Trad Climber's Bible

How to climb series

by John Long, Peter Croft

Traditional, or simply, trad climbing, is a do-it-yourself adventure requiring the climbing team to negotiate the climb and to carry, hand-place and remove most if not all components of the roped safety system. In The Trad Climber’s Bible, two of the most revered and respected trad climbers in the world, John Long and Peter Croft, offer hard-won knowledge to aspiring trad climbers in a narrative format that is as informative as it is entertaining. With photos by iconic climbing photographer Greg Epperson and AMGA Certified Rock Instructor Bob Gaines, this full color book will appeal to climbers of all stripes.

Genres: Climbing, Nonfiction

408 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Long is an American rock climber and author.

Reviews

[James Housworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sure, the stories were entertaining and there was some helpful advice, but I can’t in good conscience recommend this to anyone.

Details for my nerdy climbing friends: In this book, the authors constantly brag about…
-free soloing regularly
-taking absolutely massive whippers (50-100’) on sketchy gear placements
-doing “climb or die” runouts (100-200’ before next gear placement) at max difficulty level
-prioritizing the “adventure” of dangerous climbs over adding more gear and bolts for the 99% of us climbers who are not professionals
-how awesome and badass they are 🙄

So for my like two friends who would actually read a book like this: don’t.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was expecting more information and less storytelling, but I absolutely loved it all the same. The photos are incredible, and the stories are well told. Great book to get you psyched and learn some history of trad climbing.

[Shane Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and inspiring stories, those guys were hardcore. Was a bit conflicted on when to read the sidebars, mid chapter or go back and finish them at the end.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great rocks are the cathedrals of our persuasion. Not that we honor pagan temples; but when we approach trad climbing with reverence for the medium, rather than girding for a chance to exert the “rights” and good sense of the conqueror, our experience becomes richer for the effort. We are no longer bullies of the environment, or vigilantes for the safety of mankind, but equals. In this way we discover a sacred belonging lost on the man who would impose his will, his fears, and his answers onto the landscape. Trad climbing is the adventure version of cat burgling. We sneak in, steal an experience, then fade back into the shadows. There’s no material evidence that we were ever “there.”

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one. I always find learning more about times past and how some of the people who were on the cutting edge learned and did what they did to be fascinating. It's also educational and teaches you some good "rules to live by" for trad climbing. These rules are reinforced by stories where the authors learned these lessons (often the hard way). Highly recommended for any wannabe or current trad climber.

[Luke Illeniram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic stories interspersed with great tips that all trad climbers should know. Would have loved a greater balance in the way of the tips compared to the stories but I guess that's what Climbing Anchors is for!

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bold title...mainly memoirs of climbing in southwestern USA. Several inspiring photos.

[Philip Quense · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book very helpful as I fine tuned my big wall and single crag skills.

[Jarrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I purchased this book, I thought it would be a classic how-to book full of anchoring and climbing techniques, diagrams, and tips. I was right that it was chock full of suggestions, but completely wrong thinking it would be anything but a “for dummies” type guide.

Legends John Long and Peter Croft use an interesting way of weaving best practices into anecdotes of when these two old school climbers had to learn them for themselves back when they were pioneering great climbs in North America. I’m so glad that I started with this book in my re-entrance to trad. It reminded me that everyone starts at the beginning, and that’s okay.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories bringing to life different aspects of trad climbing people should know.

What I liked most about the book was the repeated focus and emphasis on hours on the rock, training, etc.

[Kevin Yin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun stories from two legends that give a new trad leader a good sense of the history of climbing in the West coast. Despite the title, this is not a instructional manual - there are not many technical tips, but a lot of best-practices are shared through Long and Croft's experiences that would be helpful for climbers newer to the adventure side of climbing. Most of it is common sense for more experienced climbers, but still fun short reads in the classic John Long adventure writing style.

The formatting is a bit weird as the tips & tricks inserts breakup the flow of the story.