How to Rock Climb!

339 Pages·2010·79.08 MB·English

by  John Long

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The essential how-to book ®
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thoroughly updated and revised
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E How to Rock Climb! is the most thorough and the best- Inside you’ll find all the
s selling instructional rock climbing book in the world. information you need on: t
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e This nuts-and-bolts guide serves as an introduction • Footwork and handhold positions
n to rock climbing for beginners and helps intermediate
t • Finger, hand, and off-width cracks R
i climbers hone their knowledge of the sport. All the fun-
a
l damentals, from ethics to getting up the climb, are here. • Equipment, including ropes, an- o
g chors, and belay devices
e Thoroughly updated with more than 400 color pho- c
a • Sport climbing and traditional
r tographs and illustrations, this fifth edition covers all k
climbing
fo aspects of modern equipment, technique, and training
r methods. It is the most complete upgrade since its first • Lead climbing and toproping C
e
publication more than fifteen years ago. • Downclimbing and rappelling
v
er In his landmark clear, concise, and entertaining style, • Training, including bouldering li
y veteran rock climber John Long provides the basics and and climbing gyms m
a
d distills the intricacies of modern technical rock climbing
v in all its diverse forms. Throughout, he stresses safety and Front cover photo of Dave Graham onsighting b
e a 5.14 sport route at Terradets, Spain, and back
n simplicity, and in this new edition he puts special empha- cover photo of Heidi Wirtz on Absolutely Free
!
tu sis on setting protection and building reliable anchors. (5.9), Yosemite © Keith Ladzinski
r
e
: John Long is a legendary rock climber, world adventurer, and best-selling outdoor writer. In

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2009 Rock and Ice magazine called Long “the most influential climber in the world” for his
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groundbreaking climbs and extensive contribution to climbing literature. He has written numer-
t
f ous books, including Climbing Anchors and Climbing Anchors Field Guide, and he coauthored
i FALCON
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Y Advanced Rock Climbing and Big Walls (all FalconGuides). He divides his time between Venezu-
o ela and Venice, California. GUIDES®
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r Printed in China falcon.com

M US $19.95/CAN $21.95
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® FalconGuides ® ED JOHN LONG
is an imprint of IT
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Globe Pequot Press N
HowTo RockClimb.indd 1 3/26/10 1:24 PM
How to Rock Climb!
HTRC_5e_i-xiv,1-101_4c_.indd 1 2/12/10 11:10:41 AM
Lauren Lee climbing smoothly
up The Crown (5.13c), Rougon,
France. Keith LadzinsKi
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H o w t o C l i m b ™ S e r i eS
How to
Rock Climb!
Fifth Edition
John long
HTRC_5e_i-xiv,1-101_4c_.indd 3 3/1/10 9:19:40 AM
FFAALLCCOONNGGUUIIDDEESS®
Copyright © 1989, 1993, 1998, 2004, 2010 by John Long
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing
by the publisher. Requests for permission should be made in writing to Globe Pequot Press,
Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.
FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.
Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book
Publishing, LLC.
How to Climb is a trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
Text designer: Casey Shain
Project editor: John Burbidge
Illustrations by Mike Clelland
All interior photos by Bob Gaines unless noted otherwise.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the earlier edition as follows:
Long, John, 1953-
How to rock climb! / John Long.—4th ed.
p. cm. – (How to climb series)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7627-2471-4
1. Rock climbing. I. Title. II. Series.
GV200.2 .L66 2002
796.52'23—dc21 2002029907
ISBN 978-0-7627-5534-9
Printed in China
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Warning: Climbing is a dangerous sport. You can be seriously
injured or die. Read the following before you use this book.
This is an instruction book about rock climbing, a sport that is
inherently dangerous. Do not depend solely on information from
this book for your personal safety. Your climbing safety depends on
your own judgment based on competent instruction, experience,
and a realistic assessment of your climbing ability.
The training advice given in this book are the author’s opinions.
Consult your physician before engaging in any part of the training
program described by the author.
There are no warranties, either expressed or implied, that this
instruction book contains accurate and reliable information. There
are no warranties as to fitness for a particular purpose or that this
book is merchantable. Your use of this book indicates your assump-
tion of the risk of death or serious injury as a result of climbing’s
risks and is an acknowledgment of your own sole responsibility for
your safety in climbing or in training for climbing.
Globe Pequot Press and the author assume no liability
for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers
who engage in the activities described in this book.
HTRC_5e_i-xiv,1-101_4c_.indd 5 2/12/10 11:10:52 AM
Sonnie Trotter on Dream Catcher (5.14d),
Squamish, British Columbia.
HTRC_5e_i-xiv,1-101_4c_.indd 6 2/12/10 11:10:58 AM
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Introduction xi
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
Chapter 1. The Climbing Game 1

