Mechanical Advantage, Volume 1: Tools for the Wild Vertical

Mechanical Advantage, Volume 1: Tools for the Wild Vertical

John Middendorf delves deep into the story of rock climbing from the engineered tools perspective. He considers the varied attitudes toward the use of 'artificial aids' in climbing, and how the standards of climbing have changed as various tools are used and accepted. Volume 1 of Mechanical Advantage is a compilation of research articles written by John Middendorf and posted online between 2021-2022, primarily documenting the dawn of mechanical climbing in the European Alps. As each article was posted on the bigwallgear website, the author was able to get further feedback from many of the world's best climbers and historians. The book seeks to provide deeper research on oft referenced epochs of mountaineering, with information on the technical and engineering details.