Es Tresidder falling under the spell of Creag Meagaidh's Pinnacle Face, and Brian Davison's 15-year waiting game for the first winter ascent of Mort on the Tough-Brown Face of Lochnagar. Split into four sections - The South West Highlands, The North West Highlands, The Islands and The Cairngorms & Central Highlands - this book features unique contributions from, amongst others, Nick Bullock, Rick Campbell, Jason Currie, Brian Davison, Kevin Howett, Julian Lines, Martin Moran, Andy Nisbet, Simon Richardson and Tony Stone. Each section is accompanied by an original poem by Stuart Campbell, and renowned author and mountaineer Andy Cave has contributed the foreword.

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Book SynopsisLure of the Mountains is the first published biography of accomplished photographer, ornithologist, teacher and 1924 Everest expedition member Bentley Beetham (1886 - 1963). Written by the late Michael D. Lowes, a pupil of Beetham's at Barnard Castle School in County Durham, and with a foreword by Graham Ratcliffe MBE, the first Briton to have summited Everest from both the North and South sides, and also a pupil of Barnard Castle School, Lure of the Mountains charts Beetham's life from childhood in Darlington, to rock climbing in the Lake District and selection by the Mount Everest Committee as a member of the infamous and ill-fated 1924 Everest Expedition on which George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappeared high on the mountain. Many of Beetham's images, including those made on the 1924 expedition, were for over 25 years curated by Michael Lowes and are reproduced in this book with the kind permission of the Bentley Beetham Trust and Durham University. His images of Tibet are 'an important historical record of Tibetan culture and a way of life that in modern times has rapidly begun to disappear'. Beetham was a highly skilled rock climber and a pioneer of new routes in the Borrowdale Valley, where he established such notable climbs as Little Chamonix on Shepherd's Crag, and Corvus on Raven Crag. The author, like many other pupils Beetham inspired, was introduced to climbing by his teacher in the Lake District on club trips, and over the years he became a valuable source of information and expert on Beetham's life and work.

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Book Synopsis'Ever since I first set foot on rock at the tender age of seven years, climbing has been the most important thing in my life. In fact I would go so far as to say it is my reason for living and as long as I am able to climb I hope I will. It is from climbing I draw my inspiration for life.' On 14 June 1990, at Raven Tor in the Derbyshire Peak District, twenty-four-year-old Ben Moon squeezed his feet into a pair of rock shoes, tied in to his rope, chalked his fingers and pulled on to the wickedly overhanging, zebra-striped wall of limestone. Two minutes later he had made rock-climbing history with the first ascent of Hubble, now widely recognised as the world's first F9a. Born in the suburbs of London in 1966, Moon started rock climbing on the sandstone outcrops of Kent and Sussex. A pioneer in the sport-climbing revolution of the 1980s and a bouldering legend in the 1990s, he is one of the most iconic rock climbers in the sport's history, In Statement, Moon's official biography, award-winning writer Ed Douglas paints a portrait of a climbing visionary and dispels the myth of Moon as an anti-traditional climbing renegade. Interviews with Moon are complemented with insights from family and friends and extracts from magazines and personal diaries and letters.

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Book SynopsisHEARD ISLAND, an improbably remote speck in the far Southern Ocean, lies four thousand kilometres to the south-west of Australia - with Antarctica its nearest continent. By 1964 it had been the object of a number of expeditions, but none reaching the summit of its 9000-foot volcanic peak "Big Ben'. In that year Warwick Deacock resolved to rectify this omission, and assembled a party of nine with impressive credentials embracing mountaineering, exploration, science and medicine, plus his own organisation and leadership skills as a former Major in the British Army. But first they had to get there. Heard had no airstrip and was on no steamer route; the only way was by sea in their own vessel. Approached from Australia, the island lay in the teeth of the 'Roaring Forties'and 'Furious Fifties'. One name, only, came to mind as the skipper to navigate them safely to their destination, and safely home - the veteran mountaineer turned high-latitude sailor H. W. 'Bill' Tilman, already renowned for his 'sailing to climb' expeditions to Patagonia, Greenland and Arctic Canada, and the sub-Antarctic archipelagos of Crozet and Kerguelen, to the north-west of Heard Island. He readily 'signed on' to Warwick Deacock's team of proven individuals and their well-found sailing vessel Patanela. In this first-hand account, as fresh today as on its first publication fifty years ago, Philip Temple invites us all on this superbly conducted, happy and successful expedition, aided by many previously unpublished photographs by Warwick Deacock. 'The Skipper' - a man not free with his praise - described the enterprise as 'a complete thing'. photographs, maps, drawings

