Books

Excerpted from The Roskelley Collection, in memory of Jess Roskelley. (See Part 2 and Part 3) Read more…

The key to having fun in the backcountry is having the skills and knowledge to get home safely.

From knowing how to travel on glaciers or tie proper knots to building an emergency snow cave or trusting a cam, Mountaineers Books publish a wide range of instructional guide books that detail best practices, expert techniques, and safety tips for human-powered outdoor activities. Professional guides, outdoor educators, instructors, volunteers, and weekend warriors around the globe use our guidebooks to further develop and advance their outdoor skills. Read more…

We go outside to wander, and to explore the adventurous spirit within ourselves. As we step into the outdoors, we need to be mindful of the impact our food has on wild places. Our habits can make a difference at home as well, where the average person wastes more than 18 pounds of food per month. Read more…

Last November, on a southern point along the Continental Divide Trail in New Mexico, Heather Anderson, known as “Anish” on the trail, became the first woman and sixth person overall to complete one of thru-hiking’s ultimate feats: the “Calendar Year Triple Crown.” Read more…

Starting with #GiveBIG on May 8, The Mountaineers launched a month-long campaign to directly support our publishing division, Mountaineers Books. As explorers both on and off the page, we are passionate about sharing our stories of community, adventure, and advocacy in hopes of welcoming a new friend to an experience they’ve never had before. Read more…

A great story will stay with you, even long after you close the book.

Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, by Heather “Anish” Anderson, is Heather’s account of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013 when she finished with the “Fastest Known Time” for any gender. But hers is not at all a story about trail miles and speed. For Heather, it’s about choosing—choosing to get out and move, choosing to walk on the trail, and choosing to embrace an outdoor life. Read more…

We hear their songs in the morning and almost subliminally note their presence throughout the day. While some of us seek them out, watching for certain species that herald a new season or hoping to see unusual ones, others have a more passive awareness of these feathered wonders. Either way, birds are part of all of our lives.  Read more…

In a brief encounter with a mother caribou and her calf, it becomes startlingly clear that we share an innate passion and concern for the future with all living beings. This universal calling leaps from the pages as you turn through Caribou Rainforest: From Heartbreak to Hope, recently published by Mountaineers Books as part of our Braided River line of titles. Read more…

Take a trip to the heavenly Alpine Lakes Wilderness with a jaunt out to Trap Lake, just one of the 100 beautiful trails included in the new Alpine Lakes Wilderness: The Complete Hiking Guide. Read more…

 Books give power to our personal stories - whether you want to discover a new place, learn a new skill, make a lifestyle change, or feel a sense of connection with a wild place or a fellow adventurer. Read more…

The following is an excerpt from My Old Man and the Mountain, by Leif Whittaker. The Seattle Times called Leif's memoir "an entertaining coming-of-age yarn from a likable, talented diarist."  Rock & Ice  said it was "engaging and humorous." The American Alpine Institute found it to be "a beautiful piece of writing, funny and sad, insightful, and engaging." 

The book is just out in the paperback edition. See what you think. Read more…

Confession: I am a bicycle addict. I’m on my bike far more than I’m in a car, and that’s the way I like it. Riding on two wheels  helps me fulfill my need for exercise, manage my weight, clear my head, spend time alone, spend time with friends, challenge my limits, save money, and more. If you're a fellow bike addict, or are thinking of becoming one (May is national "Ride to Work" month), here are some of my favorite cycling books to help you along. Read more…

Dierdre Wolownick has lived an interesting life - mother, wife, teacher, musician, linguist, writer, runner and climber. Her son Alex Honnold is one of the two or three most famous rock climbers in the world. Dierdre herself started climbing late in life and at age 66 she climbed El Cap, making her the oldest woman to accomplish the feat. Find out how the author of The Sharp End of Life: A Mother's Story keeps life exciting. Read more…

Hiking goals in Alaska are as diverse as the people you meet out on the trail; they come in all shapes, sizes and ambitions. But one thing is pretty universal: The ideal of an end-of-summer “goal hike” that you train for all summer long. Read more…

