FREEDOM 7 IS HERE!

“I purchased my copy of Freedom Of The Hills in 1976 and consumed it several times well before I ever set foot in the mountains. Through the years my well-worn copy became my guide and reference for the art of mountaineering. I would highly recommend this book as a ‘must have’ for any aspiring mountaineer’s library.” ―Ed Viesturs, renowned 8,000-meter peak alpinist

"If the mountains are my church then Freedom is my bible. From my early 5.4 leads more than 20 years ago to the present, it has served me well as a base for exploring every facet of the mountains. As a very young climber I read it cover to cover, then dug through it again and again

for nuggets of wisdom. I still do."

―Will Gadd, foremost water ice and mixed climber

The “climber’s bible”—now updated in a new 7th edition 

From choosing equipment to how to tie a particular knot; from basic rappelling technique to planning an expedition; it’s all here in this essential mountaineering reference.

• More than 500,000 copies sold in previous editions
• Written by a team of more than 40 experts
• Fully revised to reflect evolution in mountaineering equipment and technique
• New chapters on
• Waterfall ice climbing and mixed climbing
• Physical conditioning
• Access and land stewardship 
• And much more
• All 415 illustrations updated and redrawn
• Expanded Ten Essentials list
• Now includes a glossary of climbing terms

Since publication of the first edition in 1960, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills has endured as the classic mountaineering text. Novice climbers use it as a primer; veterans use it to review their skills. Translated into five languages, the text (also known in shorthand as Freedom) has instructed and inspired more than half a million climbers from all over the world. The fully updated seventh edition (published on October 2003 in simultaneous hardcover and trade paperback editions) maintains the same high standard for complete, authoritative instruction in an easy-to-use format.

From choosing equipment to how to tie a particular knot; from basic rappelling technique to planning an expedition; it’s all here in this essential mountaineering reference. Climbing is a continually evolving sport—and Freedom 7 has evolved along with it. Each chapter from the previous edition has been revised, rewritten, and—where necessary—expanded. The chapter on aid climbing, for example, has been substantially reworked to include new aid techniques and equipment. To meet the rising popularity of waterfall ice and mixed climbing, a brand new chapter has been added to the seventh edition.   

The more than forty contributors to Freedom 7 are all active climbers who regularly use and teach the skills about which they write. They have also incorporated comments and suggestions from veteran climbers around the world.  This is a resource trusted by mountaineering communities everywhere.

The publishing story 

When The Mountaineers was organized in Seattle in 1906, the club’s mission was to explore and study the mountains, forests, and watercourses of the Northwest.  As interest in mountaineering in the region grew, so did a tradition of tutelage. Increasingly, experienced climbers took novices under their wings to pass on their knowledge and skills. The Mountaineers formalized that exchange by developing a series of climbing courses. 

Then, in 1960, a group of volunteers—tired of mimeographing notes for the club’s popular climbing courses—pooled their resources and formed a committee to publish the notes as a book. A substantial portion of the then relatively small Puget Sound climbing community participated—some 75 as writers, and another 100-200 as reviewers, planners, illustrators, typists, proofreaders, financiers, promoters, retailers, warehousemen, and shipping clerks.

MOUNTAINEERING:  The Freedom of the Hills was such an immediate and resounding success (the print run meant to last years was sold out in a few months) that it led to the accidental founding of a publishing company, The Mountaineers Books. New editions of Freedom were published in 1967; again in 1974; and in 1982, 1992, and 1997 as technological advances in the sport spurred major updates of what had become the classic mountaineering text. Along the way, The Mountaineers Books grew to become the one of the largest independent outdoor publishers in America, with more than 500 titles in print today. Freedom 7, published in October 2003, is the cornerstone of a publishing list that ranges from outdoor instruction and safety manuals to destination guides for hiking, climbing, paddling, snowshoeing, and more, in addition to adventure narratives and titles on environmental and conservation issues. 

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