The Mountaineering Handbook

Craig Connally is in his third decade of mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and climbing rock and ice. He climbs with instructors and guides and has mentored beginning climbers. A contributor to the Sierra Clubs Leader Reference Book, he has given presentations on GPS, ski mountaineering, avalanche avoidance and rescue, map and compass use, and other trekking and mountaineering topics. An engineering manager in the entertainment industry, he brings an analytical eye and a clear and entertaining writing style to this handbook of mountaineering. Hometown: Alhambra, CA

Part 1: Mountaineering

1. Introduction

Who's It For?

2. Let's Go Climbing Together

Get Your Head Ready

Get Your Skills Ready

Fast and Light

Get Your Body Ready

Get Your Gear Ready

Get Started

Base Camp

The Alpine Start

The Approach

The Climb

Onto the Rock

Retreat

Be Resourceful

Be Tough

Have Fun

Part 2: The Approach

3. Moving Fast on the Trail

On the Approach

On the Climb

4. Wilderness Navigation

Navigation with Maps

Handy Navigation Features

Resorting to Your Compass

Altimeters

New-School Mapping

GPS and UTM

Estimating Travel Time

Lost

Another Way of Navigating

5. Mountain Hazards

Rockfall and Icefall

Rain

River Crossings

Lightning

Avalanche

Altitude

Heat and Cold

Sun and UV

6. Mountain Weather

What You Already Know

Clouding the Picture

When Weather Gets a Lift

Climatology

Predicting Mountain Weather Using Local Observations

Lifting the Fog

7. The Alpine Start

Why Start Early

Morning Begins at Sundown

Turning Off the Lights

The Dread Bivouac

Part 3: Rock

8. Climb Rating Systems

Climb with Class

The YDS

Ice with That?

Making the Grade

What Does All This Mean to Mountaineers?

9. Your Climbing Rope

The Basics

Single, Half, Twin

What Specs Are Unimportant?

What Specs Matter?

Recommendations for Mountaineering Ropes

Handling and Caring for Your Rope

10. Equipment for Rock Climbing

Climbing Harness

Belay/Rappel Brakes

Helmet

Carabiners

Runners and Slings

Cordelette

Protection Hardware

Nut Tool

Rap Ring

Knife

11. Climbing Forces

Physics 001

Static Forces

Dynamic Forces and Leader Falls

Real-World Influences on Fall Forces

Strength of Safety-System Components

Force Multiplication

12. Anchors

Tying In

Simple Anchors

Complex Anchors

What's a Mountaineer to Do?

13. Rappelling

Get Connected

Rappel Anchors

Getting Started

Joining Two Ropes for Rappelling

Final Preparations

Self-Belay While Rappelling

Cast Off

As You Alight

Last Is Best

Freeing a Stuck Rope

14. Climbing on Rock

Preliminaries

Belaying the Leader

Leading

Climbing

Placing Pro

Belaying the Second

Seconding

Changeover

Moving Fast on Rock

Part 4: Snow and Ice

15. Equipment for Snow and Ice Climbing