This volume includes Bachar's best techniques for face and crack climbing, practicing with bouldering and top roping, physical and mental training plans, and Bachar's views of free soloing and ethics.

Hill describes her famous climb and meditates on how she harnesses the strength and courage to push herself to such extremes.

Fast-paced history-cum-memoir about rock climbing in the wild-and-wooly ’80s Highlights ground-breaking achievements from the era Hangdog Days vividly chronicles the era when rock climbing exploded in popularity, attracting a new generation of talented climbers eager to reach new heights via harder routes and faster ascents. This contentious, often entertaining period gave rise to sport climbing, climbing gyms, and competitive climbing--indelibly transforming the sport. Jeff Smoot was one of those brash young climbers, and here he traces the development of traditional climbing “rules,” enforced first through peer pressure, then later through intimidation and sabotage. In the late ’70s, several climbers began introducing new tactics including “hangdogging,” hanging on gear to practice moves, that the old guard considered cheating. As more climbers broke ranks with traditional style, the new gymnastic approach pushed the limits of climbing from 5.12 to 5.13. When French climber Jean-Baptiste Tribout ascended To Bolt or Not to Be, 5.14a, at Smith Rock in 1986, he cracked a barrier many people had considered impenetrable. In his lively, fast-paced history enriched with insightful firsthand experience, Smoot focuses on the climbing achievements of three of the era’s superstars: John Bachar, Todd Skinner, and Alan Watts, while not neglecting the likes of Ray Jardine, Lynn Hill, Mark Hudon, Tony Yaniro, and Peter Croft. He deftly brings to life the characters and events of this raucous, revolutionary time in rock climbing, exploring, as he says, “what happened and why it mattered, not only to me but to the people involved and those who have followed.”

The language in which the material is written opens an additional window into the special male climbing world of 20 years ago. For large climbing collections. Library Journal Review John Long's favorite climbing literature . John Long is one of climbing's best selling authors. Everything from his literary works, including Gorilla Monsoon, to his instructional efforts, How To Rock Climbing and videos he's appeared in have been best selling efforts in the outdoor industry. His Midas touch for good literature is demonstrated here in his editing ability. ICS has given John full reign to choose stories that explore the psyche of traditional and modern climbers. From leading 5.13 pitches to marital struggles, John has selected stories that will introduce the non-climber to the excitement climbers live off and stories that will make the seasoned alpinist nervous.The stories have been chosen for their literary integrity, provoking a wide range of emotions.

This is the first and only definitive book about the free-climbing history of North America, written by Master of Rock Pat Ament. While other books have covered some of the material, there has never been as clear a chronology or as thorough, accurate, and well-researched a treatment. Ament leaves the critique and analysis to others and lets these remarkable events speak for themselves in a succinct, refreshing, and imitable style. The book includes interviews and commentary by many world-class climbers, including Royal Robbins, John Gill, Pete Cleveland, Henry Barber, John Bachar, Lynn Hill, John Long, Steve Roper, Jimmy Dunn, Dean potter, and Alan Watts. Photographs from prominent climbing photographers, such as Tom Frost, illustrate the prose and bring to life the personalities of many of these legendary climbers. Numerous climbing areas are covered, from the Adirondacks in upstate New York, to Arizona, the Pacific Northwest, Devils Lake in Wisconsin, and The Needles in South Dakota. This readable encyclopedia includes interviews, anecdotes, stories, and colorful quotes, along with funny and imaginiative writing. This is the book for newcomers to the sport as well as long-time aficionados. It will appeal to both die-hard climbers and to those who prefer adventuring in an armchair. A marvelous sense of suspense and adventure radiates from virtually every page.

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES MONTHLY BESTSELLER One of the 10 Best Books of March, Paste Magazine A deeply reported insider perspective of Alex Honnold’s historic achievement and the culture and history of climbing. “One of the most compelling accounts of a climb and the climbing ethos that I've ever read.”—Sebastian Junger In Mark Synnott’s unique window on the ethos of climbing, his friend Alex Honnold’s astonishing free solo ascent of El Capitan’s 3,000 feet of sheer granite is the central act. When Honnold topped out at 9:28 A.M. on June 3, 2017, having spent fewer than four hours on his historic ascent, the world gave a collective gasp. The New York Times described it as “one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever.” Synnott’s personal history of his own obsession with climbing since he was a teenager—through professional climbing triumphs and defeats, and the dilemmas they render—makes this a deeply reported, enchanting revelation about living life to the fullest. What are we doing if not an impossible climb? Synnott delves into a raggedy culture that emerged decades earlier during Yosemite’s Golden Age, when pioneering climbers like Royal Robbins and Warren Harding invented the sport that Honnold would turn on its ear. Painting an authentic, wry portrait of climbing history and profiling Yosemite heroes and the harlequin tribes of climbers known as the Stonemasters and the Stone Monkeys, Synnott weaves in his own experiences with poignant insight and wit: tensions burst on the mile-high northwest face of Pakistan’s Great Trango Tower; fellow climber Jimmy Chin miraculously persuades an official in the Borneo jungle to allow Honnold’s first foreign expedition, led by Synnott, to continue; armed bandits accost the same trio at the foot of a tower in the Chad desert . . . The Impossible Climb is an emotional drama driven by people exploring the limits of human potential and seeking a perfect, choreographed dance with nature. Honnold dared far beyond the ordinary, beyond any climber in history. But this story of sublime heights is really about all of us. Who doesn’t need to face down fear and make the most of the time we have?

John Gill: Master of Rock is a captivating look into the life, achievements and ethos of boulderer John Gill. This new edition of the classic title is complete with photographs, personal impressions of Gill from climbers such as Yvon Chouinard, and an enlightening interview with Gill himself. Hailed the father of modern bouldering, John Gill is an awe-inspiring climber with enigmatic talent. His techniques have been likened to poetry and are almost 'spiritual' in nature. Famous for his dynamic approach to bouldering and his impressive physical accomplishments, such as the one-arm front lever, Gill is an inspiration to climbers around the world. Written by Gill's friend and fellow climber, Pat Ament, John Gill: Master of Rock pays homage to this influence. Delving deeply into not only the fascinating life of Gill, but the very raw essence of what it means to boulder, this intimate biography is both intriguing and informative. 'Bouldering is the poetry of mountaineering ... As with good poetry, good bouldering comes from within. It is derived from an inner eye, then refined.' At its core, John Gill: Master of Rock illustrates the humbling relationship between Gill and those who admire him – as Ament details first-hand, Gill is never egotistical, nor elitist; instead he is approachable, passionate and refreshingly independent. This staple climbing read is a real must-have for those with an interest in pioneers of the bouldering scene. The exploits and adventures contained within will appeal to devotees of the sport and to anyone seeking insight into the triumphs of a master.