Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Mount Rainier A Climbing Guide shares a wealth of information about ascending Mount Rainier. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the mountain. Fabulous photos, excellent route descriptions, and most uniquely, a terrific introduction with planning and preparation material make Gauthier's book a great resource.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Mount Rainier A Climbing Guide shares a wealth of information about ascending Mount Rainier. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the mountain. Fabulous photos, excellent route descriptions, and most uniquely, a terrific introduction with planning and preparation material make Gauthier's book a great resource.
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Rainier Guide
Review: Superior route photography and excellent route overlays set this book apart from all the rest. Gauthier's aerial photographs depict recent glacial conditions, and the generous number of photos show many of the routes from a variety of descriptive angles. The route descriptions are excellent and reflect the author's tremendous knowledge and experience all around the mountain. The first half of the book provides a comprehensive text on skills, strategies, and preparation for climbing Mt. Rainier. Anyone unfamiliar with Rainier- whether a novice climber or a seasoned alpinist- will find a wealth of useful information unique to this mountain. Gauthier addresses not only the fundamentals of mountaineering on Rainier, but provides sound advice coming from years of climbing the mountain in all seasons and conditions. Experienced climbers new to Rainier will appreciate the author's insights to safe climbing strategies on the mountain. Many experienced climbers have underestimated Rainier and have become the subject of a surprising number of rescues on the mountain. The author presents sound principles of "mountain sense", as particular to Rainier as anywhere else, that every climber should learn. Whether you're a novice climber aspiring to climb Rainier, a Rainier veteran looking for a new challenge, or a climber of any ability seeking to learn as much as possible about climbing this mountain, this book is a must-have.
Rating: 
Summary: The book was okay
Review: The route descriptions are good but the book contains some fluff that I wasn't looking to read. Because the first several chapters focus on the basics, the overall impression I got from the book was that it was geared towards the non-technical or the inexperienced climber.
Rating:
Summary: Best Rainier Climbing Guide
Review: There are other guides to Mount Rainier, but Gauthier's has the most accurate and recent information on the mountain.
If you only want to buy one guide, this on is it.
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Guide
Review: This is a GREAT book! Incredible photos, excellent route descriptions and comprehensive information make "Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide" the A-Z directory for your Rainier summit dreams. Gauthier is an expert; his enthusiasm and vast mountain experience are amply shared with the reader. Well organized and easy to follow, the book has 2 sections. The first details everything you want to know when thinking about or planning a Mount Rainier climb; what it takes, how to prepare, what to expect, when to go, where to get current information on permits, weather, route, avalanche conditions, guide services, rescues, and more. The second section is devoted to the 39 climbing routes and variations. These descriptions are easy to read and understand; outstanding photographs with route overlays clearly show the mountain and its climbing routes. All combined "Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide" is the authoritative book to own when considering any climbing trip on Rainier. You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Guide
Review: This is a GREAT book! Incredible photos, excellent route descriptions and comprehensive information make "Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide" the A-Z directory for your Rainier summit dreams. Gauthier is an expert; his enthusiasm and vast mountain experience are amply shared with the reader. Well organized and easy to follow, the book has 2 sections. The first details everything you want to know when thinking about or planning a Mount Rainier climb; what it takes, how to prepare, what to expect, when to go, where to get current information on permits, weather, route, avalanche conditions, guide services, rescues, and more. The second section is devoted to the 39 climbing routes and variations. These descriptions are easy to read and understand; outstanding photographs with route overlays clearly show the mountain and its climbing routes. All combined "Mount Rainier: A Climbing Guide" is the authoritative book to own when considering any climbing trip on Rainier. You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Enough! I'm going climbing already!
Review: This is one of the best climbing guides that I have ever seen. I think that guides of this nature (no pun intended) have to walk a fine line between giving too much information and giving so little that somebody gets hurt on a route they shouldn't be on. This book walks that line masterfully. To begin with, the routes are organized in groups that are sorted by their respective approaches. The technical information about difficulties, level of intensity, and time involved are extremely realistic for semi-experienced mountaineers. What I like best, however, are the descriptions of the routes and the pictures. The descriptions are detailed enough to address certain specifics but leave enough unsaid to not spoil the personality of the individual routes. Mike's pictures are great (good enough to be on permanent display at Longmire) and show the mountain in stunning detail. Most routes receive several pictures to help you see it from all sides. To be sure, this is one climbing guide that you must use to fully appreciate. It is not a coffee table book or a course on mountaineering - it is an excellent text detailing all of the major routes on the mountain and their commitment level for all levels of climbers. You cannot do better than this book if you are planning a climb of Rainier. From the explanations of how the seasons effect the routes to the group checklist of gear, this is one book that will pay for itself in spades by the time you are done with it.
|
