The Science of Climbing and Mountaineering

This is the first book to explore in depth the science of climbing and mountaineering. Written by a team of leading international sport scientists, clinicians and climbing practitioners, it covers the full span of technical disciplines, including rock climbing, ice climbing, indoor climbing and mountaineering, across all scientific fields from physiology and biomechanics to history, psychology, medicine, motor control, skill acquisition, and engineering.

Striking a balance between theory and practice, this uniquely interdisciplinary study provides practical examples and illustrative data to demonstrate the strategies that can be adopted to promote safety, best practice, injury prevention, recovery and mental preparation. Divided into six parts, the book covers all essential aspects of the culture and science of climbing and mountaineering, including:

• physiology and medicine
• biomechanics
• motor control and learning
• psychology
• equipment and technology.

Showcasing the latest cutting-edge research and demonstrating how science translates into practice, The Science of Climbing and Mountaineering is essential reading for all advanced students and researchers of sport science, biomechanics and skill acquisition, as well as all active climbers and adventure sport coaches.

Ludovic Seifert is Professor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at the University of Rouen in France. He gained a PhD in expertise and coordination dynamics in swimming at the University of Rouen in 2003, then a certification to supervise research in 2010. He conducts his research in the field of motor learning and motor control. He is a mountain guide certified by IFMGA.

Peter Wolf studied sports engineering at the Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany, and carried out his PhD thesis on foot biomechanics at the Institute for Biomechanics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. For the last few years, he has been the Scientific Coordinator of the SMS-Lab, ETH Zurich. His research interests include (i) the design of sport simulators in virtual environments, (ii) the development of devices measuring performance in sports and motor learning and (iii) the establishment of augmented, real-time feedback displays facilitating motor learning of complex tasks.

Andreas Schweizer is Deputy Head of Hand Surgery at the Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. He is adept in wrist surgery, surgery on peripheral nerves, surgical treatment of hand fractures, ultrasound on the hand, and 3D computer aided analysis of malunions. Currently, he is also the medical advisor for the technical committee of the Swiss Alpine Club.