The 11,000ers of the Canadian Rockies, 2nd ed.

Rocky Mountain Books Bill Corbett

Peak Bagging has never been presented as an activity as worthy of being considered as it is in the second edition of Bill Corbett’s now classic book. The sheer presence of so many entirely accessible mountaineering objectives might make many reconsider their commitment to bouldering.

Stunning pictures of crisp ridges and snowfields might suggest that this is a coffee table book. It’s anything but. There’s a clear sense of possibility conveyed in every route description if one is willing to build a basic level of fitness and get up early enough to get to one of these 50- odd peaks.

Modern clothing and equipment combined with good conditions (not a given, admittedly, as we’re talking about the Canadian Rockies rather than the Sierra Nevada) should take most of them i nto the realm of pleasure. There’s choss among these fine things, as are steep drops to either side and the need to keep a cool head beneath seracs. There’s also plenty of scope to interpret them as ski mountaineering destinations, as solo climbs, as prequels to the routes described in Brandon Pullan’s