Who’s it for? Indoor or outdoor climbers, beginners, developing climbers and mountaineering instructors.
What’s it about? Demystifying the language climbers use, climbing movement skills, injury prevention and training, belaying, common knots and rope systems, sport and trad climbing, multi-pitch climbing, roped scrambling and mountaineering, roped problem solving
Relevant skills courses: Rock Skills Introduction, Rock Skills Intermediate, Rock Skills Learn to Lead Sport Climbs, Rock Skills Learn to Lead Trad Climbs
Relevant qualifications: Indoor Climbing Assistant, Climbing Wall Instructor, Rock Climbing Instructor, Foundation Coach, Climbing Wall Development Instructor, Rock Climbing Development Instructor, Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor
About the book
Rock Climbing by Libby Peter remains the go-to reference book for new and developing climbers who want to learn how to climb indoors, on rock and in the mountains. It’s designed to support climbers at every stage, from your first visit to a climbing wall or attending a Rock Skills course to climbing and mountaineering instructors pursuing and subsequently maintaining coaching and instructing qualifications.
Climbing is full of jargon and words that only make sense to those in the know, which is why this book uses simple explanations and introduces new words, skills and concepts progressively. As your knowledge increases you’ll learn to manage the risks involved in climbing, adding a sense of freedom and independence to an already fulfilling activity.
Illustrations and photos bring the practical skills and techniques to life, as well as long-established no-nonsense text and well-structured chapters.
About the author
Rock climbing and mountaineering have been central to Libby’s life for over 35 years. She has been lucky enough to spend time in many of the most beautiful climbing areas in the UK and worldwide, sampling all aspects of climbing from bouldering to high altitude mountaineering and everything in between. Libby is an experienced Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and internationally qualified IFMGA Mountain Guide who has combined climbing, guiding and bringing up two
daughters from a North Wales base. Libby is a technical officer for Mountain Training UK & Ireland.
Third edition chapter list:
- The climbing environment
- A brief history of UK and Irish climbing
- Warming up and avoiding injuries
- Movement skills
- Improving your climbing
- Technical essentials
- Indoor climbing
- Bouldering outside
- Top-rope climbing and abseiling
- Sport climbing
- Trad climbing
- Single pitch problem solving
- Inspiring others
- Ropework (for multi-pitch climbing)
- Descending from multi-pitch crags
- Multi-pitch problem solving
- Scrambling
- Combined rock and water activities
- Incidents, accidents and getting help
- The law and risk management
Third edition updates
The third edition published in 2022 includes updates to the history of climbing chapter including more recent achievements and the history of more women climbers. The indoor climbing content has been expanded and several chapters have been rewritten and reordered to support the common climbing route of starting indoors, followed by outdoor bouldering, sport climbing and trad climbing.
Developments in climbing kit and equipment are also reflected in the new edition, including advice on completing various tasks using a belay device in guide mode.
Two chapters have been removed (on adaptive climbing techniques and via ferrata/high ropes) to make space for the updated content. Adaptive climbing techniques are covered in better depth through alternative publications, while via ferrata and high ropes courses are both quite specialised activities and advice can be found through the European Ropes Course Association or British Mountain Guides (for via ferrata).
