First and foremost, I’d like to thank Craig Luebben, who wrote the first edition of this book and did as much as anyone in history to shape the way climbing is taught—and the way climbing is learned. Craig’s efforts to clarify the best practices in easy-to-understand ways made climbing a safer sport, accessible to more people. Craig was a visionary and positive force for the mainstream acceptance, and even adulation, of the sport we see today. Second, I’d like to thank Silvia Luebben, who trusted me to write the second edition of this book.
I also owe a big thank-you, and a belay, to all the climbers who appear in the photos in this book, including: Berndt Arnold, Mike Auldridge, Cassie Beermann, Francisco Blanco, Cassie Bloss, Katie Brown, Krystal Burnham, Robbie Burnham, Tommy Caldwell, Stacy Carrera, Joe Crocker, Cameron Cross, Micah Dash, Steph Davis, Aya Donahue, Anthony Everhardt, Rich Farnham, Kristin Felix, Marc Gay, Patience Gribble, Brittany Griffith, Sarah Gross, Skip Harper, Kennan Harvey, Lynn Hill, Alex Honnold, Brad Jackson, Andy Johnson, Sue Kligerman, David Lazaroff, Bill Libertore, Curtis Love, Giulia Luebben, Silvia Luebben, Charlie Mace, Anna McConica, Carol McConica, Jeremy Medley, Jared Ogden, Timmy O’Neill, Annette Oshana, Pascal Perrier, Kathy Plate, Beth Rodden, Eric Roed, Mike Schlauch, Vera Schulte-Pelkum, Jason Schultz, Jeff Skoloda, Laura Strauss, Kevin Stricker, Lauri Stricker, Anna Thomas, Toti Valdez, Matt Wade, Heidi Wirtz, and Gerald Zauner.
I am indebted to the editorial team at Mountaineers Books for their ongoing commitment to the highest standards of outdoor publishing, and, more specifically, for the oversight of Kate Rogers, who gave me enough freedom for inspiration and enough oversight for excellence; the project management of Emily White; the efficient and thorough editing of Erin Cusick; and the design expertise of McKenzie Long. And thanks to Metolius Climbing, DMM, Edelrid, Black Diamond, Fixe, Totem, Camp, and LaSportiva for providing equipment for the photos in this book; and EVO Louisville and the Boulder Rock Club for offering their indoor climbing facilities to be photographed.
This second edition preserves much of Craig’s original voice and vision and some of the photos from the first edition. His appreciation for those who helped with the first edition includes Malcom Daly, for giving Craig his first guiding job; Gary Neptune, for the photos of historical equipment; the American Mountain Guides Association; Jim Ewing of Sterling Rope Company, for tests that showed cordelettes don’t equalize as well as was first thought; John Long, for introducing Craig to climbing instructional books; Chuck Grossman, for the inspiration behind the Big Bro expandable tube chock that Craig invented as part of his mechanical engineering thesis at Colorado State University; and his wife, Silvia, and daughter, Giulia.
I also owe a debt of gratitude to the climbers and guides who, way back when I was a teenager, were willing to let a kid tag along on their climbing adventures around Estes Park in the days before it was cool to be a kid who climbed. These include Diane Russell, Keith Lober, Harry Kent, Larry Day, Scott Kimball, Rusty George, Michael Covington, Doug Snively, Bill McKee, Mike Caldwell, and Randy Farris. You all taught me more than you can imagine—about climbing and otherwise.
Finally, thanks to my father, Mike Donahue, whose favorite thing in the world was to show people a great adventure in the mountains. He loved climbing, but even more than climbing, he loved guiding. While growing up, I spent countless days accompanying him as he led people from all walks of life on mountain adventures. On these adventures with my dad, I climbed with strong climbers, weak climbers, bold climbers, timid climbers, disabled climbers, climbers who climbed only once and climbers who made it a lifelong pursuit, climbers who were terrified of heights, and climbers who never would have dreamed of standing on a rocky summit were it not for the soft, encouraging voice of my dad.
On those days with my dad, I learned many things about staying safe in the vertical world and about what motivates people to climb, and perhaps the most valuable lesson of all was that anyone can climb. And for that, I owe the sport itself an enormous thank-you. I know of no other outdoor sport where a person can try it for the very first time and have exactly the same experience as an expert. The cutting edge makes for good photos and impressive stories, but when you tie in to a rope and set your anchors, you are sharing an experience with the best climbers in the world.