OUT LOOKS: NOW AN HONEST LOOK AT MOUNTAINEERING.

Byline: Rich Martin Special to the Daily News

Too many mountaineering narratives obey the climbers' code of never complaining, not calling attention to one's self and underplaying danger and hardship. Readers may ask, ``What really happened?''

Australian Greg Child, noted for his daring nature and writing, has sketched in many of the gritty details of life above 25,000 feet, in camp and, especially, when things go wrong. The author has summited in ``Postcards From the Ledge'' (The Mountaineers; $22.95) a collection of articles that provides a realistic slice of high-altitude adventure.

His accounts of the griminess of long backpacking trips will ring true with those who have spent much time outdoors.

After rubbing sardine oil on their hands to prevent frostbite, Child and his mates stank so much a villager begged them to wash following weeks of abstention. He describes getting sick in the alleyway of a Tibetan village and being followed by a hungry pack of wild dogs.

The 222-page book is like a new ascent; few narratives explore such areas as climbing hoaxes. Two of the most fascinating essays center on contested climbs. The controversies reveal the egoism, cliquishness and personal code of honor and courage that guides climbers. . . . unless they stray from that path. One focuses on a New Zealand woman who claims to have summited Everest without oxygen, and Child - though not reaching a definitive conclusion - tends to believe she did; sexism, following a route not listed in her permit and poor reporting proved her undoing.

Child, whose mother called his adventures those of a foolish, misguided and immature boy, does not shirk from portraying stories that make headlines - poignant death and horrifying accidents.

He discusses the controversy surrounding the death of Alison Hargreaves, the first woman to climb Everest without oxygen. She died on treacherous K2 when caught in a storm with winds to 140 mph. The press criticized the British mother for taking great risks; Child wonders why that wasn't the case after two fathers died while climbing.

Wrenching pain is a part of the climber's life. Reading a stoic magazine article, Child pursued the bigger story. His quarry, Bill Pilling, loosened up in a bar after hoisting a few drinks and offered details of falling into a crevasse in Alaska: ``The pain felt like boiling water into my leg. That was the internal bleeding, the broken popliteal (back of the knee) artery emptying a pint of blood into my leg. Calf muscle torn almost in half. Ligaments ripped. My lower leg swollen to twice its normal size.''

Child's honesty can be as refreshing as a whiff of mountain air. Our rating: Three and one half stars

Climbers have their days in the sun, their books and magazines, their cult heroes, their meccas. Mountain bikers are no different.

Designer Lee Jakobs, editor Dan Imhoff and photographer Roberto Carra have collaborated successfully to portray the lifestyle of this burgeoning sport in ``Fat Tire'' (Chronicle Books; $24.95). Although only hard-core cyclists may be riveted by the technology and history of the recreation, general readers can enjoy the colorful characters.

There's Jacquie Phelan, who sports a pet rat and races under the name Alice B. Toeclips. A guy who calls himself Victor Vicente of America, and who has biked across his namesake, is writing a Miltonesque poem celebrating his passion. And a man nicknamed Chu-Chu reportedly descends from 16,000 feet in the Venezuelan Andes to the Caribbean on a wide-tire two-wheeler; there's no word on how many hikers and climbers he's knocked down.

Mountain biking originated in an offbeat marriage of the fitness craze and the counterculture movement in hippie central - the Bay Area, centering on Mount Tamalpais in Marin County - in the late 1960s and early '70s. (According to legend, the winner of the inaugural race down Tamalpais won a lid of marijuana.) Now it is feeding off the popularity of extreme sports - of the 62 million bicycles in the United States, 57 percent are mountain bikes, according to the book.

One of the best features of ``Fat Tire'' is the images; Those in the slickrock area near Moab, Utah, and some stunning racing shots are superb photographs. The cover looks more like modern art; it includes a real tire tread. The 142 pages within are an entertaining ride. Our rating: Two and one half stars

Guidebooks often venture far afield from their main domain. Some try to be poetic and fail; others try to be a list of 100 lists.

Taking the just-the-facts approach is Roger Schumann and Jan Shriner's ``Guide to Sea Kayaking: Central & Northern California'' (Globe Pequot Press; $15.95).

The authors don't get hung up trying to explain too much about kayaking; they stress the need to take lessons and provide only the most basic introductory tips. (The little advice they do provide is helpful just the same, such as dressing for immersion and being hypervigilant about the weather.)

What Schumann and Shriner have instead done is come up with 40 kayaking trips, with accompanying maps, charts, directions and highlights.

Two of the best features in the 222-page book are short overviews of restaurants, inns and camping spots near the trek, as well as routes for different skill levels - beginner, intermediate and advanced.

It's not fancy, but it gets readers there. Our rating: Two and one half stars.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: (Color) no caption (Books)

David Crane/Daily News