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If you plan to climb more then one pitch or with other climbers as you should be. Rigging for raise and lowering is also covered very well, along with rescue situations and Reppel setup and backup. take a few hours out of your day to learn this information. Escaping the belay is a important process, and this book shows how to do so in several different situations. I still refer back to mine regulatly to ensure im doin things correctly. If your not sure about how you would pass a knot or raise an injuryed second this book can help.
Gravity plays for keeps and when something bad starts and gravity takes over, its hard to stop. I own Sylvan Rocks Climbing School here in the Black Hills of South Dakota. When it does stop, if you know how to pick up the pieces and use the knowledge offered up in this book, you will greatly improve your chances of getting yourself and your partner down safely.Sending your project climb is perhaps more fun, but taking the time to read and practice the techniques laid out in these pages is essential knowledge. I see more epics (with other parties) then I care to admit. If you are going out climbing, the knowledge in this book is no optional. Going climbing without understanding the basics of self rescue is like driving without a seat belt. Its all fine until you need it.When we have guest that comes to us wanting to learn how to use these skills I recommend they read this book before they spend the day with us.
Must read if you take climbing seriously. It's a book to have in your bag and in your head.
I've been climbing sport for about a year and a half, some multi-pitch. Easy to follow diagrams/instructions. Table of contents: The Basics, Rescue Knots, Escaping a Belay, Descending, Ascending, Raising, Passing Knots, Scenarios and Solutions, Getting Outside Help (33 pages of 29 scenarios/solutions).
This book has been just right for me. Concise, well organized chapters that build on each other logically. Just started leading trad this season, thought it was time to learn how to manage accidents/crises.
The authors do a nice job of directing you to other resources outside the scope of the book. I have Freedom of the Hills, but this covers self-rescue in more depth ("self" means your party, as opposed to calling for search and rescue). It touches just briefly on ice climbing/big wall, covering topics that are applicable to most types of climbing.
Set up to read straight through but also easy to reference specific topics/knots. Nice mix of photos/illustrations.
Ok, I'm fairly new to outdoor climbing, and if I got into some of the situations described here, I would just hang on the rope and scream like a little girl until someone more experienced told me what to do.That said, if you're willing to spend several hours practicing the techniques, this book will boost your confidence considerably. I think it's more applicable to multipitch climbs, however the techniques are applicable to rappelling as well.Don't expect to read it and know how to traverse a knot while rappelling. Until you try the techniques a few times and get familiar, you shouldn't trust them while on the rock.
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