Rating: 
Summary: A hilarious compilation of bonehead moves
Review: A truly great book. I laughed so hard my sides hurt as I read "Nellies Night Out" and "Helluva Time on Mt. Dutzi." Long comically recounts classic stupid mistakes all climbers have made at one time or another but still provides a down to earth commentary so that we all might never be on the receiving end of these same mistakes.
Rating: 
Summary: Back to Earth
Review: All who tiptoe up steep rock need to be humbled frequently, though preferably non-fatally. John Long does this most ably in "Close Calls". Also, I suspect this book was a great excuse to air campfire stories. I hope there's a volume two! I do have a friend, by the by, who wants to attempt an amorous encounter (NOT with me) in the middle of a Tyrolean Traverse in the High Peaks of Pinnacles National Monument. I'm going to give him this book immediately.
Rating:
Summary: All is Vanity!
Review: All who tiptoe up steep rock need to be humbled frequently, though preferably non-fatally. John Long does this most ably in "Close Calls". Also, I suspect this book was a great excuse to air campfire stories. I hope there's a volume two! I do have a friend, by the by, who wants to attempt an amorous encounter (NOT with me) in the middle of a Tyrolean Traverse in the High Peaks of Pinnacles National Monument. I'm going to give him this book immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious...and useful
Review: An excellent book for every rock climber. Whether your an expert climber or just a beginner, this book explains how a simple mistake could mean your life. Learn lessons the easy way by reading Close Calls by John Long.
Rating:
Summary: An adrenaline rush with every story.
Review: An excellent book for every rock climber. Whether your an expert climber or just a beginner, this book explains how a simple mistake could mean your life. Learn lessons the easy way by reading Close Calls by John Long.
Rating:
Summary: More Classic Largo writing
Review: Climbing accidents and near accidents told in the classic "Largo" style. Each situation is colorfully written with lots of humor. Long then technically evaluates what caused the problem, and describes how to prevent such situations from happening. Keep 'em coming John!Just hope you're not one of the people in his stories!
Rating:
Summary: More Classic Largo writing
Review: Climbing accidents and near accidents told in the classic "Largo" style. Each situation is colorfully written with lots of humor. Long then technically evaluates what caused the problem, and describes how to prevent such situations from happening. Keep 'em coming John! Just hope you're not one of the people in his stories!
Rating:
Summary: More Classic Largo writing
Review: Climbing accidents and near accidents told in the classic "Largo" style. Each situation is colorfully written with lots of humor. Long then technically evaluates what caused the problem, and describes how to prevent such situations from happening. Keep 'em coming John! Just hope you're not one of the people in his stories!
Rating:
Summary: A hilarious compilation of bonehead moves
Review: I'll keep it simple - I LOVE THIS BOOK. I've only been a participant in the activity of rock climbing for a little over a year but this is by far the most entertaining book I have read. You do not need to be interested in the sport of climbing to get hours of reading enjoyment from these stories. The tales are brief and obviously real (some are too stupid to have been merely thought up). A few examples: the couple that have sex in a hammock at 3,000 feet...and end up hanging naked from their ankles after the hammock rips, the 400 Lbs. rabbi who climbs up halfway and then decides it is time to rapidly return to the ground...and the poor belayer who is not ready for the "weight" of the matter, and the climber who plummets off of a mountain only to have his rope ensnare in a tree and save his life...mere feet from the ground. The stories will make you smile and maybe even laugh out loud. A nice bonus is the inclusion of a Commentary follow-up and a Prevention Tip at the end of each narrative. So keep both feet on the ground and leave the perilous and often entertaining climbing to the wacky, wild, and way way too stupid!
Rating:
Summary: CLIMBING MISHAPS IS A READING MUST-HAVE
Review: I'll keep it simple - I LOVE THIS BOOK. I've only been a participant in the activity of rock climbing for a little over a year but this is by far the most entertaining book I have read. You do not need to be interested in the sport of climbing to get hours of reading enjoyment from these stories. The tales are brief and obviously real (some are too stupid to have been merely thought up). A few examples: the couple that have sex in a hammock at 3,000 feet...and end up hanging naked from their ankles after the hammock rips, the 400 Lbs. rabbi who climbs up halfway and then decides it is time to rapidly return to the ground...and the poor belayer who is not ready for the "weight" of the matter, and the climber who plummets off of a mountain only to have his rope ensnare in a tree and save his life...mere feet from the ground. The stories will make you smile and maybe even laugh out loud. A nice bonus is the inclusion of a Commentary follow-up and a Prevention Tip at the end of each narrative. So keep both feet on the ground and leave the perilous and often entertaining climbing to the wacky, wild, and way way too stupid!
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