Climbing Resources

AMC Outdoors, April 2001

By Michael Lanza

Any seasoned rock climber will tell you that learning to lead-climb on rock should be considered a long-term apprenticeship. This is a complicated skill that requires intense focus under circumstances that produce anxiety. Learn from experienced climbers, whether friends or professional guides. 

There are numerous instructional guidebooks on lead-climbing on rock. John Long's How to Rock Climb (Chockstone Press) series is highly regarded, but virtually any such book will cover the basics a beginning leader should know. The magazines Climbing and Rock & Ice regularly run instructional columns on specific skills. Climbers of all levels and climbing disciplines should also read the American Alpine Club's annual "Accidents in North American Mountaineering," which analyzes the causes of dozens of actual climbing accidents.

—Michael Lanza is author of The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Travel, from AMC Books.