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Climbing Magazine Reviews
Climbing Magazine welcomes print, photo, and DVD material for our Reviews department, both online and in print. Please contact Justin Roth for more information.
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 Flatiron'ed
Much-needed and much-welcomed is Jason Haas’ new Climbing Boulder’s Flatirons ($32, sharpendbooks.com), a 220-page, comprehensive, full color, photo-topo guidebook that pulls together all the roped climbs. A bona fide Flatirons disciple, Haas spent three years on the book, climbing almost every route on its pages — no small feat when you consider that more than a few of these climbs are obscure, dangerous mystery routes up poison-ivy-choked gullies and on formations most Boulder climbers barely know by name (Schmoe’s Nose, Nixon’s Nose, or Hillbilly Rock, anyone?).  Love, A Vue
No climbers were (permanently) injured during the making of this film. Such should be the disclaimer for Alastair Lee's new UK-based frightfest Onsight (£19.99, posingproductions.com), a straightforward look at the eponymous niche in our sport.  Table of Colors
North Table Mountain (NTM) holds a unique role in the climbing world: it’s a steep, sunny basalt sport climbing zone that’s urban (the cliffline overlooks the Coors Brewery in Golden, with views to not-so-distant downtown Denver) yet pristine (Golden itself stops a good half-mile from the cliffline, and the mesa land has been preserved).  Love in the Himalaya
If I can't physically be in the Indian Himalaya — neck-deep in all its adventure and romance — the next best thing is to go there mentally. In the pages of The Rains of India ($17, stores.lulu.com/jesscz), a new novel by the German (and former Boulder, Colorado, local) climber Jesse Guthrie, I see dusky sunrays kissing Hindu temples, waves tumbling alongside beachside bungalows in Goa, and Sherpas winding up frosted peaks.  To the Limit
By Mike Adamson - Thirty-one pitches and 2,900 vertical feet climbed in just 2:45:45—watch as the über-strong Huber brothers (Alexander and Thomas) push themselves To the Limit ($29.95, firstrunfeatures.com) to set what in 2007 was then the speed record for the Nose of El Capitan.  Living Dangerously
By Nick O’Connell - Routinely cited as one of the best mountaineering books ever, Lionel Terray’s Conquistadors of the Useless ($21.95, mountaineers.org), newly reissued in 2008 (but first printed in 1961), expresses the nearly inexpressible: what motivates mountaineers to pursue this seductive and often dangerous sport.  With Bare Hands: The Story of the Human Spider
Alain Robert, the world famous free soloist has just released his autobiography, With Bare Hands: the story of the Human Spider (published by Maverick House Publishers). The French "Spiderman's", biography will have you clutching each page, holding on and hardly able to breathe, as he tells tales of clinging to giant buildings. Order it from Amazon.com HERE.  Dosage V Review
If you haven't picked up the new Dosage V DVD, or gone to one of the premier events, you're really missing out. Not only do you get to see Beth Rodden make the first ascent of Meltdown (5.14c), you get to watch Chris Sharma get shut down on his new ridiculous 5.15/9b project.  Way of the Warrior
By Chris Weidner - I wish I could do one-armed pull-ups like the 16-year-olds at the gym. Then maybe – just maybe – I could send my damn project. On the other hand, physical strength is just one aspect of rock climbing. Mental strength is also crucial. Unfortunately, most of us have only a vague understanding of what this means. Arno Ilgner’s audiobook, The Rock Warrior’s Way: Mental Training for Climbers ($29.95, warriorsway.com), helps remedy that.  Underdeveloped
By Matt Samet - Allah be praised for the streamlined, simple climbing film — it's a welcome relief. Showcasing the principal Irish cragging areas of the Mourne Mountains, the seacliffs of the Burren and Fairhead, and the boulders of Glendalough, the spirited Underdeveloped (£17.99, underdevelopedireland.com ) is, in the words of the filmmakers, "...simply a story of a bunch of friends from Belfast who went climbing. ..."  Where the Wild Things Climb
By Kristin Bjornsen - If you want back-bumper belaying, noisy crowds, and dirt-free routes, the Adirondacks are not for you. This upper-New York State park makes you work for its treasure of slabs, splitters, and blocs, with half the climbing lying wild and isolated more than a half-hour from the road.  Clear Creek Canyon Rock Climbs
By Kristin Bjornsen - Just 20 minutes from Denver, Clear Creek Canyon serves up more than 400 routes, several of them testpieces authored by the likes of Peter Beal, Tommy Caldwell, Kurt Smith, and Daniel Woods. The stylish Clear Creek Canyon Rock Climbs ($28, sharpendbooks.com ) gives you the inside scoop on all of them.  The Ultimate Euro Tour Guide
By Kristin Bjornsen - Welcome to the Euro tour, with stops at Malta, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Your guide will be the South Western Europe & Morocco Rock Climbing Atlas ($38.95, rockclimbingatlas.com )  Spray Review
Review by Justin Roth - The chillaxed vibes of Northern California's beaches and inland crags set the tone for Brian Solano's new film, Spray ($29.95; spraymovie.com). The movie opens with shots of beach bouldering and surfing in Humboldt County, an area that serves as a sort of base for the climbers (the film is broken up into geographic segments, and the climbers continually return to the mellow, sandy area).  Yoga for Climbers
Review by Matt Samet - I'm a fair-to-middling yoga bumbler, but have been to enough classes to do a passable Downward Dog and have come to appreciate this ancient practice as a low-impact healing and wellness tool nonpareil. |
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