Recent progress
March 8, 2011
I hunkered down the past two weekends, saying NO when friends asked if I could come out and play. Also I was sick this weekend with a chronic inner ear issue. So I worked on the guidebook.
I finally started the climb-by-climb revision work. I’m through about 80% of the Taylors Falls descriptions / approaches and have a first draft of difficulty and quality ratings for Red Wing. Next up, working through many newly described routes at Blue Mounds and an initial swipe at Devils Lake.
I was hoping that photography could start soon, but the snowpack just won’t melt. Spring break is in two weeks and I hope to be at Blue Mounds or Devils Lake (or both) that week.
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Guide update
February 12, 2011
Just wanted to give you a quick update. The revision is in progress. Information is still coming in and I’m still spending a lot of time deciding exactly what needs to be updated. You might think that it’s just a matter of changing the ratings (one climber suggested, “add 1 to every rating”) but there’s a lot more than. Since the previous edition was finished (1999) both the Internet and indoor climbing have become far more popular. Both will have an influence on the guidebook.
Have you read the Introduction to the current guidebook? If not, this is a good time to do so. You’ll get a good idea of my philosophy and approach.
If you see a copy of Stewart Green’s Rock Climbing: Colorado guide (in color), that’s the format for my new guide. The color photos on glossy paper will really help show some details that were lost in the printing of the current guide. Virtually all of the photographs will be new; I’m putting together my shot lists right now so I can hit the crags when the snow melts.
It’s not too early to submit action photos, so check out the contributor guidelines.
Tags: guidebook
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I need women!
November 29, 2010
Guidebook authors and contributors are overwhelmingly male, so the published difficulty and quality ratings reflect this male bias.
So please, female climbers, send me your opinions and help make this guide reflect the increasing presence of women on the rocks.
Also, I just modified the spreadsheets in the contributor’s packet. Some people had been having trouble so I removed all of the protections. Hopefully that’ll solve the problems. If not, let me know. Thanks once again to Microsoft for ‘undocumented features” (=bugs).
Tags: revision
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Devils Lake and a Comment about comments
October 29, 2010
I’ll be at Blue Mounds this Saturday (10/30)–maybe I’ll see you there.
Since there is a new Devils Lake guidebook (so I hear, I haven’t seen it), I plan to trim back my coverage of that area in the revision. Currently I have about 140 routes in my guide; I’d like to slash that by about a third. So when you send me your input, give me suggestions on which routes or areas at DL to drop. My philosophy is to minimize competition with guides that are in print and up-to-date.
Unknown climber on Shovel Point, MN
You may wonder why I don’t allow comments to this blog. Frankly, I don’t have time to moderate them! Most comments I receive are either spam or irrelevant to the topic at hand. I enjoy a good discussion but seldom find one on other forums I visit, which doesn’t encourage me to open the floodgates here. So turning off comments makes my life less stressful. Which is good.
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Photos photos
October 14, 2010
I took photos at Carlton Peak, Palisade Head, and Shovel Point last Saturday. The weather was glorious, and I talked to a number of climbers enjoying the great weather. It was the first day with my new camera and there were the usual learning pains. For example, I got up to Carlton Peak and couldn’t remember how to set the self timer! I did figure it out, but I’ll bring the manual next time.
Besides the color photos in the new edition, I’ll be taking photos with people in them to give a better sense of scale. Here’s an example of the same shot with and without a person for scale.
No person for scale
With climber for scale
The new camera is great (Nikon D700). I needed it because many photos need to be taken close to the rock and the only way to do that digitally is with a full-size sensor. My radio remote shutter release arrived this week, so now I can take photos with me in them much more easily. Not that I want my picture in the book, but if nobody else is around, it has to be me.
I’ll be up north again this weekend: Section 13, Sawmill Creek Dome, Shovel Point, and Palisade (and maybe Wolf Ridge area). Maybe I’ll see you there.
Tags: revision
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Guidebook update resumes
September 27, 2010
I’m pleased to announce I will be doing an update to Rock Climbing: Minnesota and Wisconsin. This update was planned, delayed, and then canceled for various reasons. Those issues have been resolved and the publisher has given a firm commitment to the revision. The new edition will be in color and not much more expensive than the current edition.
Go here to get further information. The main source of news concerning the progress of the revision will be this blog. You can subscribe to get notified of any posts by clicking above. I also have a Facebook Page that you can follow. I won’t post more often than every couple of weeks.
I look forward to your help on this project.
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All posts are on my other blog through May
March 22, 2009
I’m leaving for Nepal in a couple of days so all posts will be on my other blog. Have fun climbing this spring, and keep notes as we’ll ramp up the guidebook revision process when I get back. I’m still waiting to hear from the publisher, but there’s no reason we can’t assemble the information now.
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Guidebook update
January 21, 2009
This post is just to start off the new guidebook and revision category on the blog. It’s amazing that I finally got going!
Tags: guidebook
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Site Updates and organization
January 21, 2009
OK, the new site organization is (mostly) in place. On this blog and site you’ll find info on the MN/WI rock climbing guide as well as my personal observations.
For info on The Altitude Experience: Successful Trekking and Climbing Above 8000 Feet, please visit TheAltitudeExperience.com.
To see only those posts related to the guidebook, click the tab above.
If you want an email whenever I post, click the subscribe tab above. Once you subscribe, you can pick any categories you wish for notification (like, just the guidebook posts).
Tags: General
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Fixed email and upcoming events
November 16, 2008
I just realized that an email forwarding link got broken back in June when I changed my web host. Tomorrow I’ll start looking through the ‘info’ email box and reply to anything still relevant. Sorry.
This week is a media blitz for me. Monday, 10am I’m on Minnesota Public Radio talking about altitude, climbing, and maybe a bit about K2. Go to www.mpr.org for the podcast if you missed it.
Friday, 7pm I’ll present a talk on the K2 tragedy. See The Altitude Experience web site for more details.
Saturday, 10:30 am I’ll talk about Ajusting to Altitude: A Primer for Flatlanders. See the link above for more info.
Tags: K2 Expedition 2008
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