Joshua Tree Bouldering

Fast-paced history-cum-memoir about rock climbing in the wild-and-wooly ’80s Highlights ground-breaking achievements from the era Hangdog Days vividly chronicles the era when rock climbing exploded in popularity, attracting a new generation of talented climbers eager to reach new heights via harder routes and faster ascents. This contentious, often entertaining period gave rise to sport climbing, climbing gyms, and competitive climbing--indelibly transforming the sport. Jeff Smoot was one of those brash young climbers, and here he traces the development of traditional climbing “rules,” enforced first through peer pressure, then later through intimidation and sabotage. In the late ’70s, several climbers began introducing new tactics including “hangdogging,” hanging on gear to practice moves, that the old guard considered cheating. As more climbers broke ranks with traditional style, the new gymnastic approach pushed the limits of climbing from 5.12 to 5.13. When French climber Jean-Baptiste Tribout ascended To Bolt or Not to Be, 5.14a, at Smith Rock in 1986, he cracked a barrier many people had considered impenetrable. In his lively, fast-paced history enriched with insightful firsthand experience, Smoot focuses on the climbing achievements of three of the era’s superstars: John Bachar, Todd Skinner, and Alan Watts, while not neglecting the likes of Ray Jardine, Lynn Hill, Mark Hudon, Tony Yaniro, and Peter Croft. He deftly brings to life the characters and events of this raucous, revolutionary time in rock climbing, exploring, as he says, “what happened and why it mattered, not only to me but to the people involved and those who have followed.”

Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park gives climbers a selection of more than 280 of the very best routes at one of the country's most popular climbing destinations. Full color photographs along with a contemporary design make this book as visually appealing as it is useful.

Includes Black Rock and Indian Cove, topo maps and trail descriptions for the best hikes, maps of campgrounds, history of the park, geology, ecology, wildlife, wildflowers, and more.

Thousands of sport and traditional routes on the myriad golden domes offer climbers of all abilities endless variety

The comprehensive guide to rock climbing in the western half of Joshua Tree National Park.

This thoroughly revised and updated new edition of Better Bouldering presents all the techniques and tricks gleaned from the thirty-year bouldering career of John Sherman, America's most noted and notorious bouldering guru. Sharing the most recent trends in techniques, equipment, and injury treatment and prevention, Sherman imparts his insider knowledge of the sport through colorful instructional text and “combat” stories from his own bouldering career—allowing both beginning and accomplished boulderers to learn from the author's mistakes rather than their own. Among the guest contributors for this new edition are top boulderers Paul Robinson, the 2008 ABS national champion, writing on gyms and competitions; and Angie Payne, the first American female to climb V13, who shares a woman's perspective on bouldering. More than 300 new color photos taken at the most popular bouldering locales throughout America and the world clearly demonstrate in dramatic fashion the concepts explained in the always entertaining text.