Outdoor Adventure Series: Rock Climbing

Having spent time teaching introductory, intermediate, and advanced rock climbing as well as top rope site management at the collegiate level, I was excited to see the WEA putting together a single text that could supplement the multiple specialized books that are traditionally required as reading material for a climbing class. Whereas previously teacher or new climber had to scour back issues of Climbing or Rock and Ice for articles on fitness or a detailed description of rappelling techniques to team up with a classic John Long book, Rock Climbing was developed to offer a solid starting location for the budding climber.

The vision and layout of the book stand out immediately as its strengths- Rock Climbing sees the need for and addresses the next-step information that can move the new climber from a tag-along to an informed and prepared adventure seeker. The information presented is first a panorama of the rock climbing industry, and then signals in on three important areas: knowledge of self-as-climber and equipment, knowledge around anchors and belay stations, and an introduction to climbing techniques. In that sense Rock Climbing creates an opportunity for the budding climber or climbing student to have a better foundation from which to engage in professional instruction or more specialized books on anchor, rescue, and technique. The rappelling chapter, for instance, spends three pages introducing concepts around self-rescue when rappelling- putting the reader in a good place to ask intelligent questions when out with knowledgeable friends, and hopefully whetting their appetite for more complete instruction as they move forward in their craft.

Contributors from around the country and from many levels of involvement in the climbing community add to the book’s development. As such, the reader is able to get different viewpoints on and different descriptions of climbing skills, hear a new tone of writing from chapter to chapter, and hear the personalities of the authors come out- be it through unique humor, first-person accounts, or specialized knowledge. In some ways, it feels a bit like a climbing course in which each educator imprints their personal style onto the lesson. This technique in writing a book brings with it both strengths and possible pitfalls. Where a change in humor or perspective may re-engage a reader, the risk of misunderstanding is likewise very real. For example, these are descriptions of the master point on a top rope anchor:

a. “When the rope is attached to the anchor system at the top of the climb by spring-gated aluminum carabiners, and both ends of the rope are at the base, the setup is referred to as a slingshot belay.” (p. 8)

b. “Locking carabiners should be used any time a climber depends on a single carabiner for safety, such as at the top of a top-roped climb….” (p. 105)

c. “The master point is created when two locking carabiners are clipped to the rig’s apex…. However, if a climber is short on gear, a locking carabiner can be combined with a nonlocking carabiner to form the master point. In the worst-case scenario, two nonlocking carabiners can be used as long as their gates are placed opposite and opposed.” (p. 179)

I have no doubt that, if asked, the authors could agree on the standard use of carabiners in a top rope master point. In fact, they may not even be disagreeing. However, the potential for misinterpretation around safe practices still exists for the novice, even when the writing is crystal clear. My point is this: climbers will receive feedback regarding their practices; be it from a more experienced climber, their aching tendons, or the ground. This book will fit well in our courses and within the growing climbing community, and I encourage you to use it- so long as we all remember that we are here as an experienced educational community to help translate into practice.