11,000ers of the Canadian Rockies

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

Fifty-four peaks spread along some 400 kilometres of the Canadian
Rockies exceed the height of 11,000 feet (3,353 metres). This book
celebrates those peaks and the people who have climbed them. Corbett has
climbed all of them.

Half of the text for each peak’s entry is climbing advice. Under the
heading “Routes,” Corbett lists the first ascent, the routes,
required gear, the appropriate topographic map to use, the best season
to climb, and the approximate time required. There are usually two
routes described, one more difficult than the other. For any serious
climber, however, this information would be just enough to whet the
appetite, certainly not enough to prepare for the climb. The other half
of the entries—the best part of the book—is the descriptions of the
mountains and the histories of the ascents. Corbett has culled much of
his information from the journals of major alpine associations. From
these sources, he has provided many first-person accounts, which give
the reader glimpses of the peaks through the eyes of early climbers.

The text is heavily illustrated. Most peaks have at least two
photographs, some black and white and others in colour. Usually there is
a full view of the mountain with the climbing routes superimposed on it.
Others are simply high-altitude shots that most of us will never climb
high enough to take or are spectacular photographs of climbers. The book
is rounded out by a chronological list of the first ascents, a brief
bibliography, a list of useful phone numbers, a list of the best bivy
and camping sites, and an index to the peak entries. Given that so much
of the emphasis is on the history of the ascents, the fact that
climbers’ names are not indexed is disappointing.