The long wait for the 3rd edition of my Smith Rock guidebook is nearly over. What was already a big book is now even bigger, with over 800 new routes, all new photos and maps, and 2271 total climbs.
The sheer size of the book created problems. This book should have been split into two volumes, but this didn’t become apparent until it was too late to change course. I wrote and illustrated a fully comprehensive guide to Smith climbing, including a written description for route, first ascent information, and a full history of the nearly 90 year history of Smith climbing. Sadly, my vision and reality were two different things. Space constraints forced the elimination of the entire history chapter and all first ascent details from the upcoming guide.
Damn. I’d promised countless times that I would never eliminate the history chapter, but this was a promise that wasn’t mine to make. A 700 page guidebook simply wasn’t an option. And that’s exactly what I had submitted to Falcon.
Fortunately, this website provides the perfect venue to present all material that didn’t make the final book. Over the next couple months, I’ll share the entire history chapter along with far more historical photos than I ever could have published in my guide. Today, I’m releasing installment number one.
April 9, 2023
