What do you think?
Rate this book
How to climb series
How to Climb: Advanced Rock Climbing by John Long
A mammoth effort and the final word on climbing techniques, this guide is for the established climber to refine and polish form.
- GenresClimbingNonfiction
Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
3 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
John Long
52 books10 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Long is an American rock climber and author.
John Long is an American rock climber and author.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 28, 2021
Good info to supplement real world climbing. When you as a newbie, get out there to climb with other folks, you will have a little knowledge to know what they are doing. Therefore, allowing you not to blindly follow someone who doesn’t. Ask questions and learn. Climbing is an apprenticeship, especially the gear part.
December 5, 2012
John Long and Craig Luebben bring their pragmatic and no-nonsense approach to climbing. They talk like climbers (because they are crazy experienced and famous) and they kind of talk to you like big bros who have seen it all, done it all, and want to make sure their kid sibling is not going to kill themselves while pumping on rock. This book is for experienced climbers who want to learn advanced techniques.
The face climbing and sport climbing sections are definitely useful and I may use the crack climbing tips one day. The sections I won’t use right now are the sections about setting anchors and trad climbing and let’s hope I’ll never need to use what I read in the self-rescue section. One thing I like about the book is that they never underestimate the danger of the sport. This book is packed with plenty of warnings about taking a reliable belay partner, using tip-top gear, never trusting fixed gear, and hundreds of other variables you have to watch out for as a climber. They say, “'Safe' is an inappropriate word to apply to any mode of climbing” and while this may scare some people away, I really appreciated that view and I think we’re honoring the sport by recognizing its inherent dangers. They also write about many friends and colleagues who have died while climbing.
They’ve packed their book with tips on how to conserve energy, using good techniques, and training suggestions. I learned a few new tips to elevate my climbing like being mindful when falling. Always identify the exact move you fall on then figure out where your body, feet, arm, fingers, technique, etc. went wrong and say “Next time, I should have my foot in a different place or I should keep my arm straight” instead of “I couldn’t do it” or “I couldn’t get past the crux.” I had this idea in mind when I came up with one of my personal climbing revelations: Keep your personality dynamic but your climbing static. I realized I needed to climb more statically because dynamic moves tend to throw me off balance and I rely too much on over gripping.
I learned climbers in the 80’s used to wear striped tube socks on the crags. They. Looked. Fierce.
The face climbing and sport climbing sections are definitely useful and I may use the crack climbing tips one day. The sections I won’t use right now are the sections about setting anchors and trad climbing and let’s hope I’ll never need to use what I read in the self-rescue section. One thing I like about the book is that they never underestimate the danger of the sport. This book is packed with plenty of warnings about taking a reliable belay partner, using tip-top gear, never trusting fixed gear, and hundreds of other variables you have to watch out for as a climber. They say, “'Safe' is an inappropriate word to apply to any mode of climbing” and while this may scare some people away, I really appreciated that view and I think we’re honoring the sport by recognizing its inherent dangers. They also write about many friends and colleagues who have died while climbing.
They’ve packed their book with tips on how to conserve energy, using good techniques, and training suggestions. I learned a few new tips to elevate my climbing like being mindful when falling. Always identify the exact move you fall on then figure out where your body, feet, arm, fingers, technique, etc. went wrong and say “Next time, I should have my foot in a different place or I should keep my arm straight” instead of “I couldn’t do it” or “I couldn’t get past the crux.” I had this idea in mind when I came up with one of my personal climbing revelations: Keep your personality dynamic but your climbing static. I realized I needed to climb more statically because dynamic moves tend to throw me off balance and I rely too much on over gripping.
I learned climbers in the 80’s used to wear striped tube socks on the crags. They. Looked. Fierce.
March 13, 2007
Next level climbing. Good for those that want to get into "leading".
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews