10 of the Best Climbing Books

1- Alone On The Wall by Alex Honnold
Known for the BAFTA and Oscar-winning film Free Solo, Alex Honnold is a world-renowned free solo climber. This read explores Alex's best climbing achievements to date and will take you on an adventure like no other, from the famous Half Dome in Yosemite to El Sendero Luminoso, Mexico. This will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat with his dangerous, yet exhilarating truths of climbing with no ropes or support.

2- In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado
Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a Peruvian-American mountaineer, author, social entrepreneur and technologist. In June 2016, she became the first Peruvian woman to summit Mount Everest and the first openly gay woman to complete the Seven Summits. This book details the author's personal story of surviving childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence in Peru and how she overcame those experiences to become a successful businesswoman and mountaineer.

3- Climbing Free by Lynn Hill
This autobiography by American climber Lynn Hill was co-written with mountaineer and writer Greg Child. Conveying the history and culture of free climbing through the unique perspective of being both a climber and a woman.

"And I wonder if a male writer would have presented that information differently. I think the book is important from that standpoint, because I am a woman, and there are not many female viewpoints on climbing, or the history of climbing, out there." - Lynn Hill

4- The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk and Going Beyond Limits by Tommy Caldwell
Dubbed ‘The most daring free climber on the planet’, Tommy Caldwell describes his thrilling adventure free-climbing Yosemite’s almost vertical Dawn Wall. This gripping memoir takes you on the journey of a boy with a passionate mountain-guide father who was determined to instil toughness in his son, to a teen whose obsessive nature drove him to the top of the sport-climbing circuit. This vertigo-inducing read is the perfect pastime for climbing enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike.

5- The Girl Who Climbed Everest by Bonita Norris
This is the story of Bonita Norris' journey, undertaking the world's toughest and most dangerous expeditions. Once an anxious teenager with an eating disorder, it was the discovery of a passion for climbing that inspired Bonita to change her life. This is an honest exploration of everything Bonita has learnt from climbing. An indispensable and important book for anyone who has ever doubted their potential or put limits on themselves - whatever challenge you face or ambitions you want to achieve, The Girl Who Climbed Everest will inspire you to take action and live life more fearlessly.

6- Tides: A Climber's Voyage by Nick Bullock
Nick Bullock is a retired prison officer now living in a small green van, flitting from Llanberis, Wales, to the French Alps. With more time on his hands than ever, he can climb whenever he wants. Tides is a treasure vault of Nick's adventures and antics with some of the world's best-known climbers, including Steve House, Kenton Cool and many more.

7- Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life by Arlene Blum
A legendary trailblazer, Arlene Blum defied the climbing establishment of the 1970s. She led the first all-female teams on successful ascents of Mount McKinley and Annapurna and was the first American woman to attempt Mount Everest. At the same time, her groundbreaking scientific work challenged gender stereotypes in the academic community and led to important legislation banning carcinogens in children’s sleepwear. With candour and humour, Breaking Trail recounts Blum’s journey from an overprotected childhood in Chicago to the tops of some of the highest peaks on earth, and to a life lived on her own terms.

8- Space Below My Feet by Gwen Moffat
In 1945, when Gwen Moffat was in her twenties, she deserted her post as a driver and dispatch rider in the Army and went to live rough in Wales and Cornwall, climbing and living on practically nothing. She hitchhiked her way, travelling from Skye to Chamonix and many places in between. Throughout this unique story, there are acutely observed accounts of mountaineering exploits as Moffat tackles the toughest climbs and goes on to become Britain's leading female climber—and the first woman to qualify as a mountain guide.


9- Climbing Days by Dorothy Pilley
When Dorothy Pilley first began climbing in the 1910s, female mountaineers were seen as a dangerous liability, their achievements ignored, unrecorded or disbelieved. Undeterred, Dorothy proved herself on the vertiginous slopes of Wales, Scotland and the Lake District before tackling rock faces in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Rockies, Mount Fuji and the Himalayas. Her tireless championing of fellow women climbers and her own trailblazing example helped establish female alpinists as serious mountaineers with impressive records on bravery, skill and endurance.

First published in 1935, Climbing Days tells a daredevil tale of adventure, near-death slips and rapturous achievement in high places, interleaved with moments highlighting the particular challenges of being a woman in a sport seen as the province of men. 

10 - 9 out of 10 Climbers by Dave MacLeod

This book interrogates why many climbers are stuck in their training and lack progression. It will help you make confident decisions and stay focused on the things that will make the biggest difference to your climbing.