South Platte Climbing: The Northern VolumeA Review
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On day 100, or maybe it was 200, or 250, or 300hell, whos counting?Jason Haas dog refused to get into the car for another guidebook-researching trip to the South Platte, a vast, wild, forested region dotted with granite domes and crags southwest of Denver, Colorado. Haas beater Saturn, which could barely power anymore up the regions steep dirt roads, was so trashed it was leaking exhaust into the backseat. The dog couldnt breathe, and wasnt getting in the car again. Not this time, no way. By the time it was all said and done, Haas had climbed 1,487 of the nearly 1,600 routes described in his, Ben Schneider, and Craig Weinholds new guidebook South Platte Climbing: The Northern Volume, 38.95, on sale early May 2012, which offers 432 big, beautiful, glossy, full-color pages for an area, often cloaked in secrecy, thats not seen a comprehensive new guide in years. To complete the book, Haas wrote off 15,000 miles of driving and spent 430 days on the stone, 100 of those with his wife; he also established first ascents that included a 5.14a and a 5.13c crack, and a few off-route death climbs he strayed onto trying to find existing lines. Haas partners logged a total of 300 days combined, and the crew often climbed in small packs, descending brushfire style on a cliff to check out as many routes as possible and snap photos. Their endeavor took 4.5 years. In a destination where the approaches, history, beta, and first-ascent provenance are often cloaked in deliberate and provincial obscurity, theirs was a massive undertaking. The Southern Volume, with hundreds more climbs, is still to come and will offer similar challenges. Baron's Estate Devils Head Ragnarok Q & A with Jason Haas The Platte history (chopping, secretiveness, old-school crust) must have made research tough. How did you get the saltier locals to help out? That was a real bitch. It was like hierarchyno one would talk to me at first. Slowly I would get through to someone on the fringe, sort of low on the totem pole and then go from there. Crusher, Steve Bartlett, author of Desert Towers was a huge help as he wasnt really a Platte climber but was friends with a bunch of them. He vouched for me, and then Noel Childs talked to me. After that, a bunch more guys talked to me. It was like that with everyone, from Peter Hubbel [author of the 1998 Platte guide] on down to the most obscure first ascentionist. The Platte is a weird place and attracts really weird people. Think of it this way: climbing used to be a fringe activity back in the 1950s, sort of counterculture. Then it became more mainstream from the 1970s onward. Well, all those fringe people with the 1950s mentality climb in the Platte. All of them! I didnt quite realize how vast the area was and how much potential it had, even though Ive climbed there a fair handful of times. Is it as endless as it seems? Yep. The first time I went to Thunder Ridge, I looked at it from the parking lot, which is a mile and change away, and just said, Crap. It looks like a pile of choss from far away. Actually, even up close a lot of it looks like it might break off when you touch it. Then you touch it and realize that its bomber and amazing to climb on. The problem is that that heap looks like every other granite blob scattered throughout the Platte. Some pan out, some dont, but they are everywhere and you cant tell if they are any good until you touch them. If you were into bolting slabs, theres another thousand routes on unclimbed formations that I am personally aware of waiting to be done. Thats not even talking about adding routes to existing/documented formations. Its ridiculous. But... slab climbing went out with the 1980s, so itll be a trickle for a while. I personally havent seen another true Thunder Ridge, but thats not to say it doesnt exist. For the book, we started with a brushfire mentality, trying to climb everything whether it was documented or not. After awhile it felt like we were never getting closer to the end as the book just kept getting bigger and bigger, so I just started drawing undone or unclimbed in description photos to encourage others to get some FAs in. Will the Southern Volume be just as big, and are you guys off and running already? When will it come out? Heres why we didnt include everything in one volume: The Hubbel book shows 300 routes in the southern area not listed in our northern volume, most of which is at Turkey Rock. No big deal right? Heres the kicker Hubbel gave me three overstuffed three-ring binders and about 50 CDs documenting over 700 more FAs of his that are not in any book. Most were in an area he wasnt done developing when his book came out so he kept it a secret. Plus I know a few hundred other routes people havent put online or in a book. And then theres Thunder Ridge. Yeah, its a big volume. We are off and running with big chunks of Turkey, Thunder, and Big Rock Candy Mountain documented. Were hoping to be done writing it in two years. Anything else you want to add? Ill also say thisI personally climbed 1,487 of the routes (the other guys climbed about 100 more that I didnt, but I couldnt say how many routes each one did; they arent as OCD about keeping track as I am). The two scariest climbs I did were actually first ascents due to misreading topos in Hubbels book. Check out page 103, the route Being Thorough Will Get You Killed. I honestly thought this was an established line, and both Ben and our friend Dan Hickstein, who just completed The Mountain Bikers Guide to Colorado wouldnt even follow me on it. Never thought Id seriously get hurt or killed while doing a hand crack until then. Oh wellhopefully its beta like that that will keep others from potentially getting hurt. There were of course plenty of other diamonds in the rough, both with new routes and established lines people hadnt heard about. I hope this book helps people find more classics and really get to experience how wild the Platte is. |
