The Mountain Encyclopedia : An A-Z Compendium of More Than 2,300 Terms, Concepts, Ideas, and People

Rock, ice, and mountain climbing are increasingly popular forms of sport and recreation, and there are industries devoted to providing the equipment for the climbs, training the would-be climbers, and arranging climbing expeditions.

This outstanding reference work is the first English-language A-Z compendium on all topics related to mountains, including geological, geographical, and zoological terms, as well as many entries on significant explorers, surveyors, mountaineers, rock climbers, and skiers. Numerous entries also cover related pursuits such as logging, mining, skiing, climbing, and mountaineering. Definitions, explanations, and clarifications are contained in more than 2,300 entries that vary in length from a brief sentence to detailed overviews of more complex subjects. The Mountain Encyclopedia is invaluable as a source of data and information, but it is also enjoyable to read straight through. Featuring 400 breathtaking color photographs of mountains, volcanoes, animal and plant life on mountains, rock and ice formations, and historic shots of climbers and expeditions, outdoor enthusiasts and all others who are interested in mountains will find this a beautiful reference work as well as an engaging read. Black-and-white historical images, technical drawings, and typographical maps of mountains throughout the world illustrate many of the detailed entries. Notable is the fact that many of the entries and photographs are based on the authors'' first-hand experiences skiing, hiking, bouldering, climbing, and mountaineering throughout the world to obtain the extraordinary images and data. For readers who are fascinated by facts and figures, listings of the world''s 1,000 highest peaks, 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps, 6,000-meter peaks in the Andes, North America''s 14,000-Footers, the world''s highest volcanoes, major unclimbed peaks above 7,000-meters, and the high points in the 50 United States and the 13 Canadian provinces and territories conclude this essential manual to the mountains.