The Art of Climbing

$60.00

A hard-cover book published by Thames and Hudson (UK) and available worldwide.

Available now – here – and from good bookstores in Australia, UK and North America. See below for options.

Category:

Description

The Art of Climbing by Simon Carter, Foreword by Adam Ondra, Contributions by Steve McClure, Greg Child, Alison Osius, Amity Warme, Liv Sansoz, Daila Ojeda, Adam Ondra and Tim Emmett.

This stunning collection of climbing photography, presenting the best work from the career of world-renowned climbing photographer Simon Carter, reveals the beauty of the sport from behind the lens, where patterned rock faces, vertical spires, honeycomb holds and sweeping landscapes of ochre, slate and snow all provide breath-taking visual drama. Capturing the beauty, theatre and emotions of a climb in a single shuttered moment invites the viewer to reflect, and meditative texts, written by the world’s premier climbers and focusing on themes from intensity to environment, lines to roofs, trace the experience of being out on the rock face. A reference section includes practical details such as a glossary, grading table and list of selected routes.

From the beauty of movement to the bounds of human endeavour, the splendour of landscapes and the allure of otherworldly formations, the art of climbing is shown in all its glories.

256 pages.
229 illustrations.

Availability:
Australia – Available here now! Copies are signed by the author. Also, available from good bookstores, retail and online, and Thames and Hudson Australia.
UK – Available now from good bookstores, retail and online, and Thames and Hudson UK.
EU – Now available in some EU countries. Check with good bookstores, retail and online, in your country. Online shops include: Slovart in Czechia and Klettern in Germany, please let us know if you hear of other distributors so we can add a link to them.
North America: Available now from good bookstores, retail and online, and Thames and Hudson USA.

Additional information

Weight 1.6 kg
Dimensions 27 × 22 × 3 cm

3 reviews for The Art of Climbing

  1. Simon Carter

    Review in The Conversation

    “For nearly two centuries, rock-climbing and photography have been tightly intertwined, spectacularly roped together on knife-edge arêtes, vertiginous overhangs and seemingly sheer cliff faces.

    Simon Carter’s stunning forthcoming collection of photographs, The Art of Climbing (2024), illustrates the heights reached by this mutually supportive partnership. They beautifully capture breathtaking feats of strength and agility made possible by some of the world’s most extraordinary geological formations.

    The Art of Climbing fully justifies the implicit claim of its title, revealing that photography has not only offered a spectacular record of achievement on rock but, as a form, has reached the elevated heights of art.”

  2. Simon Carter

    Review in Digital Camera World

    The Art of Climbing by Simon Carter is a fantastic look at the pastime through the lens of one of the best climbing photographers.

    Simon Carter has teamed up with Thames & Hudson to showcase his 30 years of climbing photography in an all-encompassing photography book, The Art of Climbing, that is as much about the land as it is the action.

    Carter’s groundbreaking work has been shown globally for decades, cementing him as one of the pioneers of modern climbing photography. His imagery, as showcased in his new book, goes beyond that of the action sport and captures the essence of what climbing is: a physical connection to nature. His work captures the relationship between climber and landscape with great drama, but equally dignity and grace.

    I found myself awestruck by the work and how each image was simultaneously an expertly composed landscape photograph and a sports / climbing photograph. I had to find out more about what it takes to be a climbing photographer and Carter’s experience in the genre. Ahead of the release of The Art of Climbing, I sat down with him to learn more… “

  3. Simon Carter

    Review in Common Climber

    “Simon Carter has come to be one of the foremost climbing photographers throughout the world. In this day and age that is a serious accomplishment, every climber with a phone takes happy snaps of their vertical adventures. To rise above that static through progressive generations of climbers, to keep images fresh and enlightening, to capture the leaders in our game doing incredible feats in amazing locations, well that takes discipline. Few of us have that. Simon Carter does and his new book, The Art of Climbing captures a lifetime of his work.​

    …Simon’s work displays the ephemeral and the hundreds of climbers and climbs featured in The Art Of Climbing capture the zeitgeist of our game. It is a vibrant portrait of a photographer who continues to capture it all.”

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