Advanced Rockcraft

by Royal Robbins

In his best-selling climbing manual, Basic Rockcraft, Royal Robbins covered the fundamentals of technical climbing. Here, in Advanced Rockcraft, Robbins takes up the problems and basic skills involved in route-finding and actual achievement. With the strong drive to preserve and protect the delicate rock surfaces - to eliminate the indiscriminate hole drilling and flake destruction by careless use of brutal hardware and tools - Robbins here discusses in detail the important field of Chockcraft - the use of chocks, nuts, hangers, etc.

Genres: Climbing, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1970

About the author

Robbins was a pioneer of American rock climbing who completed an impressive list of first ascents throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. Many of these were in Yosemite Valley, and included major classics such as the Northwest Face of Half Dome (1957), the Salathé Wall on El Capitan (1961), the North America Wall on El Capitan (1964) and Tis-sa-ack on Half Dome (1969).

Robbins' climbing ethics were also pioneering, as he championed the cause of "clean" (i.e. hammerless) climbing in an era when the use of pitons and bolts was regarded as standard practice.

Reviews

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much the same as the previous book. Of particular interest is the section titled Values. Short in nature, still it deals acutely with ethical implications found even today in rock climbing.

[Jeff Ragan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great, if dated, how-to of rock climbing.

[Eugene Miya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the long awaited successor to Royal Robbins' Basic rockcraft. While many of the techniques have been succeeded, it's an OK book to review after the fact. THIS IS IN NO WAY A BEGINNING ROCK CLIMBING TEXT. The pub date in Goodreads is wrong. It should be about 1973 or -4. It was somewhat controversial when it came out as Robbins by this time had become a controversial figure in Yosemite climbing following his 2nd ascent of the Dawn Wall with Don Lauria.

Royal has since mellowed since that time.

Read the book after you have your own advanced free and aid climbing down, and get a good snicker at Anderson's cartoons (fine drawing).

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rock climbing has moved on a mile since Yosemite hardman penned this text, but there's still a ton of useful information here. Well worth reading.

[Joline · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very informative, now I just have to get out there. Knowing the information is one thing, doing it is completely another. I am very excited though about hitting the rock.