RECOMMENDED READING:
The following books are some of many we would recommend for reading before coming to the Alps.
Some are what we would call 'background' reading, some are specific to the trip you will be doing, and all are excellent preparation and fun to read, counting the days before your holiday begins.
The books & maps are divided into following categories:
1: GUIDE BOOKS
2: TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS
3: 'HOW TO' BOOKS
4: REGIONAL TITLES
1: GUIDE BOOKS
| BOOK TITLE |
USA |
CANADA |
UK |
Peter Cliff:
The Haute Route
Peter is a IFMGA mountain guide and has been the president of the British Mountain Guide Association for a long time.
His book describes the Haute Route in the summer as a glacier trek, and in the winter as a ski touring traverse.
Both sections have very good background information including possible variations that can be done, and some map drawings for each day.
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Bill O'Connor:
Alpine Ski Mountaineering,
Western Alps:
This is a very useful book describing ski touring in the Alps, the hut system, the avalanche forecasting system, and, of course, the classic ski tours.
The 'Classic Route' (via Valsorey) is described on page 160.
The 'Regular Route via (Verbier) is described on page 195
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2: TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS
| MAP TITLE |
USA |
CANADA |
UK |
1:50,000 topographic maps (green series)
For the Haute Route Ski Traverse, you would need following maps, published by the Swiss government (Office fédéral de topographie):
5003 Mont Blanc - Grand Combin
5006 Matterhorn - Mischabel
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1:25,000 topographic maps (brown series)
If you are an avid skier/hiker in the Alps, and will use the maps for more than one trip, you could also purchase the 1:25,000 series, the maps are much more detailed than the 1:50,000 maps.
However, you would have to purchase several maps to cover the whole Haute Route Ski Traverse:
1344 Col de Balme
1345 Orsières
1346 Chanrion
1347 Matterhorn/Monte Cervino
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3: 'HOW TO' BOOKS
| BOOK TITLE |
USA |
CANADA |
UK |
Martin Volken:
Backcountry Skiing
"...The authors provide skiers with all the tools and knowledge they need to safely and successfully travel in the mountains. The guide features intermediate-to-advanced techniques for ski touring and ski mountaineering, from planning wilderness trips to perfecting turns in rolling terrain and mastering uphill climbing. ..." (amazon)
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Bruce Jamieson:
Backcountry Avalanche Awareness
This book has been published by the Canadian Avalanche Association, and covers every aspect and detail one needs to know in regards to avalanche safety before heading out to the backcountry, be it for skiing or climbing.
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P.A. Schaerer, P. Schaerer:
The avalanche handbook
"For backcountry enthusiasts with a science background, this book provides a thorough introduction to avalanche theory. The book is divided into chapters which build a solid foundation (weather systems, snow structure) through snowpack basics (snow strength and deformation, snowpack structure) and well into more advanced concepts (snowpack analysis, avalanche prediction, search and rescue, and even control with explosives, etc.) " (reader review, amazon)
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| BOOK TITLE |
USA |
CANADA |
UK |
Bruce Tremper:
Staying alive in avalanche terrain
"...I own 6 of the most popular books on avalanche safety; this is by far the best. The core information needed to assess avalanche risk is given in some detail but the explanations are presented in "everyday" terms and are quite easy to understand. None-the-less,Tremper never talks down to his readers and the full level of complexity inherent in the subject matter is maintained..."
(reader's review, amazon) |
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Andrew Selters:
Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue
"This superb primer is now larger and sports new photos and excellent drawings that illustrate the technical aspects of travel in glacier country." (Back Country Magazine)
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David Seidman, Paul Cleveland:
The Essential Wilderness Navigator
This book has the best ratings by far for all orienteering/navigating books. All skills are explained in a language everybody can understand, and covers meticously all assetts of orientieering with a compass/map. The book does talk about GPS and how to use it, but is not a specific book for navigating with a GPS. |
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4: REGIONAL TITLES
| BOOK TITLE |
USA |
CANADA |
UK |
Fergus Fleming:
Killing of Dragons
Killing of Dragons" is a history of the exploration of the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps from the early 18th century to 1938, when the "last problem of the Alps", the Eiger Nordwand, was finally "solved." The first half of the book discusses the early French and Swiss scientists and adventurers who explored the slopes of Mont Blanc and studied the glaciers of the Bernese Oberland.
The 19th century belonged to the eccentric British explorers and scientists and an American expatriate, William Coolidge, who were driven to the mountains by a variety of forces. |
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Edward Whymper: Scrambles amongst the Alps
Whymper's own story about the first ascents in the Alps. Here is a review of a delighted reader:
"...Since I first read this little classic, Edward Whymper's book on scrambling in the Alps has always been my favorite mountaineering book.
This is Victorian mountain writing at its very best, in an age before high technology and polarfleece added safety and comfort.
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Edward Whymper:
The Ascent of the Matterhorn
Whymper's own account of his first ascent of the Matterhorn, during which three of his comrades fell to their death while descending. |
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