Camp 4: Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber

by Steve Roper, Adam Verner (Contribution by)

Overview

In the 1960s, California's Yosemite Valley was the center of the rock-climbing universe, spawning many of the finest rock climbers in the world and shaping the future of the sport. Camp 4 is Roper's take on his ten years spent in the valley among the era's top climbers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798228614567
Publisher:	Tantor
Publication date:	11/11/2025
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Steve Roper is a noted climber and historian of the Sierra Nevada in the United States. He along with Allen Steck are the founding editors of the Sierra Club journal Ascent.

Roper is the winner of the Sierra Club's Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award for 1983. He is also, with Allen Steck, the recipient of the American Alpine Club's Literary Award (1995).

Read by Adam Verner, Suzanne Toren, Feodor Chin, Traber Burns, Keith Szarabajka, Suzanne Elise Freeman, Tanya Eby, Mark Bramhall, Carrington MacDuffie, Erin Bennett, Adenrele Ojo, Malcolm Hillgartner, Andrew Eiden, Tim Campbell, Lisa Flanagan, and Dara Rosenberg

Editorial Reviews

Roper (Fifty Classic Climbs of North America), himself a veteran of 400 Yosemite ascents, recounts the story of climbing in The Valley. Camp 4 is the climber's campground. He covers pre-WWII climbing, the quickening pace through the '50s, and the golden decade of the '60s when Yosemite climbs & climbers set world standards--and attracted aspirants from Europe. A great tale, well told (and shamefully bound--had shed four leaves in the first 66 pages). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

First published in 1994 and now in its seventh printing, Camp 4 is clearly a classic work on rock climbing. It covers the golden age of Yosemite climbing, that quarter century period from 1947 to 1971. Author Steve Roper was there in the 1960’s, a part of a curious mix of personalities and egos who were associated with the ground breaking climbs that marked the period. “I strode among giants,” he writes, “though at the time I felt more like a misfit associating with oddballs.” Much could have been written about Yosemite’s history during this period, yet Roper has wisely compressed it into just the right amount for a fascinating read.

National Outdoor Book Award Judges

... captures the real spirit of the Golden Age of American rock climbing.

Yvon Chouinard

Informed, insightful, masterful.

Climbing magazine

It's a rousing read.

Royal Robbins