New Smith Guide printed!

[kurthicks]

I don't recall seeing this anywhere yet... Alan Watts has finally gotten the update printed! The release date is January 19.

 

http://www.smithrock.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=782

[mountainmatt]

It should be interesting to see this guide (finally). Watts previous guide is awesome, but most of the things produced by Falcon are big piles of crap (especially the climbing Washington guide). I wonder what this guide will be?

[tomtom]

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/914977/Searchpage/1/Main/70488/Words/falcon/Search/true/New_Smith_Rock_guidebook_2nd_e#Post914977

[kurthicks]

looks like i missed the boat.

[shapp]

I wonder if the release of the new Falcon guide to smith will result in a new phrase development in the climbing community lexicon, such as occurred with the Climb Washington Falcon book which result in the subsequent utterings by thousands throughout washington "I have been Smooted!" when trying to find/climb/figure out routes listed in such. Will a new phrase such as "I have been Wattsed" become common place once new climber generations, unware of the golden-blue books existence once it goes totally out of print, stumble around the choss with their new Falcon book and discuss its merits around the fire (or LED lantern?) at "Skull Hollow" with the memories (mamories) of the Grass Lands long forgoten?

Edited November 24, 2009 by shapp

[LostCamKenny]

It should be interesting to see this guide (finally). Watts previous guide is awesome, but most of the things produced by Falcon are big piles of crap (especially the climbing Washington guide). I wonder what this guide will be?

the oregon falcon guide is good for toilet paper, though my copy is actually balancing my dryer so it won't rock anymore

[Checat]

I'll second that tucked under the wobbly leg of a clothes dryer is the Oregon Falcon Guide's true lot in life. Your getting more out of it than the rest of those who made the mistake of buying it...

 

[LostCamKenny]

I'll second that tucked under the wobbly leg of a clothes dryer is the Oregon Falcon Guide's true lot in life. Your getting more out of it than the rest of those who made the mistake of buying it...

I'm just not telling the person who gave it to me where it is spending its days

[shapp]

I do have the New Watts book on my xmas list though, thank you Christmas Rooster!

Edited November 24, 2009 by shapp

[corvallisclimb]

Okay... I've helped out Alan a bit on this project over the past couple years and all I can say is this book is going to be awsome. The topos are done in the exact same format as the old book. All of the pictures are now in color its going to just be a beefed up version of the old book in a falcon binding. More topos/pictures and about 600 new routes. It wouldn't have taken so long if Alan wasnt so anal about the final product. Since the cats outta the bag and its acctually coming out if I get to my personal computor soon mabey I'll post a sneak peak.

[111]

H-O-L-Y S-H-I-T

 

It really happened! I don't believe it!

 

Thanks Alan!

[wimsey]

Aren't all the new routes pretty much common knowledge already? What is everyone expecting to discover?

[corvallisclimb]

Aren't all the new routes pretty much common knowledge already? What is everyone expecting to discover?

 

mabey since your from bend you might know what im talking about... but theres a shit load of new routes up to 5 pitches that have not been sprayed on the internet or published anywhere else.

[corvallisclimb]

 

the photos should look something like this

[corvallisclimb]

 

and the topos will look like this, though this one is lacking the Jim Anglin memorial route wich will be in the book.

[ivan]

sweet! i look forward to stealing this book

[kurthicks]

thanks Nick. that's what I was hoping to see!

[Lodestone]

corvallisclimb, did Alan rent a helicopter/airplane to capture these images? I've been curious as to how authors get these great topo pictures.

 

Chad

 

 

the photos should look something like this

[G-spotter]

That kinda looks like it was taken from the other side of the river

[corvallisclimb]

corvallisclimb, did Alan rent a helicopter/airplane to capture these images? I've been curious as to how authors get these great topo pictures.

 

Chad

 

i dont think there was any trickery involved in getting the shots, other than being on the other side of the river. i'll ask alan though to double check.

[ACW]

Falcon wasn't my first choice when I did the new Smith guide. But I had signed a contract 15 years ago with Chockstone Press, and once Falcon acquired Chockstone, they owned me as well.

 

I've never been impressed with Falcon Guides in the past, and I was more than a little nervous about the end result. A reason this guide took such a long time to do is that I did EVERY SINGLE THING - every topo, photo, map, and word. And 99% of the content is totally redone. I personally drew every line, and marked every bolt. I repeated all the routes I could still haul my fat ass up and I rappelled down dozens of others to get bolt counts correct. I worked directly with the person who did the first ascent to get the details right. Falcon proofread everything and did the layout and created the index. I did everything else.

