Rock Climbing Anchors: A Comprehensive Guide

I've been working my way into lead climbing and this is my favorite book on climbing anchors. After taking many classes and climbing with "old schoolers", the book really solidified what I had already learned and taught me many new modern techniques and "tricks". I also appreciate that the book presents the science behinds all the various anchor setups. Although there are hundreds of B & W photos, on occasion they are hard to decipher when showing complex setups. Climbing Anchors (second edition) by Long and Gaines is also an excellent book and covers the same material. Having read both has helped me tremendously!

Very current and well organized book! Craig Luebben has obviously absorbed the new anchoring concepts that have cropped up recently and has helped me understand the advantages and disadvantages to each new method. A better book in my opinion than John Long's new anchor book. Nicely illustrated and un-biased, this is the book I am recommending to my immediate/advanced clients. -Dave Lottmann, EMS Climbing Guide

I've read all the anchor building books and so far, I have found this one to be the best one. Easy to understand, backed up by testing, lots of pictures (a picture speaks a thousand words!), a well-written guide! I highly recommend this to all climbers out there!

Craig breaks anchors down into clear concepts, some of which John Long made blurry. The only thing I would have liked were color pictures...simply because some of the anchors were hard to see in B and W.

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. - According to the back cover, Lynn Hill has even recognized Luebben's experience and knowledge, as she selected Craig to be the main anchor and self rescue trainer for her climbing camps - that's pretty cool! Bottom line...even if you have other books (new or old) it is well worth your money to invest in buying this book. So much has changed in anchor theory in recent years and this book brings together the latest and greatest options.