One of my climbing partners told me that he recently read the Introduction in the first edition. Finally. Ten years after buying the book.
Most of us head straight for the ratings and skip over all of that unnecessary text that authors insist on including. We just want a number and a dotted line. And a gear list. And the number of bolts. And the beta on the crux…
This guide contains routes at many different cliffs, composed of different types of rock, with routes established in different styles and ethics. So the information included at the beginning of each section is vital to your safety and enjoyment. I’ve used a standard format and kept the text to a minimum– you can easily read these sections in a few minutes. So, in webspeak, RTFM!
Here’s an excerpt showing the layout of the intro section for each area. I’ll discuss some issues (e.g. ratings) in more detail in later posts. The text in the guide is in the right column, with boxes and shading added, and comments on the left. It’s low res on purpose and I spotted a typo in the final text!
