Rock Climbing Anchors: A Comprehensive Guide Author: Visit Amazon's Craig Luebben Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1594850062 | Format: PDF
Rock Climbing Anchors: A Comprehensive Guide Description
Review
"... an insight into what it takes to minimize risk and maximize safety in the sport" --
East OregonianAbout the Author
Craig Luebben has been guiding professionally for more than twenty-five years. The author of Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills and other titles, he has written product reviews for Climbing and Rock & Ice magazines. He currently serves on the board of the AMGA.
- Series: Mountaineers Outdoor Expert
- Paperback: 250 pages
- Publisher: Mountaineers Books (February 1, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1594850062
- ISBN-13: 978-1594850066
- Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Wow!!! That was literally the first word that popped into my head as I started reading this book. The number and quality of photos BLOWS away any other comparable book. It looks like there are about 3X as many photos as others on the market, making it THE BEST visual source of information on individual placements as well as overall anchor configurations. As we all know, "a picture is worth a thousand words." And, in this case, a picture could be worth your life as well. I could go on and on about how/why this book is so much stronger than others out there. Some highlights are below:
- Luebben's mechanical engineering background is very apparent when you read this book. Being an engineer myself, I really appreciate having a book written by someone who truly understands the mechanics involved with anchor rigging.
- He explains the v-angle and pulley effect (which others only elude to), and there is an appropriate distinction between body weight -- top roping, seconding, rappelling forces -- versus leader fall forces.
- There is a whole chapter explaining climbing physics, and there is a lot more information about cam and nut design and placement considerations.
- Many more anchor rigging options are discussed and pictured, including some minimalistic ones just using slings.
- Luebben does a much better job explaining how to make judgment-based decisions as opposed to following a standard set of rules for all situations.
- All of the above factors make Luebben's book a better source for more experienced climbers (in addition to beginners) than others on the market.
If you are looking for one book on how to place gear into the rock and build anchors, look no further than Rock Climbing Anchors: A Comprehensive Guide, by the late Craig Luebben. I have reviewed several books on placing gear and building anchors, and this one is the best, bar none. The information is the most up to date, and the book is loaded with pictures. Rock Climbing Anchors reviews everything from how to place different types of gear, to building anchors for virtually every scenario, including photos. Did I mention the photos in this book?!
The first part of the book starts with some basic terminology dealing with anchors and different forms of climbing. It quickly moves into pre-equalized and self-equalizing anchors. Of course, there are a wide range of photos and the text explains when to use them and how to tie them. The first chapter finishes with different ways to belay a leader and a second. In the interest of keeping this review, relatively short, I'm not going to go into too much detail about each of these topics. I suggest you buy the book!
The next chapter is short, and goes over natural anchors such as trees and rock (boulders, chockstones, etc). Then a short bit on bolts and pitons is presented. After that, the book dives right into the various forms of protection (gear) and how to place them. Nuts, hexes, tri-cams, big bros, and cams are covered in detail. Pretty much everything you want to know about gear is covered in these next two chapters.
Tope-rope and rappel anchors are then covered. There are many ways to setup a top-rope anchor and the book gives several examples. It also shows how to use various types of anchors, such as bolts, boulders, or trees.
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