Camp 4, Steve Roper
Camp 4, Steve Roper
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Camp 4
Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber

Author: Steve Roper

Narrator: Adam Verner

Unabridged: 10 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/11/2025


Synopsis

In the 1960's, California's Yosemite Valley was the center of the rock-climbing universe. Young nonconformists—many of them the finest rock climbers in the world—channeled their energy toward the largely untouched walls and cracks. Soon climbers from around the globe were coming to Camp 4—gathering spot for the creators of the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing—to see what all the fuss was about.

Climber and author Steve Roper spent most of ten years living in the Yosemite Valley with its intriguing inhabitants. Camp 4 is his take on the era's top climbers and the influences behind their achievements. The text is full of stories both hilarious and revealing about the likes of bolt-disdaining Royal Robbins; fun-loving, big-wall expert Warren Harding; free-climber Frank Sacherer; multi-talented Chuck Pratt; master craftsman Yvon Chouinard; and ill-fated Mark Powell. Roper also tips his hat to the elder statesmen of the 1930s and 1940s who pioneered early, important climbs in the valley.

Camp 4 looks at the most significant climbs, and the most riveting controversies of a legendary era. Camp 4 is the definitive history of Yosemite climbing during this period.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Arjun on November 09, 2023

So good. Probably my fav non fiction book. Steve roper as a person is so great.......more

Goodreads review by Mike on May 12, 2014

This was an interesting book to read while on a recent trip to Yosemite--an engaging account of an important chapter in the history of the Valley. As a non-climber, I would have benefited from a little primer on the climbing techniques he refers to frequently throughout the book; without them, I thi......more

Goodreads review by Vicki on January 13, 2016

If you love rock climbing stories, the Sierra Nevada, and all the "interwoven" relationships of the early climbers (and later to become major outdoor garment and gear gurus), you'll really enjoy this book......more

Goodreads review by Nic Blackburn on May 31, 2020

History This must be the go to book on the history and legacy of Yosemite climbing. The stories are told in such an honest way that you feel like you're there yourself. If you love rock climbing or at all interested in a unique piece of American History, please read this book......more

Goodreads review by Seán on July 20, 2022

A great read, really enjoyable hearing about the development of rock climbing in Yosemite. Some stories I'd heard the vague details of before, but hearing a fleshed out version from an insider's perspective was fascinating. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how and why the ethics in Yosemite deve......more