mattp Posted January 28, 2006 Posted January 28, 2006 I just got a copy of David Whitelaw's new guidebook, "Weekend Rock" (Mountaineers Press). It looks excellent! The book presents climbs from 5.0 to 5.10 in a variety of settings, sport and trad, one to ten pitches, in western Washington and along the east slope, and includes Banks Lake and Vantage in central Washington. There are some completely new crags never before published, but mostly it repeats information previously available though in an easy-to-use and attractive format. Several cc.com regulars and a varietly of well known Washington climbers are featured in his excellent collection of photographs. Way to go, Dave! Quote
EWolfe Posted January 28, 2006 Posted January 28, 2006 Sweet! Looking forward to checkin' it out! Quote
TrogdortheBurninator Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) I saw it at feathered friends last night. It definitely looks like a well layed out book. The banks lake climbing looks really really fun. I had no idea the area would look like that. Edited January 29, 2006 by Peter_Puget Quote
Peter_Puget Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 LOL You first wrote "Washington Rock" and then I changed it to Weekend Rock only to read my edit and change it incorrectly to Weekend Climber. Check out the post titles. Quote
Dru Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 10 pitches and 5.10 seems like a weird cutoff point? Say you made a guide like that for SW BC, it would exclude the Grand Wall. Quote
Dru Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 So in other words it's an attempt to target the bumbly market segment that has no interest in climbing hard or long routes, but lots of money to spend? Quote
Blake Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 How many weekend cragging routes in WA are more than 10 pitches? seems like a strange limitation for the book. Quote
mattp Posted January 29, 2006 Author Posted January 29, 2006 There is no arbitrary limit to 10 pitches. It just so happens that a couple of the longer crag climbs in the book are about 10 pitches, and there happen to be no crag climbs longer than that around here. The Grand Wall, last time I looked, is in BC not Washington. Quote
crazy_t Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) So in other words it's an attempt to target the bumbly market segment that has no interest in climbing hard or long routes, but lots of money to spend? That's lame. Why the slam? It's easy to play the nihilist on the internet, a lot harder to put a book together. He chose his focus, I'd imagine the book will be useful to many. "Climbers" may only be constrained to occasional weekend cragging, or may work half the year to travel and climb the other half. No one is better, or more "real". As far as grades, I'd imagine you didn't begin your climbing career by jumping on 5.11 . And where does the "lots of money to spend" come in? Are the readers of the book combining their "weekend rock" excursions with high end retail shopping sprees or something? I don't quite get it. If the book isn't for you, don't buy it and leave it at that. Sorry for the rant everyone, I just got annoyed. Congratulations on your project, David, I hope it is well received! Edited January 29, 2006 by crazy_t Quote
Alpinfox Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 Congratulations on your project, David, I hope it is well received! This is a great book. David draws beautiful topos and his route descriptions are spot on. He also has a knack for choosing only the most handsome and sculpted specimens of manliness for his photo subjects. Bloated tadpole bellies need not apply! Thanks for the hard work David! Quote
olyclimber Posted January 29, 2006 Posted January 29, 2006 dru, if you could just STFU for us, that'd be great. instead, hows about you go write a climbing book so you can drop that incredible knowledge you have on us, and stop it with the player hating? Quote
tomtom Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 So in other words it's an attempt to target the bumbly market segment that has no interest in climbing hard or long routes, but lots of money to spend? Hey, it's a Mountaineers Book. Whadda ya expect? Quote
ZimZam Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 (edited) Don't hate. Congratulate. Edited January 30, 2006 by ZimZam Quote
Alpinfox Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 So in other words it's an attempt to target the bumbly market segment that has no interest in climbing hard or long routes, but lots of money to spend? Hey, it's a Mountaineers Book. So are most of the climbing guides in North America. Now take back yo' playa hatin' and give the local boy some props! Best Rekognize! Plus, "The Mountaineers" the publishing company is pretty much now entirely seperate from the climbing group "The Mountainears". Or so a little birdie told me. Quote
crazy_t Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 (edited) So in other words it's an attempt to target the bumbly market segment that has no interest in climbing hard or long routes, but lots of money to spend? Hey, it's a Mountaineers Book. Whadda ya expect? As stated, it's clear that these people (this "bumbly segment") has A LOT of extra money to spend. And to boot, they have no interest in ultimately climbing larger or harder routes, they are simply a scourge subset of the population who wants to project 5.1s for decades at a time. Someone stop them, or at least put them to shame! No one here has used a Mountaineers guidebook. One of the Beckeys guides, one of Nelson's? Of course not! Edited January 30, 2006 by crazy_t Quote
dbb Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 Great job on the guide Dave! I think they hit the nail on the head with this one: an inexpensive book, with a select list of good accessible climbs that is comprehensive to most popular climbing areas in the state. The quality of this state-wide book is very high as Dave has probably personally climbed each and every route in it. Quote
DirtyHarry Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 Is that Ray Bourbon on the cover??? Congratulations Dave, nice work. Quote
crazyjizzy Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 Is that Ray Bourbon on the cover??? Congratulations Dave, nice work. Yea, that is what I want to know also. Quote
DirtyHarry Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 MattP has the book. What does it say? Quote
DirtyHarry Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 Ahaa. The other John Dunn of Washington climbing. Quote
Dru Posted January 30, 2006 Posted January 30, 2006 dru, if you could just STFU for us, that'd be great. instead, hows about you go write a climbing book so you can drop that incredible knowledge you have on us, and stop it with the player hating? If anyone's a hater here it seems to me it is a guidebook author who thinks "Weekend Rock" doesn't include classics like the Davis-Holland, Facelift (isn't that a 10b now?), or Bo Derek. I think there is either condescending or deliberate targeting of the stereotypical "rich bumbly" to make a guidebook that stops at 10a. Seems like you're telling potential customers "This guidebook is only of interest to people who will never, ever, be able to climb 10b". Hence the WTF. Not that this is confined to Washington. See http://www.joshuatreetrad.com/ A guidebook that implies that "trad climbing" is limited to 5.9 and under. Quote
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