Mapping adventure: a historical geography of Yosemite Valley climbing landscapes

Climbing guidebooks are invaluable resources for examining how modern recreation has inscribed values onto public landscapes. The history of rock climbing in Yosemite Valley is particularly instructive because it was a principal location for modern rock climbing and influenced modern environmental thought. Examining climbing guidebooks for Yosemite Valley also reveals a cultural shift during the 1960s in how climbers represented themselves and their deeds. New trends in route descriptions and naming practices reflected shifts in social mores, environmental conditions, and sporting behavior. Guidebooks produced since 1970 suggest a coarsening progression in sport and an altered community demography, yet these texts also illustrate how change reinforced climbing's values and customs.