Camp 4

Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber

  • 256 pages
  • Mountaineers Books
  • 978-0-89886-587-5
  • Nov 30, 1998

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Description
2022 National Outdoor Book Award Outdoor Classic Winner
* Includes stories of such greats as Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, Allen Steck, and Warren Harding
* Captures the raucous, outrageous, innovative spirit of climbing in Yosemite during this period
* Portrays the advances in equipment and style that revolutionized big-wall climbing

In the 1960's, California's Yosemite Valley was the center of the rock-climbing universe. Young nonconformists -- many of them the finest rock climbers in the world -- channeled their energy toward the largely untouched walls and cracks. Soon climbers from around the globe were coming to Camp 4 -- gathering spot for the creators of the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing -- to see what all the fuss was about.

Climber and author Steve Roper spent most of 10 years living in the Yosemite Valley with its intriguing inhabitants. Camp 4 is his take on the era's top climbers and the influences behind their achievements. The text is full of stories both hilarious and revealing about the likes of bolt-disdaining Royal Robbins; fun-loving, big-wall expert Warren Harding; free-climber Frank Sacherer; multi-talented Chuck Pratt; master craftsman Yvon Chouinard; and ill-fated Mark Powell. Roper also tips his hat to the elder statesmen of the 1930s and 1940s who pioneered early, important climbs in the valley.

Camp 4 looks at the most significant climbs, and the most riveting controversies of a legendary era. With more than 50 fascinating historical photographs, most never before published, Camp 4 is the definitive history of Yosemite climbing during this period.

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Details
  • 256 pages
  • Mountaineers Books
  • 978-0-89886-587-5
  • Nov 30, 1998
Reviews
  • First published in 1994 and now in its seventh printing, Camp 4 is clearly a classic work on rock climbing. It covers the golden age of Yosemite climbing, that quarter century period from 1947 to 1971. Author Steve Roper was there in the 1960’s, a part of a curious mix of personalities and egos who were associated with the ground breaking climbs that marked the period. “I strode among giants,” he writes, “though at the time I felt more like a misfit associating with oddballs.” Much could have been written about Yosemite’s history during this period, yet Roper has wisely compressed it into just the right amount for a fascinating read.
    — National Outdoor Book Award Judges
  • ... captures the real spirit of the Golden Age of American rock climbing.
    — Yvon Chouinard
  • It's a rousing read.
    — Royal Robbins
  • Informed, insightful, masterful.
    — Climbing magazine

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