Eric Linxweiler
Ten is both large and small. Ten feet into an alpine climb is just the beginning, but for a book to endure for a tenth edition, it must have enormous staying power. Of the twenty-five million books in the Library of Congress catalog, only about 1,640 are tenth editions.
The Mountaineers has several crown jewels: our strong sense of community via our branches, our excellent educational programs, our strong culture of conservation and access to the outdoors, and our highly regarded publisher, Mountaineers Books, founded in 1960 with the publication of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. In more than six decades across nine editions, Mountaineers Books has sold more than 800,000 copies of Freedom, and the guide has been translated into at least a dozen different languages, to educate and inform mountaineers around the world.
This foundational how-to guide began with the “Climbers Notebook,” a collection of handwritten notes for climbing students within The Mountaineers. Typed up by Mary Anderson, of REI fame, with fresh copies printed for each class, it featured a distinctive green color and our original pinecone logo. The notebook morphed a bit each year, until it became the Mountaineers Handbook published in 1948. About a decade later, The Mountaineers formally established Mountaineers Books to create and publish The Freedom of the Hills. The history is a fascinating story of volunteers with a vision and a board coming together to raise funds to create the world’s best mountaineering instruction book – and we sure are glad they did! There cannot be a tenth edition without the first.
Two fundamental facets are integral to the making of Freedom of the Hills. First, this guide is written and extensively reviewed by dozens of volunteer contributors, section leads, reviewers, and consultants. Professional editors, graphic designers, an illustrator, and proofreaders work diligently to make each edition relevant and modern. This team focuses on aligning each new edition with the goals, themes, and legacy of Freedom, while ensuring that it reflects current best practices for climbing and mountaineering. For the past two editions, senior editor Laura Shauger has demonstrated steady leadership to refresh this foundational how-to manual. Second, and perhaps equally important, this how-to guide is intended for beginners and outdoor enthusiasts seeking to learn specific skills.
Shortly after each new edition goes to press, we reflect on the process required to create it and begin gathering feedback from readers. Once Mountaineers Books leadership drafts a timeline for the next edition, the volunteer project chair and in-house editorial team start planning and recruiting contributors. As we recruit contributors and begin drafting and revising, the creation of this guide happens in waves of writing and revising with passes of professional editing.
Planning for the tenth edition began in late 2019, with a goal of publishing in fall 2024. For earlier editions, the focus has been on recruiting people who have knowledge in specific domains the book covers. For this edition, we focused on instructors, people who know how to teach these skills and can offer fresh perspectives. As the draft materials took shape, we invited the ninth edition volunteers to participate as reviewers and consultants.
Historically, each edition started with a series of in-person meetings, designing the approach to the book, understanding schedule, recruiting contributors, establishing guidelines, etc. However, given that this edition kicked off in spring 2020, we held our kickoff online and ended up recruiting contributors one by one, an approach that allowed us to recruit amazing educators and leaders, many with extensive professional experience in outdoor education.
Contributors to this tenth edition include award-winning climbers, like Steve Swenson, one of only a handful of people to receive more than one Piolet d’Or, mountaineering’s highest honor. We benefited from contributors and reviewers from AMGA and AIARE. We even recruited a high school earth sciences teacher for the geology chapter. All these contributors were dedicated to working through and collaborating in less-than-ideal circumstances, passionate about conducting a deep review of the ninth edition, committed to making significant changes based on feedback, and steadfast about recruiting fellow climbers and outdoor enthusiasts. Considering everything that we have endured the past four years, their sustained commitment to this project can never be fully acknowledged.
Our team's goals for the tenth edition of Freedom of the Hills have been met. Focus on instruction, and don’t just talk about diversity in the outdoors – make sure that people are represented. One way we aimed to do that was with the front cover, featuring Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, Nepal’s first female international mountain guide. The cover is as aspirational as it is inspirational, celebrating a storied legacy that looks toward the future. I hope our tenth edition will mean as much to beginning climbers as the fifth edition meant to me all those years ago when I first bought it in Ohio.
About Eric
Eric Linxweiler joined The Mountaineers in 2001, enrolling in climbing classes and subsequently teaching field trips, assisting climbing trips, and leading mentor groups. When the organization moved to Magnuson Park and hired a new executive director, he served as Board president. Linxweiler also served as Vice President of Publishing and Branches. He looks forward to recruiting the volunteer editor for the eleventh edition. Reach out to him at linxweiler@gmail.com.
