Customer Reviews

Rock Climbing Idaho's City of Rocks (FalconGuide)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Horribly inaccurate. Numerous anchors and rap stations not where described. On the positive side if you like moderate (5.7-10) X routes mr. colderone describes many in detail. These are routes he couldn't find any info on so he soloed them and gave himself credit for the FA. I think the only purpose of this book is to line his pockets and inflame his already giant ego.

I've spent over 200 days climbing at the City of Rocks. I don't know if that qualifies me as an expert, but I do know a thing or two about climbing there. In all that time I've found one error in this book. A photo was reversed to an area that isn't even shown in any other guidebook (because nobody climbs there). I am a very discriminating and detail-oriented person, so that is pretty amazing. I happen to know a few of the old timers who climbed here before Forkash or Bingham. They are dumbfounded as to how calderone found out such things, but concur with his first ascent information. Amazing research! I don't know Calderone personally, but I saw him free-soloing routes on the Clamshell one day while I was climbing on the Lost Arrow. The guy is for real! As far as tact goes, the author doesn't get very high marks. You can tell the book is written from the heart. The guy is honest, if not a bit lacking in tact. Maybe he is full of himself, but I really don't care. To call this book "Top Notch" would not just be giving the author the break he probably deserves from the harsh sport climbing community. It is the truth.

This book is very controversial due to the nature of the area. The Reserve management clearly has some personal issue with the author of this guide. I could care less about that, personally. Two other "comprehensive" guidebooks preceded Calderone's guide. Forkash's guide had several errors on every single page of the guide, from start to finish. Enough said. Bingham's guide was reasonably accurate, but was incomplete, difficult to understand, and contained no photographs, historical background, or geological information. The 10-page history section and clear photographs of 95% of the developed routes in the Reserve put this book on par with the best rock climbing guidebooks ever written to an area.

What some people mistake for innacuracies is actually accurate information about previous inaccurately recorded information about the City of Rocks. Inaccurate information has been in print for so long that people have assumed it to be the truth. Calderone's guide is not without errors, but it is THE most accurate and up-to-date guide ever written to the area. Calderone gets a lot of flack for his bold first ascents and the people who die attempting to repeat them. I don't neccessarily agree with his staunch tactics, but climbers shouldn't be at odds with his environmental stance or confusing these issues with his writing. You won't be dissapointed with this guide!

I watched this guide progress from photos to finished product. The amount of work the author put into this guide is remarkable! The information it contains is very accurate and easy to follow. A must have for any "City" climber. I wish I had it when I first visted City of Rocks.

The pictures, the comments, and the information in this book is top notch. The amount of information that is wrong in this book is minimal, and the same amount of wrong information can be found in all the other guide books for this area. I have climbed in the City of Rocks area for 5 years now, and this is definately a must have book for those new to the area, or exploring new sections of the area. As with any other guide book, the information is passed down from word of mouth most of the time, no focused group could ever hope to research the amount of information in this book. The pictures in here are awesome, and give the reader a much better idea what features to look for when hunting for a climb.

While visiting City of Rocks National Reserve, Aug.28-31, I noticed that the "official" bulletin board had a warning of this Calderone guide-book. Stating that there were "at least" 70 inaccurate facts to this book. I was excited for a more comprehensive guide, with new routes, more photographs and route descriptions, making it easier to use than past guides. I was then disappointed to find this claim of mis-information to include: mis-rated routes(a dangerous misfortune to an unexpecting climber), mis-named routes, mis- named formations, wrong first ascent info., photographs in the reverse negatives, wrong access info. to climbs(a sensitive issue for climber relations, today). 70, misinformed, pages seems like alot to me, in fact too many. It also seems that the "Reserve" considers it to be unworthy of their criteria. Now I find it Falcon Press' responsibility to make good on this situation and pull these books off the shelves, and reimburse the unsuspecting consumer. Craig Stagg, Driggs, ID