Rock Climbing: A Trailside Guide is designed to encourage beginners to go beyond their first experiences at a climbing gym and gain the skills they need to get out, rope up, and climb! It explains safe climbing techniques in a logical sequence with a special emphasis on transferring techniques acquired indoors to the wider - less predictable - world of actual rock faces. Full-color sequential illustrations, stunning color photographs, and the author's field-tested teaching approach clarify the fundamentals, including gear, knots, top-roping, leading, anchors, belaying, and rappelling. Like all specialized sports, climbing has its own language; once learned, it makes everything easier, but at first it can be a challenge. A chapter explaining rock climbing's roots, its lingo, and its rating systems demystifies these aspects of the sport. A comprehensive glossary allows quick reference. Chapters on moving from the gym to real rock and on various rock types smooth the way.