How to Big Wall Climb

How to Big Wall Climb is the first step-by-step aid climbing guide that takes you from your first step in an aider to the summit of El Capitan.

Like anything worthwhile, big wall climbing requires hard work. That said, it's not that difficult to get to the top of Yosemite's El Capitan, the top prize of the world's rock climbers. To scale El Cap you only have to free climb 5.9 and know very basic aid climbing skills. The daunting challenge is to put those skills together efficiently, a trick most climbers never master. That is where this book comes in. It's the first How To big wall book specifically organized and clearly designed to address the process of building big wall skills, step by step.

Author Chris McNamara has climbed El Cap more than 70 times and has set several speed records there. He has climbed more than 100 big walls, is a noted wingsuit BASE jumper and is the founder/CEO of SuperTopo, publisher of highly-regarded climbing guides for areas ranging from Alaska to Red Rocks with special attention to Yosemite.

If you are a reasonably good climber psyched to do El Cap or a similar bad ass big wall, you probably can do it. Each week read a new chapter in this book and follow instructions.

• Author: Chris McNamara
• A detailed 6-month plan to get to the top of El Cap.
• Photo sequences for key sections.
• Gear info and buying advice.
• Bonus speed climbing and clean climbing chapters.

Specifications

• Format: Paperback
  
• Dimensions: 144 pages
• Published: Jan 1, 2012
• Publisher: SuperTopo
• Language: English
• Item weight: 381 g
  

About the Author

Chris is the author of 10 books, a big-wall climbing expert, and a recovering ex-Wingsuit BASE jumper. Climbing Magazine once computed that three percent of Chris's life on earth had been spent on the face of El Capitan—an accomplishment that has left friends and family pondering Chris’ sanity. He’s climbed Yosemite's daunting 3,000+ foot El Capitan over 70 times and holds nine big wall speed climbing records. In 1998 Chris did the first Girdle Traverse of El Capitan, an epic 75-pitch route that begs the question, “Why?” Outside Magazine has called Chris one of “the world’s finest aid climbers.” He’s the winner of the American Alpine Club's prestigious Bates Award and the founder of the American Safe Climbing Association, a nonprofit group that has replaced over 14,000 dangerous rock climbing anchor bolts. Chris is also the founder and lead author of the rock climbing guidebook publisher, SuperTopo. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley.