Documents the year's most significant climbing accidents, and analyzes each one for safety lessons. - In-depth "Know the Ropes' section on preventing accidents while lowering climbers from belay anchors - one of the most common causes of injuries and deaths. - Accident reports from all over North America ensure you'll find lessons from your local area. - This year, reports from climbers in Canada return to "Accidents.' - Now with more illustrations and photographs throughout the book. Every year, novice climbers and experts alike are injured or killed by inadequate preparation and errors in judgment. Since 1948, the American Alpine Club has been documenting the year's most significant and teachable climbing accidents, providing invaluable lessons to climbers. Inside the pages of Accidents in North American Mountaineering, each accident is carefully analyzed so climbers can learn to avoid similar situations in the future. In Accidents' second annual "Know the Ropes' section, professional mountain guides describe common problems while lowering a climber from an anchor, a situation that all to frequently leads to injuries and fatalities. "Know the Ropes' offers in-depth instruction and copious illustration to help prevent such avoidable lowering accidents.