20 Best Books On Rock Climbing (2023 Update)

It's a well detailed and thought out product. It explains so clearly many aspects of climbing, from technical terms to training strategies and mental focus while climbing. Well worth the investment for my climbing!michafouri

Livro adequado para iniciantes, abordando as várias facetas do treino de escalada (técnica, mental, físico, etc.). Infelizmente aprofunda pouco estes conteúdos e acaba por ficar aquém das expectativas para quem já tem algum conhecimento sobre o assunto. No fundo, um resumo daquilo que se esperaria duma bíblia.Marcelo

This is a great book for beginners and serious competitors too. It goes over all the techniques needed to climb well as well as mental and physical training. I had hoped to find more on mountaineering but the only gear related things are clipping and selecting shoes. Loads of informative pictures.Nicholas L

I'm only starting out and have found this book a valuable resource so far. The supplier was prompt, the price very reasonable and item preloved but in immaculate condition. I have a feeling that there are sections of this book that hopefully I will grow into. Great introduction to the sport, equipment and mindset requiredchristophermurphy2009

I got this book as a gift years ago and have been reading it every spring before the rock climbing season as a refresher.Joejoe

Great basic book that touches on every topic to grasp an understanding of the theory behind rock climbing. Slimple to read. Great illustrations.helpmyself1800

If you're climbing outside you must own this book. It's fantastic. Long and Gaines have written the definitive climbing instructional for staying safe while climbing outside (sport or trad). It's particularly great for outdoor beginners but, also great for experienced climbers wanting to be completely confident in their safety protocols. It is outstandingly thorough, well written, succinct and full of large clear photos that allow you to see all of the technical aspects the authors are describing. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!Nick

This is by far the best training book on the market…for me. I’ve been climbing for 20 years and never taken training seriously. Every spring I would get out to the crag and hop on the same routes – and flail. There was sometimes frustration, but mostly it was expected. My friends and I would joke about climbing ‘off the couch’ at whatever grade and for me that was 5.10. I would gradually shake off the rust by putting in lots of mileage on long, easy routes; I always enjoy getting up high on moderate terrain and having long days in the mountains. By the end of the season I’d be feeling pretty strong, and would hop on routes that I was super psyched about: Dream routes. I remember one season in particular where I had spent the entire summer climbing multi-pitch moderates in Canmore, AB (5.10 and under). I logged countless pitches. We would climb 6 to 8 pitch routes after work and end up rapping down in the dark, just because we were having so much fun. In the fall, when I went back to school in Thunder Bay, ON I remember having a meet up trip with friends (aptly named – Festivus). There were a number of 5.11 routes that I remember watching in awe as my much stronger and more experienced friends worked on. That year I gave them a shot. And I hiked. I mean, these guys that I always looked up to, were taking multiple tries, and struggling and I just cruised. Years later, I finally understand what was happening, thanks to Mark and Mike’s book. Last year I was doing some reflecting on my 20 years of climbing. I’ve climbed in some amazing places and done some fantastic routes, but the one thing that has always eluded me is harder grades. When I started climbing, 5.12 was the grade of the gods. There’s a reason Eric Horst’s book “How to climb 5.12” was so popular! But I couldn’t make it work for me. I’ve always thought of myself as a bit of a non-conformist, but it turns out that I don’t know myself very well. The answer for me lies in the difference between descriptive and prescriptive training regimes. So what’s the difference? A descriptive method will give you a set of ‘best practices’, telling you what should be done in general terms and rely on your ability to make good decisions. A prescriptive method is a more rigid set of instructions that tells you exactly what to do and when to do it. Turns out that I need a lot more structure than I thought! The Rock Climber’s Training Manual is really the best of both worlds. There is plenty of room for iconoclasts to adapt the training principles and mould them into their own personally-tailored program. There is a whole section on alternative training approaches that discusses all kinds of programs that are in vogue: system training, muscle confusion (crossfit), etc. But for me, the real gold is the section titled Building a Seasonal Training Plan. It lays out, in calendar format, on one page, a 16 week prescriptive training program: 4 weeks of Base Fitness, 3 weeks of Strength, 2 weeks of Power, 3 weeks of Power Endurance, 3 weeks of Performance, 2 weeks of Rest. Every day is marked with exactly what you should be doing. Results: Prior to this, I was pretty much an ‘off-the-couch’ 5.10 climber. I would gradually climb myself into shape over the course of the season and end up red-pointing somewhere in the mid-5.11 range by the end of the season. After one cycle of the ‘Rock Prodigy’ training method last season, I increased both my on-sight and red-point level a full number grade. Stop and read that again: A FULL NUMBER GRADE!! I was on-sighting mid-.11’s, red-pointed my first .12a, and got very close on a couple other mid’.12’s. Needless to say I was very excited and blown away at the results! This training program works, period. Strengths 1) Quick start method for those of us that are too excited to read each chapter 2) Prescriptive 16 week training calendar that takes the guess work out of training 3) Full colour photos of the beautiful people and places to get you psyched 4) In-depth physiological explanation of why the program works 5) Easy reference, one-page visuals for each workout type Improvements/Wish List: 1) Add 2 ARC routine one-page visual reference pages for beginners/advanced 2) Increase size of training log to 8 ½ x 11” for easy hole-punch and binder use 3) A chapter on the mental game: motivation, fear, injuries, failure, psych 4) RCTM App with built in Hangboard timer, sync to online training log 5) Online training log. Colour coded seasonal training plan, with auto-fill formsTrevorK

Delighted to find this fairly esoteric book at Wob (my go to place for books after the library) at such a good price. Medium condition but that was made clear and still a beautiful book, the recipient of it for Christmas was thrilled.Pippa M.

This book is absolutely amazing. Not only does this book increase one's climbing skills and show you how to get better by eliminating ways to waste energy, but it also helps you have a better outlook on life. One can apply this book to so much more.mountainzen107

schön beschriebene Routen und soweit zuverlässige Schattenzeitangaben. Auch die App ist sehr praktisch und auch fürs Tablet verfügbarJonny

This book is great for beginners or those who have been climbing a few years who want to get some more information. The book really has something for every climber and would be very helpful to a new climber.erina69

Great source of anchor building knowledge. The photos are a great aid in understanding how the system works but the real value is in getting in front of some rock and building the anchors (with a guide or mentor) so you can see and feel how these systems can work for real. This is a valuable source of information to pair with either a guide, mentor or in-person instruction.Matt

Really poor content, not inspirational. Lots of the information is just in there to fill the pages. Would not recommend.adambird1986

A great guide to avoiding the thing we all want to avoid. Curiosity and various chronic low level injuries spurred me on. Lots of practical advice for dealing with the usual catalogue of injuries and ringing endorsements from elite climbers who all seem to climb 5.14 or harder. For the mere mortal there's lots to take away and focus on and in that respect I feel like I've made midseason New Year's resolutions that need a bit of effort to implement and then keep up. The advice about climbing with good posture is worth £25 in itself!Andy S.