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Summary: Calling this book "essential" is an understatement.
Review: Here in Seattle -- where mountaineering is almost a religion -- Freedom of the Hills is to climbing skills what Fred Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide is to climbing routes: the bible. It's the fundamental textbook for the Seattle Mountaineers' climbing curriculum, reputed to be the most thorough and rigorous in the Pacific Northwest and perhaps in the country. Virtually every sentence in Freedom of the Hills has a piece of information that has helped me in the mountains. I've re-read portions so many times that my 1979 copy is more tattered than your grandmother's New Testament. Since I first read Freedom of the Hills I've climbed dozens of peaks in Washington's Cascades and Olympics -- on steep snow, ice, technical rock, and glaciers, you name it. I've been through the Ptarmigan Traverse, up eight peaks in the Pickets, and atop Rainier three times. To put it bluntly, if I'd attempted these climbs without the knowledge and skills in this book, by now I would certainly be dead. So, before you go up there: Take a class. Read this book. Stay alive. . . . Okay, I gotta go. I'm buying four more copies of this book right now to send to friends in Colorado.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS
Review: I have a huge, thick copy right here and it is the bomb. Want to know somethin' about the mountain experience? Everything is here in the book. Every serious and safe climber has read from it. Read it, you'll see why it's the best source to turn to. Even Alex Lowe calls it "an essential...remarkable compilation." Yeah Baby! :) Read & Climb On!
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Summary: The one book on mountaineering that you MUST have!
Review: I own a first edition copy of Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills, as well as the current edition, and several editions in between. I can not imagine a person being interested in Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing, etc.and not wanting to own a copy of this book, especially now that it is available in the more affordable paperback edition.
I first started rock climbing in 1971, before it became as popular as it is today, most, if not all, of what my climbing partner and I knew of climbing, from technique to equipment, came from Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills. Of all the climbing/mountaineering books that I own, Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills never seems to make it back to its spot on the bookshelf
Rating:
Summary: A very informative book!!
Review: I think this is a great book. A must have for any mountaineer. This is a great book for expert mountaineers down to beginners who haven't even been hiking. It has a lot of useful content and modern gear. It explains things very well and doesn't just through out words like "pro" i.e. It explains that "pro" is short for protection.
Rating: 
Summary: The "Bible" for Mountaineering, not as helpful for rock clim
Review: If you are into rock climbing and are going to go above the treeline or glacier travel, you must have this book. But if you are just going to do top-roped cliff climbs it is way too much. Some books are actually better for rock climbing than this book's rock climbing sections.
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Summary: A great all-around climbing reference
Review: If you are looking for the one how-to book to own about climbing, this is it. Because of its grand scope (everything from how to dress to rock anchors and mountain weather patterns), it doesn't cover all the nuances and details experienced climbers may look for in a particular field.
Still, this is a book worth owning. It is a MUST READ for new climbers and a great source for those wishing to branch out into other types of climbing (aid, alpine, ice, rock). I own several past editions and it just keeps getting better and better....
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Summary: A must have for any novice or advanced climber or mountainer
Review: If you love the outdoors and like to camp, climb, snow travel, etc... then this is a must have. This book has served me well for over a decade now and the importance it stresses on SAFETY and good common sense when going out into nature is a much needed resource in todays world. Many people today have this romantic portrait of nature and forget that it is perhaps the most fickle of all 'lovers'. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced outdoorsman this book has and will always have something of relevance to almost any situation one may encounter. From camping, bouldering, big-wall climbing, or winter mountaineering this book has it all. Including references to equipment, posture, simple to advanced first-aid and rescue techniques this single-volume resource has it all. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in the outdoors.
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Summary: The #1 Outdoors Book!
Review: If you plan a trip to the outdoors, bring this book with you! This book contains all the survival information, and general tips you would ever need for a complete epic adventure! This book is a must-have for anyone who is serious about the outdoors!
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Summary: This is one of the best safety devices you can use climbing
Review: In mountaineering it is far better to be good enough at a lot of things than it is to be really great at just one thing. For instance, a great rock climber can still make fatal mistakes navigating a glaicer. If you follow the statistics, most mountaineering accidents are caused by two things: the first is ignorance, lacking enough knowledge to properly judge conditions or use equipment. The second is huburis, or taking on a climb that is above ones level. The solution to huburis lies within us, while the solution to ignorance lies in study, practice, and this book. Although it doesn't make up for practice and experience, there are scores of chapters covering virtualy everything from ice climbing to meteorology to wilderness navigation. Some may be disappointed that it doesn't cover many advanced techniques, however, successfull climbers are well-rounded, multi-talented ones. So don't buy this book to just learn about one field that it talks about (such as rock-climbing or navigation) because there are far more detailed books on each individual subject, but instead buy this book to be a safe mountaineer, who needs sufficient knowledge on all the subjects. In the end, the broad range of skills involved are what make mountaineering both fun and fatal, both challenging and rewarding. It's the broad range of skill covered in this book that make it such a rewarding book, well matched to the breadth and balance of mountaineering itself.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand and very comprehensive!
Review: It's not just camping, it's survival. If you like going out into the wilderness, at some point you're going to be faced with actual life or death decisions and situation. And, worse yet, it may not seem like it at the time that this is what's at stake. This book helps you identify the situation and make the proper decision. I specifically enjoyed the section on navigation and using a compass, which for me is very confusing. You have no business going into the backcountry if you can't read a map and use a compass. This book can help you with that. I have other books about camping but this one takes it a step further. You'll be glad you picked it up. Higly informative!
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