Ice Climbing Guidebook

Breathtaking tales of climbers and hunters, runners and racers, winners and losers by the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter. New York Times reporter John Branch’s riveting, humane pieces about ordinary people doing extraordinary things at the edges of the sporting world have won nearly every major journalism prize. Sidecountry gathers the best of Branch’s work for the first time, featuring 20 of his favorites from the more than 2,000 pieces he has published in the paper. Branch is renowned for covering the offbeat in the sporting world, from alligator hunting to wingsuit flying. Sidecountry features such classic Branch pieces, including “Snow Fall,” about downhill skiers caught in an avalanche in Washington state, and “Dawn Wall,” about rock climbers trying to scale Yosemite’s famed El Capitan. In other articles, Branch introduces people whose dedication and decency transcend their sporting lives, including a revered football coach rebuilding his tornado-devastated town in Iowa and a girls’ basketball team in Tennessee that plays on despite never winning a game. The book culminates with his moving personal pieces, including “Children of the Cube,” about the surprising drama of Rubik’s Cube competitions as seen through the eyes of Branch’s own sports-hating son, and “The Girl in the No. 8 Jersey,” about a mother killed in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting whose daughter happens to play on Branch’s daughter’s soccer team. John Branch has been hailed for writing “American portraiture at its best” (Susan Orlean) and for covering sports “the way Lyle Lovett writes country music—a fresh turn on a time-honored pleasure” (Nicholas Dawidoff). Sidecountry is the work of a master reporter at the top of his game.

Descriptions, maps, topos and photos of the best climbing areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Two mountain guides who have climbed extensively in the region share their A-list picks. Coverage includes rock, alpine, and ice routes from the Gunks to Acadia.

* Will Gadd is an ESPN X Games and Ice World Cup winner* There are 1.1 million ice climbers in the U.S. (Outdoor Industry Association, 2001)* Seventh installment in The Mountaineers Outdoor Expert series"Mixed climbing is my favorite discipline. It's the most fun because it has the fewest rules-sort of like professional wrestling compared to boxing." So says Will Gadd, as profiled in Fifty Favorite Climbs. Here the champion ice climber presents the same techniques and veteran wisdomhe imparts to those who attend his annual clinics. These include step-by-step instructions for the swing (ice axe), the kick (footwork), and putting it all together (tracking); how to "read" ice to select your line and follow it safely; and drytool techniques for mixed climbing. Training exercises and inspirational stories complete this seminal guide. Will Gadd won every major ice competition in the world in 1998 and 1999, as well as the 2000 Ice World Cup. A resident of Canmore, Alberta, hehas written for Climbing and Rock & Ice, among other publications. Roger Chayer's photos have appeared in Rock & Ice, Climbing, Gripped, Equinox, and the Alpine Club of Canada Journal. He lives in Calgary, Alberta. Part of the Mountaineers Outdoor Expert series.

New England is one of the country's most spectacular rock climbing arenas. The 66,608-square-mile region is studded with intimate crags, sweeping walls, compact sea cliffs, towering ledges, and spectacular overhangs. This full-color, revised edition of Rock Climbing New England describes fifteen of the region's best climbing areas in detail. Your choices of rocks and routes include two of the country's premier traditional crags, Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges in New Hampshire; New England's biggest rock face, Cannon Cliff in New Hampshire; and stunning sea cliff routes at Maine's Acadia National Park and at Rhode Island's Fort Wetherill State Park. Other superb selections include urban cragging at Crow Hill near Boston, the traprock cliffs of Ragged Mountain in Connecticut, and the granite slabs of Wheeler Mountain in Vermont. Inside you will also discover: climbing history of each site, pitch-by-pitch written descriptions, detailed topos and clear overview photos, and insider tips to remote climbing areas waiting to be explored. Rock Climbing New England, 2nd edition is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking adventure in this remarkable region.