The weather is warming and many climbers are moving from gyms to outdoor rock. Most will be working on sport climbs with bolted anchors. Here's a refresher on the correct way to clip into bolts excerpted from Chapter 6, "Sport Climbing and Bolted Anchors" in the new book,  Rock Climbing Anchors, 2nd Ed., by Topher Donahue and Craig Luebben. Read more…

Jeff Smoot is the author of Hangdog Days: Conflict, Change, and the Race for 5.14, a fast-paced history-cum-memoir about rock climbing in the late '70s and early '80s—a pivotal and contentious time.  Read more…

This April 16 we welcome Jeff Smoot, author of Hangdog Days, for a presentation on the world of climbing in the 1970's and 80's! Read more…

The following is excerpted from the new family guidebook, Yosemite National Park: Adventuring with Kids, by Harley and Abby McAllister. This is sample itinerary for families who want to get the most from a short visit to the park. Their book also includes 5- and  7-day itineraries. Read more…

It takes a whole lot of gumption to take off on a journey by yourself, all the more for a woman on her own striding through the wild. When Heather "Anish" Anderson decided to set the self-supported Fastest Known Time for hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, she had the gumption but courage was something she had to work on. The following is an excerpt from her new memoir, Thirst: 2600 Miles from Home. Read more…

As Washingtonians, we know firsthand that Puget Sound is home to astonishing wildlife and beauty. This spectacular inland sea is a rich, life-sustaining home shared by two countries, a province, a state, and over 50 Native American Tribes and First Nations. But the vibrant blue waters can be deceiving - hiding stressed wildlife, pollution, and impacts from thoughtless development and climate change. We can change that, but we need your help. Read more…

Happy Valentine's Day, book lovers! If you're having trouble committing to your next read, never fear: Mountaineers Books is here to help. Whether your true love is travel, snow sports, or adventure itself, we have The One for you. Read more…

On January 21, 2019, Mountaineers Books hosted a free web cast with avalanche expert Bruce Tremper, alongside our friends from Black Diamond and Colorado Mountain Club. Our audience members had a lot (a lot!) of questions for Bruce, and some of them were tough! Though we were not able to get to all the questions in the allocated hour, we forwarded them to Bruce to answer. Here are his responses (answers edited for clarity): Read more…

There’s nothing like sharing the great outdoors with your best friend. However, it’s important to keep trail etiquette and safety in mind when you explore with a dog in tow. Below are excerpts from the Mountaineers Books title Best Hikes with Dogs: Western Washington by Dan A. Nelson. Learn what to do (and not to do!) when you and Fido hit the trail. Read more…

David Moskowitz’s work as a photographer, biologist, and wildlife tracker has led him deep into the world’s largest remaining inland temperate rainforest, home to the elusive, critically endangered mountain caribou. David spent years in the backcountry tracking and photographing these magnificent animals in order to understand and share their story with the world in Caribou Rainforest: From Heartbreak to Hope, a new book from Braided River. Read more…

Whether you're planning a section hike or a thru hike, our experts are here to help. We asked the authors of our Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail guidebooks to give us their top tips to prepare.   Read more…

It’s no secret that exploring on foot has become not just my favorite thing to do but also my favorite thing to talk about. So I was thrilled when family, friends, and friends of friends started asking for my advice on how to do it. I loved helping them prepare for their trips and hearing their stories once they were back. But the most exciting thing to me was that people who started exploring on foot didn’t want to stop—just like me! Even before they finished their first trail, they were already thinking about the next.  Read more…

In 1934, a group of aspiring Seattle peak baggers lined the railings of the Rialto Building to watch a young University of Washington student named Wolf Bauer rappel three stories down the central shaft. The maneuver was one of several climbing techniques Wolf had taught himself using materials solicited from family ties in Germany. In lieu of a belay device or climbing harness, neither of which had been invented, Wolf ran two lines of rope between his legs, around one thigh, up and across his chest, over his shoulder, and down his back. Read more…

In the peak of ski season, we asked the authors of our Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes guidebooks to spill the beans on their favorite routes. Following are their faves – out of the 100 or so tours in each of their books. Below is the beta and general route description as excerpted from each book. Read more…

Bruce Tremper is the author of Staying Alive In Avalanche Terrain, which has just been published in the third edition. Staying Alive is the country's best-selling book on how to stay safe in  avalanche country.  Read more…