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Book SynopsisThis year sees the 80th anniversary of the original opening of the CIC Hut on Ben Nevis. It also sees the completion of a major new extension at the hut. A photo of Charles Inglis Clark climbing on Salisbury Crags in Edinburgh as a young boy accompanies an article by former hut custodian Gerry Peet. This is following by a profile of Graham Macphee, who in the 1930s took full advantage of the hut's location to pioneer a number of new routes on the North Face when writing the first guidebook to the mountain. Gordon Smith also writes again about his early winter adventures on Ben Nevis. This year also sees the 70th anniversary of the first Greater Traverse of the Cuillin by Charleson and Forde. This event is marked by several articles relating to Skye including one by Forde's daughter, Helen. There are lots of other stuff including climbing in Yosemite, paragliding in Torridon and Corbett bagging, plus details of all the rew routes done in Scotland over the last year.

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Book SynopsisThe cold conditions last winter were exceptional and a bumper crop of new routes were put up across Scotland. These are fully described in the New Climbs section. There is also an account of a repeat of the Scottish Haute Route on skis from west to east over seven days in March. Other articles include an account of an ascent of Nanga Parbat as well as past adventures on Vulcan Wall and Route 2 Direct on Ben Nevis. There is also another look at the most appropriate criteria for identifying separate mountains - particularly Munros. The 'bagging game' still fascinates...This year also sees the return, for the first time for many years, of the detailed accident reports from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

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Book SynopsisAnother cold winter in 2010/2011 led to much new route activity across the Highlands. The lead article is an account of the first ascent of Stone Temple Pilots on Shelter Stone Crag - one of the most impressive of the new climbs done last winter season. There are also articles detailing the winter routes on Merrick in the Borders and in Coire Eilde - a new venue in Glen Coe. There are articles relating to the development of routes at Carnmore some fifty years ago, as well Longbow Crag in the Cairngorms some thirty years ago. There are also various articles of a more general mountaineering interest including a modern appraisal of Ben Wyvis. A short but very interesting article about the criteria for identifying Corbetts is sure to generate much debate among the hillbaggers. The Journal uses colour throughout for the very first time this year. This has allowed illustrations to be used rather more imaginatively than formerly.

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Book SynopsisThis year's "Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal" has the usual great mix of articles - several involving adventures abroad. Martin Moran describes some mega routes in the fjords of Norway, Mark Litterick describes winter climbing in Austria, Graham Little describes rock climbing in Albania and Steve Chadwick gives an account of ascending Mount Cameroon in Africa. A scholarly piece looks again at the climbs of WH Murray. Other articles describe a rescue on Ben Nevis, the use of modern technology in the hills, how to have an epic, a monster run in the Alps, and a discussion of the disease of Munro bagging...and as usual details are included of all the new routes pioneered in Scotland over the last year.

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Book SynopsisAs usual the 2014 SMC Journal is packed with a wide variety of articles relating to Scottish mountaineering. There are tales of epic walking and climbing adventures in both summer and winter, as well as more informative articles ranging from wildcats to John Muir's connections with the SMC.

