Which is the best of the NC guidebooks? I have the Lambert/Shull Selected book which 95% of them were selected from the 5.10 and up realm. Not exactly great for the newer trad leaders. so, which book has the most moderates? thank you

If Thomas Kelley's (sp?) book is still in print, then get it. It's not too bad. Schull's book is OK, but as you said, it's a "select" guide. Also, the latter author has yet to apologize for bad-mouthing Shuford's in my presence (sort of kidding).

Shull's is the only one in print. There should be a second edition of it coming out this winter that will include Laurel Knob. Kelley's book had three editions, all with lots of moderates. Chris Hall's Southern Rock had very limited info. There were two other Carolina guides back in the day that are collectors items now. Rumour has it that the publisher of Kelley's guides is compiling a magnum opus of NC climbing. For now, Shull's is the only and best choice.

thanks guys, all this talk of Shuford's, i gotta visit the place and see what it is all about.

you are right about the new guide, it will be published by earthbound sports and be released later this year. here is the link, i will probably wait to get this one.

http://earthboundsports.com/books_construction.html#rcarolin>>>>>

thanks for your responses, mike

Being a "moderate" leader myself, I've found the Select guide more than adequate, and I'm not sure how you determined that 95% of the routes are 5.10+. The guide has loads of route descriptions in the 5.9 and under range -- Table Rock, Looking Glass, Moore's Wall, Stone Mountain, etc. all have a good representation of moderates. On the other hand, there's areas in NC (e.g., Whitesides) that just don't have any moderate routes, so there's nothing the Select guide can do about that.

I'll be very interested in seeing the planned new Carolina Rock book, but I won't be holding my breath. That "release is expected in 2007" notice has been up there for a long time.

JL

thanks JL for your comments, i appreciate them

Mike -- do you live in NC, or are you just planning a visit? I love climbing there, so if you ever need a partner, maybe we can work something out.

JL

By the way, sometimes you can find Kelley's guide (The Climber's Guide to North Carolina) used on Amazon.com. Probably not cheap though.

JL

I saw a couple of copies online for around $80. Christ-and most of the descriptions in that book included a name and occasionally a rating! Use Shull/Lambert and buy the locals swill so they'll hook you up. That always worked better for me in the long run, anyway-the secret crags are often better than the ones in the books.

Funny when this was first posted I was suprised by the value people were putting on the book and did a little research to see if I was sitting on a book worth keeping. I found two copies online for around 25 bucks. Did another look today and was going to post the link for anyone who wanted to grab one and I can't find one for much under 60. Guess I'll keep a hold of my copy afterall. By the way anyone interested in thumbing through before going on a trip out that way is more than welcome to thumb through my copy.

Funny, cuz when TK's book was the only game in town it was most frequently described as 'worthless.' I prefer to think of it as preserving the adventure. In no way is it worth 60 bucks, much less 80.

Moderates: Stone, the sunny side of the Glass, Moore's, TR. SOL on Whitesides and most of the rest of the Cashiers Valley. A few good ones on Cedar Rock, the NC Wall & Shortoff, and Shiprock. How's that for a summation of the beta?