Guidebooks and Links

P1060704 — Click pic to see what ’60 for 60′ is about

I’m a guidebook freak. While I greatly appreciate the fun of exploring an area with little or no foreknowledge, I also appreciate that others have been there before me and identified some of the best things to see and do. I hate to miss out just because I don’t know about them, especially after I’ve driven for 8 hours to get somewhere.

Here’s a list of guide books I own and highly recommend. Please buy guidebooks. I’ve done a lot of writing, and it’s obvious what a labor of love these books are – the authors deserve our support. In general, they’re full of useful data about the general area, climbing history of the area, and can lead to so many awesome adventures. You can , but most of these books I’ve picked up while in the general area at local visitor’s centers or bookstores. You may be better than I am at planning ahead.

Having said all this, I’m also a fan of the free Mountain Project app (iOS and Android). Black Diamond has taken over and the apps are now free. Click through and get a feeling for all you can do with MP.

I’m finding that no one reference is exhaustive. Mountain Project has many climbs that aren’t in the guidebooks (esp. new climbs established after the guidebook was printed) and guidebooks have many climbs that aren’t on MP.