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Book SynopsisThe articles in the 2015 SMC Journal contain a blend of excitement and reflection. Julian Lines takes us on a witty deep water soloing course; Guy Robertson is on Beinn Eighe in winter; Graham Little goes climbing in the Balkans and Andy Nisbet has discovered another new winter crag. In completely different mode Iain Smart reflects on the changes taking place in the climbing world by casting ironic glances at his experiences in the public bar at the Kingshouse over the last 50 years. See if you can work out the allusions in The Heights of Allusion by M J Cobb, or follow Iain Crofton's drift in The Hills are Alive.Mike Dixon describes his research into the life of Tom Patey. Jimmy Cruickshank discusses Robin Smith. Hamish Johnston examines the life of Matthew Heddle, distinguished geologist and early explorer of Scotland's mountains and Peter Foster explores the life of another great character from the past the Vagabond Professor T Graham Brown. A wealth of other articles takes the reader from Himalayan peaks to Skye, Knoydart and the Western Isles. For the Munro enthusiast there is the indispensable Munro Matters: the one and only comprehensive guide to the List of those who have completed and told.The Journal carries the most up to date list in print of new climbs made in Scotland in the last year, while the reviews section has over 20 reviews by knowledgeable reviewers of recently published mountaineering books.

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Book SynopsisHardbacked for the first time in its long history the articles in this year's SMCJ are richly diverse. Martin Moran and Simon Richardson recount solo winter traverses of the Cuillin Ridge. Stephen Scott and Iain Smart present different aspects of Eagle Ridge on Lochnagar. Mike Dixon takes us on an entertaining tour of the Ben Avon plateau. The irrepressible Gordon Smith recalls a wild day on Ben Nevis with Dick Renshaw, while Dennis Gray and Phil Gribbon introduce more sombre notes as they remember tragedies on the Ben and in Glencoe. Further afield Grant Urquhart rafts down the Grand Canyon, Ross Hewitt skis the four great North Faces in the Alps and Dave Broadhead takes an unexpected helicopter ride. In more historical tones Gavin Anderson gives us an insight into the formative years of Bugs McKeith and Ian Crofton gives a personal twist to the topic of Scottish avalanches.As always the Journal contains the most extensive and up to date coverage in print of New Climbs in Scotland, and the unique Munro Matters lovingly compiled by the Clerk of the List. Simon Richardson reports on last winter's cutting edge activities, while Mike Jacob goes back a hundred years to present a glimpse of how things were for Scotland's mountaineers in 1916 at the height of the Great War.Likely to become a collector's item - the first hardbacked Journal is excellent value at GBP16.95.

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Book SynopsisThe 208th edition of the Journal (first published in 1891) contains articles, fiction and poetry covering almost every aspect of mountaineering in Scotland and much further afield. In rock-climbing Jules Lines succeeds on a grade IX at Creag an Dubh Loch. By complete contrast Steve Hindley describes an ascent of Beinn Vrackie: a commonplace experience which, in the end, allows him to glimpse The Parishes of the Infinite.

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Book SynopsisThis Scottish Mountaineering Club climbers' guidebook details all the climbing to be found on the sea-cliffs and outcrops on the magical Isle of Skye. It is an up to date and fully comprehensive guide to what is an increasingly popular area, on an already popular island. It is a companion volume to the 2011 guide to the Cuillin mountains of Skye, from the SMC. It is written by one of the recognised experts in this area. It is full colour throughout with action pictures and detailed photo-diagrams. User friendly in a successful and well presented format, this title includes page marker ribbon to ease the location of climbs.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first definitive sport climbing guide for Scotland, written by 18 of the leading Scottish sport climbers. The guidebook includes 1300 routes, from grades 3 to 9a spread across over 100 crags from the Central Belt to Shetland and Arisaig to Aberdeen. It is lavishly illustrated with action photos for each main crag, easy-to-use maps and photo diagrams, and a colour-coded route grading system. The guide covers sport climbing as well all Scotland's world-class 'dry tooling' routes. The landscape format is designed to lay open at the crags, and the cover flaps contain useful reference information for those new to sport climbing as well as climbers visiting from other countries. Sport climbing has a wider audience than traditional climbing; with quick drying accessible crags, it suits the busy modern climber and the family-friendly climbing day.

