Accidents in North American Mountaineering

Arrived on time, in brand new condition. Woot. Great to learn from other's mistakes rather than first hand. A friend recommended I read this, and I recommend it to you. One thing I didn't realize was that these are skinny books published each year: there's a lot to read. Have each of your buddies buy a different year and keep it in their car so ya'll can read some each time you drive out to a climb.

Each accident review is terse and to the point. Somewhat dry but very informative. The reality is most accidents are due to pretty simple screw-ups - I don't know how many times I counted people abseiling off the end of the rope ... but a more in-depth level of analysis would reveal this often happens due to an inability to control/stop your drop by friction alone while setting up your next anchor point. Simple misses like this stop me from giving this a 5. However this is one of the few books around that is helpful and informative and factual rather that conforming to pure rhetoric of what we perceive as accident causing situations.

This is the fifth report in this series I've read. It is the best resource for finding out what really hurts, cripples and kills people involved in mountaineering. You may read "On Rope", John Long, Craig Leubben, Craig Connelly, "Freedom of the Hills", etc., to find out what to do correctly, but the ANAM books will provide a strong sense of what can go wrong, when and where procedures should become your friend, and you'll read real case studies of how to avoid problematic issues when in the wilderness or mountainous terrain. Regarding practical mountaineering and climbing, I've learned at least as much from ANAM as I have from any other five titles. I believe it should be required reading for anyone transitioning from gym climbing to real rock. Or for those who seek the freedom of the hills.

Sensational edjucation-the most important way to understand the frequency and causes of climbing misfortune.