Upcoming, New: "Climber's Guide to the Sonora Pass Highway"

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mtnyoung

Trad climber

Twain Harte, California

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2013 - 03:42pm PT

If you are coming up from the west side, we live 9/10ths of a mile off the highway. Several climbers have swung by the house on a Friday evening to pick up books (even late, we've left them out on the porch if we know someone's coming).

Email me at mtnyoung AT mlode.com if this sounds workable to you.

And, if it's late and we're not up, you'll want to leave a check or some form of money in place of the book, but it really isn't necessary to leave "thank you beers" as one crew did (although we thought that was a nice gesture).

Finally, it's quite common this time of year for climbers to use our driveway as a place to crash for the night on the way up the hill. We usually get them coffee early, and, if they're nice, we even give them breakfast. This coming weekend there will be several climbers staying with us to climb, so if you crash in the driveway, you might meet some people who frequent the crags here.

mtnyoung

Trad climber

Twain Harte, California

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 25, 2013 - 03:53pm PT

And lostinshanghai:

Nice gig: mtnyoung I like it. The book I mean great job.

Thanks. Comments like that make the work that went into it worthwhile.

Endless just as the book.

Ouch! But guilty as charged (2.35 pounds is hefty); there's a lot up here and we wanted to be thorough and careful.

adam d

climber

Jun 27, 2013 - 06:15pm PT

Thanks mtnyoung, email sent.

looks easy from here

climber

Ben Lomond, CA

Jun 27, 2013 - 10:35pm PT

After having never been through there in the last 32 years, I've now been over 108 three times in the last two weeks, and have been lusting after some of the crags I saw on the way ever since. With the quality of your Pinns guide (too bad it's gonna be 112+ Saturday, I was planning on getting some more milage out of it) this is a gimmee to add to my guide collection.

mtnyoung

Trad climber

Twain Harte, California

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2013 - 11:24pm PT

Thanks for a helluva nice compliment. I hope and think that this book is pretty good too.

The area you see best and easiest when you drive over Sonora Pass is called Chipmunk Flat. There are about 350 or so routes there that are documented in the book. Many of them are really, really good. The cover photo was taken there.

But, the great majority of SPH routes can't be seen from the road. Some of my (other) favorite areas (Burst Rock, The Lost World, The South Fork Stanislaus River) aren't visible at all from 108.

BuddhaStalin

climber

Truckee, CA

Jul 9, 2013 - 03:57am PT

Soooo, I'm hoping to get in there this weekend. My old book is in shambles. Im coming in from the east side, is there anyone selling the book between tahoe, reno, and bishop? Ive found none local here. They are on sale at the gear shop in sonora right? I might be able to have someone pick me one up if theyre not out here in my neck of the woods.

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Jul 9, 2013 - 07:23am PT

Any progress on the PayPal front? I may be coming in in a few weeks from the east it would be good to be armed with knowledge. And I got a birthday coming up

mtnyoung

Trad climber

Twain Harte, California

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2013 - 10:13am PT

No progress on PayPal that I know of. Steve and Rob did a little looking into that, but it doesn't seem to have gotten very far.

I am certain, however that two shops in Truckee have or had the book (Steve's family has a cabin at Donner and he personally delivered books to two of the mountain shops there, but I don't recall their names).

Maximus Press has them now and I think Marty sells them by PayPal, or at least by online orders.

Once again, I admit that I don't care about distribution as much as I probably should. It is slowly getting out there though.

monolith

climber

SF bay area

Jul 9, 2013 - 10:58am PT

I can report that my copy survived a complete dunking in the South Fork of the Stanislaus River. Had to chase it a little downstream, and had to turn each page to get it to dry properly.

em kn0t

Trad climber

isle of wyde

Jul 9, 2013 - 03:22pm PT

is there anyone selling the book between tahoe, reno, and bishop

Mammoth Mountaineering in Mammoth Lakes says they have 5 in stock today.

lasher

Trad climber

Jul 9, 2013 - 08:09pm PT

You should be able to find a copy at Granite Chief in Truckee or Alpenglow in Tahoe City. If they don't have any more in stock post up here and I'll make sure they get more.

looks easy from here

climber

Ben Lomond, CA

Jul 9, 2013 - 08:23pm PT

Just to add to the list, Pacific Edge in Santa Cruz had 2 copies on the shelf last Wednesday. I anticipate there being one fewer if I remember to bring my credit card in tomorrow.

briham89

Big Wall climber

san jose, ca

Jul 9, 2013 - 08:43pm PT

I'm excited to see some new faces out there!

That is unless you're on a climb I want to do ;) haha

The hang on the pass definitely beats the hang in the valley, I'm over due.

mtnyoung

Trad climber

Twain Harte, California

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2013 - 08:47pm PT

... I'm over due.

Vicki and Tricia definitely agree (and yes, so do I).

mucci

Trad climber

The pitch of Bagalaar above you

Jul 9, 2013 - 08:52pm PT

Tricia was crushing stone a few weeks ago.

Probably couldn't keep up B ;) Best to get good at the 'Hang'

Great book Brad.

Bravo

Patrick Sawyer

climber

Originally California now Ireland

Jul 11, 2013 - 06:04am PT

Looks good mtnyoung (Brad?).

I understand that any of my/partners' FAs will not be recognized. I guess I should have 'recorded' them, but I climb for fun and enjoyment, not for 'glory' or recogintion (gawd I hope I do not sound pretentious). And anyway I am addressing a probable eviction from my house, Jen's medical condition and fighting a 'rearguard' action by the Irish Department of Justice about my residence.

So whether my name is included in a guide or not, means very little to me. But I know I did FAs in some of the guidebook's areas. My posterity will be if I can keep Jennie in my care and keep the wolf from the door.

Good luck with the guide and best wishes.

Cheers

Patrick

Patrick Sawyer

climber

Originally California now Ireland

Jul 11, 2013 - 06:13am PT

Rick: Although I've climbed at Crystal Falls no routes there are in the book.

It may not surprise you to learn that that subdivision is a lot more built up now than it was when it was new in the early 70s. For example, the Egg Rock that is located there is now blocked from access by homes (where there used to be just empty lots). Climbing on the falls would be crowded by homes now too (I don't know anyone who's climbed on them for at least 25 years).

Although the rock at the falls is pretty good it really isn't practical to climb them anymore. There's tons of similar stuff farther up the hill though.

That's a shame. Small area but fun. Saw a dog slip and fall to its death, tried to save it but, dead.

Claude Fiddler and I put up some smear routes, as Rick describes them, in 1975, but it is possible that Rick and Jay were on those routes (Crystal Falls is a small area) before us, but no bolts so who knows. Also, Chris Falkenstein lived in the area with his then wife Pamela (Pam) Moran at the time.

Crystal Falls was minutes away from Cedar Ridge (where Fiddler, Jim Keating, and several others besides myself lived in a crazy and hilarious house) a great fun place, shame it appears to be inaccessible nowadays from Mtnyoung's (Brad?) above post. Good rock, though very limited in scope, but still for an afternoon after work or Columbia College, at the time Crystal Falls was the destination.

BTW, I'd imagine the Arboretum at Columbia College is not in the guidebook. Understandable, but great bouldering. And in the rain/snow we'd boulder (bulidering) on the arches and walls (granite 'blocks' and rocks) of Manzanita Hall as the big balcony overhead kept the arches and walls dry.

Ahhh, if I was young again.

EDIT

Buildering, UC Berkeley has (or had) some of the best. There used to be, maybe still are, some great splitter 'cracks' on Memorial Stadium, just watch out for campus police. My main high school climbing partner, (a year ahead of me), Steve Fish peeled of buildering about 30+' on a building near Boalt Hall, and limped away (it was temporary, watchers were aghast, but he healed).

lostinshanghai

Social climber

someplace

Jul 11, 2013 - 08:46pm PT

Mtnyoung

“Endless just as the book”

You wrote back: “Ouch! But guilty as charged (2.35 pounds is hefty); there's a lot up here and we wanted to be thorough and careful.”

Guess I made or addressed the issue in worded it incorrectly. In endless as being with the new electronics now that I acquired since both go together.

As in your routes A, E,D, G, B……… Notes for guitar or other instruments; I am sure I can come up with some kind of noise.

Endless meaning 365 to 3,000 or try.

Great book