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Book SynopsisThis Scottish Mountaineering Club definitive climbers' guidebook details all the rock and winter climbing to be found on the beautiful and remote-feeling islands of the Inner Hebrides and Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. This is the only fully comprehensive guide to the climbing on the beautiful and remote-feeling islands of the Inner Hebrides and Arran. The guide covers Arran, Canna, Rum, Eigg, Muck, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Iona, Colonsay, Oronsay, Islay and Jura plus a number of smaller, lesser known islands off the wild, west coast of Scotland. Written by the recognised experts to the area, the guide also gives extensive information on access to the islands, accommodation and amenities. It features full colour throughout with action photos to inspire, and detailed maps and photo-diagrams to help a climber make the most of a visit to the islands. The clear format is modern and user-friendly, including flaps on the cover that double as reference information and page markers, and colour-indexed tabs for quick location of crags of interest.

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Book SynopsisThe guide has been written by Rab Anderson, Kevin Howett and Colin Moody, who have been driving forces in the development of the Islands, and their insight and local knowledge is contained within to help you plan your trip and get the most out of it when you are there. For the first time in recent history, the jewel of Scottish (possibly even British!) sea cliff climbing gets the SMC comprehensive guidebook treatment. Written by the activists themselves, this guide provides the go-to resource for climbing in the Outer Hebrides. Uninhabited islands, committing sea cliff adventures, seaside cragging, mountain cliffs and the mighty Sron Uladail - all in one book. - 2500 routes from Moderate to E9 - 28 detailed maps and access information - 177 photo diagrams covering all major cliffs (and then some) - Tens of new future classic venues - Hundreds of new routes throughout the Islands - Comprehensive logistical information to help you plan your trip - Inspiring action photos in full colour throughout This guide provides comprehensive cover and photo diagrams to all of the popular areas, as well as publishing for the first time tens of new future classic venues and hundreds of routes, capturing all of the development that has taken place in recent years. Amongst this detail you can also find information on areas still under development, with possibilities for new routes of your own! Note-worthy is the fact that this guide provides options for the hard-core climber on a dedicated trip, as well as those wanting the option of a day or two out cragging whilst on a family holiday.

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Book SynopsisThis is the incredibly popular and indispensable guide to ski mountaineering routes in Scotland from the Scottish Mountaineering Club. Written by two experts and illustrated with colour photographs and route maps, this facsimile reprint covers the hills from the Borders to Ben Rinnes, Mamlorn to Moruisg, with photos that inspire. The reprint has the same 112 photographs and 72 maps, 121 pages as the original. This is the first and most sought-after guidebook to ski mountaineering in Scotland, first published in 1987 and unavailable since 2011.

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Book SynopsisThis Scottish Mountaineering Club definitive climbers' guidebook is the first volume of the long-awaited update to the popular Highland Outcrops guidebook. Highland Outcrops South covers crags south of Inverness and the Great Glen, including outcrops in Arrochar, Mid Argyll, Mull of Kintyre, Ardgour and Ardnamurchan. The very popular crags of Craig a Barns, Glen Nevis, Binnein Shuas and Creag Dubh are updated, and will continue to attract the day trippers from the Central Belt. The guide includes over 50 new crags, covering some 700 new routes in a total of about 2500. Full colour throughout with action photos to inspire, with detailed maps and photo-diagrams. The clear format is modern and user-friendly, including flaps on the cover that double as reference information and page markers, and colour-indexed tabs for quick location of crags of interest. Coordinating author Andy Nisbet is the most prolific winter and summer climber in Scotland, and has authored several climbers' guides. The suite of authors includes some of the most knowledgeable climbers in their areas: Stuart Burns, Geoff Hewitt, Kevin Howett, Colin Moody, Grahame Nicoll, Tony Stone and Andy Tibbs.

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