'Yvon Chouinard's Climbing Ice is not only the last word on the subject, but the first words from all American press on modern ice techniques. Climbing Ice is no beginner's manual, but rather a compendium on the sport. The book explores the history of snow and ice climbing, details techniques from the graceful and delicate French method of moving on ice to cutting steps and front-pointing on crampons. It also includes useful chapters on equipment, the formation and structure of snow and ice and avalanches.

'... Yvon Chouinard, a modern Eckenstein and the godfather of ice climbing in this country, has written the rulebook of this old yet new climbing game.'

-- Outside Magazine Peter Boardman

 

 Yvon Chouinard has been climbing since he was sixteen years old in 1954, and has done 'extreme mountain climbing' including notable first ascents in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and as far south as Patagonia. He has made fifteen climbing trips to Britain and the Continent; he's climbed in New Zealand, Kenya, and in the Himalaya. Apart from this extraordinary record, he is also regarded as a virtuoso in the design of equipment; along with his former partner in the company he founded and now runs, The Great Pacific Iron Works, he has systematically redesigned almost every piece of equipment used in climbing. He lives with his wife and son in Ventura, California.