Rock Climbs in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Second ...

R ock C lim bs in the W hite M ountains o f N ew H am pshire. Second Edition. Ed W ebster. M ountain Im agery (PO Box 210, Eldorado Springs, C olorado 80025), 1987. 564 pages, 85 black-and-w hite photographs, 2 color photographs (on cover), 5 m aps, bibliography. $21.95 (paper). O nce again, Ed W ebster has produced one o f the finest guidebooks in the country. This second edition o f R ock C lim bs in the W hite M ountains o f N ew H am pshire far surpasses the 1982 guide, in both accuracy and quality. The quantity and clarity o f the action photos is excellent. N ot only do they show the current activists on som e o f the new er routes, but there are also a host o f historically significant pictures taken during first ascents, or first free ascents. The historical photos should give som e o f the younger set food for thought. Try leading C rack in the W oods w ithout Friends (page 314), or Interloper w ithout “sticky shoes” (page 145) . . . I c a n ’t do them that way! My criticism s are few and far betw een. A detailed m ap to B and M Ledge w ould be helpful, as w ould a m ap o f the C raw ford N otch crags. Since

review ers are allow ed to quibble, here are the inevitable gripes about ratings. Birch Tree C rack (W hitehorse) has to be harder than 5.10; Lookout C rack & L ittle F eat (C athedral) m ust both be easier than 5.9; and finally, Science F riction W all (W hitehorse) sure fe lt like 5.1 0 rather than 5.11. For those o f you that still h av en ’t made it to New H am pshire, it’s time to buy this new est guide, and go. Y o u ’ll be in good hands with W ebster! T odd S w ain