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The majesty of the mountains has captured
man's imagination from time immemorial. Mountaineering is a book which
studies this fascination and looks at how it has grown into one of the
most exciting participator sports in the world. The history of man's
relationship with the high places of his planet is described from the
points of view of religion, folk-lore, art and environmental
appreciation. All of these aspects are strikingly illustrated in a
forty-eight page section of breathtaking colour photography.
The great mountain ranges of the various continents differ from one
another according to their age, their geological makeup and their
climate. Each one is studied with an eye to its climbing potential.
Individual mountains in these ranges are looked at in detail and these
include the highest and the most spectacular in the world.
Mountaineers take upon themselves the tasks and joys of scaling the
peaks. Through the biographies of ten of the greatest—from Edward \/\/hymper
to Dougal Haston—the history of the sport in modern times is covered.
The gradual changes in techniques and equipment for different types of
climbs are shown. All aspects of mountain sports are dealt with, from
hill walking through fell running, rock climbing, ice climbing, ski
mountaineering, alpine climbing, expeditionary climbing to high altitude
mountaineering, and classical climbs from a number of areas are
described. The concluding appendices give all the hard facts that a
potential or actual mountaineer would need to know. The author is
himself an experienced mountaineer and photographer. |
