Sport Climbing & Rock Climbing Books

Overview

Title: Sport Climbing & Rock Climbing

Author: Pete Hill

Publisher: Cicerone Press - 2007

Price: £12.95 each

Review of latest rock and sport climbing instruction books from Pete Hill

Title:	Sport Climbing & Rock Climbing
Author:	Pete Hill
Publisher:	Cicerone Press - 2007
Price:	£12.95 each

Review

If you go into any climbing shop and browse their book section, you’ll find any number of publications proclaiming to teach you the skills you need to climb. Is there space on the shelves for two more and how do they stand up against the other options? The answers are yes and very well!

Pete Hill has already got a good reputation as an author, having penned the very successful Mountain Skills Training Handbook with Stuart Johnston and the The International Handbook of Technical Mountaineering and Rock Climbing in his own right.

The first plus point is the decision to create two separate books, rather than cover both subjects in one. While basic equipment, knots and belaying are common to all elements of climbing, there are also areas that are specific to the two sports. With sport climbing usually being relegated to a small section within a larger book, its particularly nice to have dedicated volume focusing on this element of the sport.

Both books are of a similar layout, with colour photos used through out to supplement the written word. No dodgy diagrams of the knot tying process here, each knot is accompanied by a series of colour photographs making it easy to understand.

They also both follow a similar progression. Starting with the basics of the sport and outlining the equipment and knots you will need. They then move onto the skills you will need, starting with the obvious such a tying on and climbing calls, before moving onto the more advanced techniques of each discipline.

A nice touch in both books is the inclusion at the end of a taster of the different climbing venues available. While the rock climbing book focuses on locations within the UK, the sport climbing book spreads its net further a field, taking in locations such as Italy, USA and Australia.

providing steady progression through the books. These should be useful for both the novice and expert climber providing a good introduction or a refresher on more advanced techniques. With many people starting their climbing careers on indoor walls, both books will prove a useful tool when heading outdoors.
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Both Rock Climbing and Sport Climbing can be purchased directly from Cicerone for £12.95 each

Review written by Giles Thurston on January 01, 2008