 

As it turns out, Falcon was a pleasure to work with and they did a very good job. Unexpectedly, they did the whole book in color, which I didn't expect. There is a massive amount of information crammed into 500 pages, so several of the photos and topos are smaller than I would have preferred. But they didn't cut a single word, cliff photo, topo, or map. I wish they would have found room for more of the dozens of historical, action, and scenic shots I had assembled, and they could be a little more creative from a layout standpoint. But all and all, I really can't complain.

 

When it comes to accuracy, I'll admit to being anal retentive. I submitted the book a year ago, thinking that it met my standards for accuracy. Over the months that followed, I had three opportunities to go over it with a fine toothed comb in different stages of production. All told, I made roughly 600 corrections (mostly extremely minor). Falcon patiently made ever single change I suggested. And they discovered another 100 or so numbering problems along the way.

 

My guess is that there are 50,000 facts in this book that are either right or wrong. This doesn't even include subjective issues like grades and quality ratings. A bolt is either there or it isn't. Even if I achieved 99.9% accuracy (which is a little unlikely) there would still be 50 errors I never caught. I trust that the users of the book will let me know when they spot something. So far, I've discovered exactly one mistake.

 

Eighteen years was a long time to wait, but rest assured the reason this took so long is that I refused to compromise quality and accuracy, no matter how many people were squawking at me. At one point, I even sent my entire advance payment back to Falcon so they'd have less leverage.

 

I did a lot of trespassing on private property to get some of the photos, including the days I spent on the opposite side of the river on the west side. I'm no photographer but I eventually figured out that taking the picture at the right time of day was 90% of the battle. There are few shots that somehow came out a little overexposed in the printing process, but overall they are pretty good.

 

There are 1809 routes, 734 more than in the original guide. Anyone who thinks that all the new routes have already made it into print one way or another are in for a big surprise. At least 200 of the new routes have never been published before, and everything is current through August of 2009. There isn't a single person who is familiar with everything new that's in the book now matter how much time they've spent at Smith. Not one.

 

Yes, $40 is a lot for a guide. But on a per page basis, it costs less than the old guide and and only a third as much as the Wolverine Select Guide. And you can always just order it from Amazon for $27. That's about as much as two tickets to a movie and a bucket of popcorn.

 

I'm creating a website to support the new book. It's not an online guide, but instead just a place to assemble all the changes/additions/corrections that will accumulate over time. I'll add a few other items of interest, beyond the scope of the book, that should make it worth visiting from time to time. It'll also have a bulletin board so you can send your feedback directly to the source.

 

 

[shapp]

Hey maybe you can post some of the historical and scenic shots that didn't make it into the book on the new website. The 1992 book was the first climbing guide I ever bought. I bought it the year it came out at the OSU bookstore. I had just started really climbing 3 years before. It was a most amazing book to pickup at the time with the stories and histories. Something more than just a line and grade topo map like a lot of other guides. Something you could sit down and read and get something out of about the past, and the present, which stures something in you and gets you excited for future adventures. I hope the new book provides such an experience for todays new climbers!

The new book is defentiley on my christmaka list

Edited December 3, 2009 by shapp

[Off_White]

Thanks for the info Alan. You're probably unaware that the "new smith guide" has been a running hoax here for years, as someone or other claims to have the inside scoop on the new guide coming out just to get folks wound up. I appreciate the craftsman approach to producing your guide and I'm looking forward to it.

 

I'll second the call to publish the historical stuff that got cut by Falcon here if you'd like. Lots of folks would love to see it, and we could set up a link in the Rock Climbing Forum so the info doesn't get buried.

 

 

[billcoe]

LOL, nice to see it wasn't a hoax:-) We all appreciate the care you put into your books.

 

I shouldn't post this with out permission, but tossing caution to the wind. Here's Jeff Thomas last year sitting next to Jim Opdycke while reading the 2nd version (1978?) of his great guidebook that predated Alan's. Interesting that neither of us remembered him signing the inside front cover, but there was his signature.

 

We'd love to see some historical pics!

[ACW]

I just got the word from Falcon that the book has already shipped. The "official" release date is now January 6, 2010, but it should be available well before that - hopefully just in time for Christmas.

 

There will be a lot of history on the website, including anything Falcon didn't include (plus a whole lot more).