First Footsteps in East Africa or an Exploration of Harar Review

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(More customer reviews)Sir Richard F Burton is one of the most famous of unread authors. Nearly everyone can tell you about his scandalous doings with native women, his marriage to an ultra-Catholic Englishwoman, and the latter's destruction of the author's private papers after his death.
Ever since I read Fawn Brodie's excellent biography, THE DEVIL DRIVES, I have collected some 20 different Burton books and read most of them. If you make allowances for Burton's diabolical thoroughness (involved footnotes, appendices, foreign language quotes, tables, etc.) and his Victorian circumlocutions in dealing with taboo subjects, he is a truly wonderful read.
Although FIRST FOOTSTEPS is not his most famous book, it is probably the best one to start with. The action is not only more focussed, but Burton did feel he needed quite so much of a scholarly carapace to report back to the scholarly organizations back in Britain. And it finishes up with a stirring postscript about an attack on Burton's camp by Somalis in which the author barely escaped with his life.
Perhaps this is a book that Presidents Bush and Clinton should have read before committing U.S. troops to the region: Burton shows us that not much has changed in the region in 150 years. He was in constant danger, and survived only because his knowledge and guts were more than an a match for his enemies.
This is an exciting book and deserves to be better known.

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Subjects: Horn of Africa -- Description and travelNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Aconcagua: Ascent routes and expeditions in the Southern Andes (Cicerone British Mountains) Review

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(More customer reviews)This little book includes less information about the climbing the summit of Aconcagua than what you can find free on the internet in five minutes. It should never have been published

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At 6962m, Aconcagua is the highest peak outside the Himalayas and is accessible for both trekkers and mountaineers. The approach through Santiago and Mendoza is attractive with scope for equipping expeditions, and meeting the contrasting cultures in the region. Jim Ryan's book concentrates on the ascent of Aconcagua by the normal and Polish Glacier routes andgreat attention is given to preparation, equipment, health and handling the effects of altitude and the tough Andean climate.In addition, the trekking and mountaineering opportunities throughout the southern Andes are highlighted with treks in the Valecitos, Tupungato ranges and in the area around Santiago and Aconcagua itself, as well as background information to the region and its opening up as a climbing and trekking area.This is the most complete and up to date guide to the area and should materially improve the chances of completing the ascent safely and having an outstanding trip.

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Self-Rescue: How to Rock Climb Series Review

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(More customer reviews)The book covers all aspects of rescue of a fallen climber, from freeing oneself from a harness to ascending or decending the rope to finally hooking up and hauling the victim to safety. I've read numerous books on climbing and if your looking for a book on self rescue, this is the one!

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Aconcagua: A Climbing Guide, Second Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)A useful primer for those considering climbing Aconcagua. Describes routes of many different difficulty levels. If you are planning on doing the normal route, most of the book will be irrelevant since it describes more difficult and technical approaches. However, even the introduction and normal route description are valuable references. Especially the sections on health and safety concerns. Hopefully there will be a new edition for 1999 since I understand that in 1999-2000, Argentine regulations will require permits to purchased in Mendoza IN PERSON by those climbing -- a change from the current practice.

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How to Climb: Advanced Rock Climbing Review

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(More customer reviews)This book covers many subjects from clipping bolts on sport routes to building anchors on trad climbs and techniques from the crimp grip to knocking of the figure four. It really doesn't go into to much depth on any of the many subjects (because there are so many)it covers but in my opinion I think it gives sufficient advice about them. It covers Techniques, Anchors, Protection Placements, Sport Climbing, Aid Climbing, Soloing, Crack Climbing and many more.

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Knots & Ropes For Climbers (Outdoor and Nature) Review

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(More customer reviews)I worked with this book and some cord for a couple weeks before starting gym and outdoor climbing, and it made the instruction breeze by. The illustrations are easy to follow, the reasons to use one knot over another are useful, and the context of why each knot variation is helpful and builds a great platform to learn more.
One of the most useful pieces of climbing equipment I've bought. It seems the guy who said the prussik was dangerous didn't actually read the text, which said to keep it in easy reach. Climbing is dangerous - make sure you are prepared and understand what you are doing before you do it.

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Climbing Self Rescue: Improvising Solutions for Serious Situations (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert) Review

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(More customer reviews)I concur with the previous review. Excellent detail and a plethora of photographs to illustrate each point. This book includes a section on ascending out of a glacier crevasse as well. Andy Tyson and Molly Loomis have done a lot of research and work to put this book together to include such detail as a flow chart for you to methodically determine which rescue scenario to persue. Not only do they give qualitative data, but they included quantitative data compiled from various sources to help you understand the strengths of knots and their weaknesses as well. 29 rescue scenarios are explored for your better understanding of rescue techniques. If you have Fasulo's book, this will be a great addition to your rescue book collection. If you are just getting into rock climbing, I strongly advise seeking a mentor and purchasing this book to complement the side of climbing that many people overlook, self-rescue. Practice, practice, practice, then have someone critique your rescue skills.

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When your climbing team is in trouble on the mountain—how to get yourself out of a jam without calling 911. •Self-rescue procedures for teams of two—the most common climbing party size •Techniques equally effective on rock, snow, and ice •Utilizes gear climbers already carry in their rack •Includes 40 one-page rescue scenarios and solutions for analysis The rope is stuck—or too short. A crucial piece of gear is MIA. YouÂ've wandered off route into dicey terrain. An injury leaves you or your partner in need of help. Climb long enough and finding yourself in a jam far from help is inevitable. In Climbing: Self Rescue, two longtime climbing instructors and guides teach how to improvise your own solutions, calling for outside help only when necessary. Because few climbers carry fancy (and expensive) search and rescue gear, all skills taught in this book use the items typically found on a climbing rack: rope, carabiners, slings, and cord. Text, illustrations, and photos explain knots, belaying and hauling systems, rappelling, ascension, passing knots, how to safely assist and rig an injured climber, and more. Roughly half of the book is devoted to real-life climbing scenarios and solutions ranging from moderate to severe. Because real-life situations rarely unfold as they do in practice, Climbing Self-Rescue teaches how to analyze and improvise your way out of a crisis.ANDY TYSON is a guide for Alpine Ascents, Exum and Antarctic-logistics and Expeditions. MOLLY LOOMIS is an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Alpine Ascents and Prescott College. Tyson is the author of Glacier Mountaineering; Loomis has written for Rock & Ice, Climbing, She Sends, and other publications.

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