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Really, really WANT!!!!! |
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So glad a new, comprehensive South Platte guide is coming out. |
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Good job Jason, et al on gathering in all the obscure information! |
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I'd also like to point out that Tod replaces hardware and maintains routes all over the place (CCC for one example) on a regular basis without bravado. He does this out of pocket regardless of guide book sales, they just help. If you clip bolts anywhere on the Front Range, you are likely benefiting greatly from Tod's continual work. |
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Looks like a huge improvement over the current guide. I am certainly looking forward to more Platte climbing and less Platte wandering. Thanks Jason and partners for putting together what appears to be an awesome guide. |
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Wally, yes we do make more money off the book if you order directly off our website, thanks for caring about that. While Fixed Pin is a business, we use a lot of additional income from website sales for bolt/anchor replacements in a lot of different climbing areas. |
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Thanks for the tip Wally. I ordered one of these myself direct from the website. |
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The book is amazing. I can only imagine the amount of work that was put into it. Although I haven't had a chance to test it; the descriptions and pictures are well done, and the historical info is a plus. It's the type of guidebook you can sit there and actually read as well as plan your next climb. |
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So, why did this book get a review and not the new Rampart Range book? |
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Chris Cavallaro wrote:So, why did this book get a review and not the new Rampart Range book? I guess it is all who you know? Why not review all guidebooks I guess is what I am saying as these are very crucial to climbers (not the climber types who print mp.com beta)Anyone can write a review, so feel free to do so. Otherewise you can send a copy of the book to someome else and ask them to review it. |
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Monomaniac wrote:Otherewise you can send a copy of the book to someome else and ask them to review it.HA! I'll volunteer to review Tod's book. I'd be happy to have another in the book arsenal. I'm assuming Chris meant Tod's book in the first place... |
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Chris Cavallaro wrote:So, why did this book get a review and not the new Rampart Range book? I guess it is all who you know? Why not review all guidebooks I guess is what I am saying as these are very crucial to climbers (not the climber types who print mp.com beta)It's not Amazon.com. If one person decides to review a book, regardless of being an admin or knowing Jason...well they can review the book. Just like you can review all the guide books and just be an MP user that doesn't know anyone. Anyone can write a review. And what does printing out MP beta have to do with the price of tea in China? |
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I did mean Tod Anderson's book! So, I can do a review and ask Tod questions and post my questions/answers as if I were a moderator and I can therefore assume that I will get near the views that they would? I doubt it. |
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Chris Cavallaro wrote:I did mean Tod Anderson's book! So, I can do a review and ask Tod questions and post my questions/answers as if I were a moderator and I can therefore assume that I will get near the views that they would? I doubt it.I'd read your review and even bump it. :o) |
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Like I or anyone else here cares that an Admin wrote the review? Just write up Tod's book, Chris. I have already seen the guide book and think it's great. |
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Stich wrote:Like I or anyone else here cares that an Admin wrote the review? Just write up Tod's book, Chris. I have already seen the guide book and think it's great.Where can I find Tod's book? I live in C. Springs CO |
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AWESOME responses dudes. Thanks. I was just curious about publicity/marketing power or whatever, but maybe I'm overreacting. Stay tuned! My review will coin this guidebook as being pretty much the bible/definitive of guidebooks (or so many would think!) |
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S.Stelli wrote: Where can I find Tod's book? I live in C. Springs COTry REI or Mountain Chalet. Chalet just got a new stock of the Elevenmile Canyon book, incidentally. |
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Not sure about the whole guidebook review process and all. But a new Splatte book was a long over-due project that needed to be done; cudos. |
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Jason, Ben. . . |