Rating the Difficulty 5 Basic Equipment 10
................................................................ ......................................................................
Free Climbing 8
..............................................................................
Chapter 2: Face Climbing Skills 17

Footwork 17 The Upward Flow 37
...................................................................................... ..................................................................
Handholds 28 Types of Face Climbing 38
................................................................................... .......................................................
Chapter 3: Crack Climbing Skills 49

Finger Cracks 50 Squeeze Chimneys and Flares 70
............................................................................ .........................................
Off-Finger Cracks 55 Chimneys 73
.................................................................. ....................................................................................
Hand Cracks 58 Liebacking 76
............................................................................. ...................................................................................
Fist Cracks 62 Stemming 80
................................................................................. .....................................................................................
Off-Width Cracks 65 Special Gear Considerations 83
.................................................................. ..............................................
Chapter 4: Ropes, Anchors, and Belays 87

The Rope 89 Anchors 107
.................................................................................... .....................................................................................
Webbing (Sling Material) 94 A Brief History of Rock Hardware 116
................................................... ............................
Cordage 98 Nuts and Cams (SLCDs) 117
........................................................................................ ..............................................
Knots for Slings and Cordage 99 Fixed Gear: Pitons and Bolts 141
.......................................... ........................................
Connecting the Climber to the Rope 100 Knots for Tying into the Anchor 153
.......................... ...................................
Carabiners 105 The Belay 157
................................................................................ ................................................................................
Chapter 5: Belay Anchors 171

Dynamics of the Roped Safety System 171 Judging the Direction of Pull 177
..................... ..........................................
Importance of Strong Primary Placements 172 Rigging Belay Anchors 184
.............. ......................................................
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Rigging Systems 189 Upward Oppositional Anchors 210
................................................................... ......................................
Static and Automatic Equalization Systems: Summary 213
..................................................................................
Cordelette, Sliding X, and Equalette 194
....................
Chapter 6: The Art of Leading 215

The First Lead 215 Techniques for Leading 231
...................................................................... ......................................................
Protection and the Direction of Pull 222 Retreat and Self-Rescue 239
........................... ....................................................
Route Finding 227 The Fear of Leading 240
........................................................................ ...........................................................
Cruxes: The Hard Parts 227 Climbing with Style 242
................................................... ............................................................
Falling 228 Free Soloing 245
........................................................................................ ............................................................................
Protecting the Second 231
..........................................................
Chapter 7: Getting Down 247

Downclimbing 248 Rappelling 250
........................................................................ ................................................................................
Chapter 8: Sport Climbing 273

Life at the Sport Crag 274 Cleaning the Route 278
....................................................... .............................................................
Lowering 275 Honing Up 280
................................................................................... ..............................................................................
Chapter 9: Training for Climbing 283

Bouldering 284 Specific Training Techniques 292
................................................................................ ............................................
Toproping 286 Injuries 296
................................................................................. .......................................................................................
Climbing Gyms 290
....................................................................
Chapter 10: Responsibilities and Staying Alive 299

Staying Alive 300 The Other Sides of the Game 303
.......................................................................... ......................................
Appendix A: Resources 304
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Appendix B: Climbing Glossary 306
.........................................................................................................................................................
Index 313
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
About the Author 321
......................................................................................................................................................................................
viii Contents
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to Bob Gaines, photographer and director of Vertical Adventures; Tom Cecil, director of
Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides; and the many other climbers and instructors who reviewed the
text and whose comments and suggestions were invaluable for this fifth edition. Thanks also to
Keith Ladzinski (www.ladzinski.com), whose outstanding action photos bring life and excitement
to what is basically a technical manual.
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