Pre-order the new Yosemite Guidebook!

Erik Sloan wrote:Xocomil - I will update this thread when the books arrive. So you will have the chance then to email me and ask for local pickup instead of having it shipped, if that would work better.

That's awesome, thanks for the customer service. Where would the local pickup be?

Local pickup will be in Yosemite. I work as a hiking guide up here, so am around most days!

Yo Gang! I have such a punchable face! Check out my punchable face!!!

Woot woot

Yo Gang!

Thanks for all the questions and preorders. We still have a long way to go to cover the costs of printing this book, so please continue to spread the word!

Woot!
Erik Sloan
RockClimbYosemite.com - Yosemitebigwall.com

Hi Guys,

I'm getting a lot of questions about the 'local pickup' shipping option. This option is really just for folks who live in the Yosemite area, or if you are going to be staying in a campsite in Yosemite Valley where you could give me your campsite # and I could drop off your book. If you are going to be in the area, it is always great to reduce our impact on the shipping world, but I just want to be clear that there is not a store that you can go to in Yosemite to pick up your book, and that choosing the 'local pickup' option might, or might not, allow you to get your book earlier than having shipped - depending on where we plan to meet up, etc.

Thanks!
Erik

Erik Sloan wrote: there is a delay when the boat arrives at Oakland and when the books have cleared customs

On top of all the other ethics related criticisms surrounding this new book, its pretty shitty you couldn't have had it printed in the USA. I guess you gota eat too right?

It's is great that there is a new guide book for Yosemite coming out ... been a long time coming.

As far as not printing it in the US... We are currently building a new house right now and having been trying to source everything locally, but it's really difficult and the often the quality isn't any better than foreign manufacturers and the price is prohibitive as well. I'm willing to pay more but not to be price gouged.

By the way I personally think Erik has done much more good than harm. Sometimes it seems like a kangaroo court is going on...

Thanks Eric! The book looks great. I've pre-ordered. So many people support what you do and should be defending you on the internet....but sorry, we're too busy climbing.

Yo Gang!

Thanks for the preorders.

CTB: re: the offshore printing. My friends here will tell you I'm a local local kind of guy. I even used a printing agent out of Sacramento this time, who worked with several US printers, to try and get a decent price for USA printing.

The issue is the size(# of pages) of the book and the quality of the binding that we require. My competitors books are all 220 pages or less, which means they can be glued together. My books are sewn together. There are very few printers in America that do section or Smythe sewn binding, so the cost goes way up as they print your book at their factory and then ship everything to a bindery to have it put together......in Hong Kong they do it all in the same place.

To give you idea of the difference in cost (and I'm all for someone showing me a better way, please), the cheapest USA price I got was over $15/book (that's for printing 5,000 books). In China you can get more features, like a reinforced cover, soy-based ink, etc. for a little over a third that (to give you an idea - all those glued together guidebooks, like Supertopo's, cost $1/book for printing!).

Good to see so much stoke for more info on routes in the Valley. Incredible to be here and always here about more new routes going up. It's endless!

Woot!
Erik

I will be buying his book. He has done more for the community than most anybody else on here. I am more than happy to help support him. Thanks Erik for putting this together.

Max McKee wrote:I will be buying his book. He has done more for the community than most anybody else on here. I am more than happy to help support him. Thanks Erik for putting this together.

More for the community, as in, drawing more negative attention from the NPS by using power drills on El Cap (to retro-bolt routes without FA permission), and sawing off tree limbs to make climbs more convenient? Is that what you mean?

Andy Novak wrote: More for the community, as in, drawing more negative attention from the NPS by using power drills on El Cap (to retro-bolt routes without FA permission), and sawing off tree limbs to make climbs more convenient? Is that what you mean?

Andy give it a rest man, you have stated your opinion NUMEROUS times and quite frankly no one gives a shit. Move on with your life.

Andy Novak wrote: More for the community, as in, drawing more negative attention from the NPS by using power drills on El Cap (to retro-bolt routes without FA permission), and sawing off tree limbs to make climbs more convenient? Is that what you mean?

Dude, it's climbing. It's supposed to be fun. Quit being such a tool.

Andy Novak wrote: More for the community, as in, drawing more negative attention from the NPS by using power drills on El Cap (to retro-bolt routes without FA permission), and sawing off tree limbs to make climbs more convenient? Is that what you mean?

Has using power on El Cap ever gotten NPS's attention? Or just the people who LOUDLY complain about it? I'm not condemning or condoning, but I think a whistleblower like you might be more likely to get the attention of NPS than the actual act of drilling. I will take my post down when it is no longer relevant *wink wink nudge nudge*

Shelton Hatfield wrote: Has using power on El Cap ever gotten NPS's attention?

There was an incident in the 90's (?) when a party was issued a citation and their gear - at least the drill and bolting supplies - was confiscated at the top of El Cap. I don't recall if an arrest was made. The party was rebolting (not retro-bolting)....some route. I'll research it later when I have time.

^^"There was an incident in the 90's (?) when a party was issued a citation and their gear - at least the drill and bolting supplies - was confiscated at the top of El Cap. ^^"

You are probably thinking of Kurt Smith and Scott Cosgrove power drilling on an epic 54 day attempt at freeing the Muir Wall in 1994. BTW, I agree with the 3 posters posting below Andy. Give it a rest.

I'm in for the guide, thanks Erik.

There's been thread after thread with folks tearing him a new one. Lets keep this as a guidebook thread eh?

Just ordered! cant wait to get it...

Thanks!!

yesrodcire wrote: Andy give it a rest man, you have stated your opinion NUMEROUS times and quite frankly no one gives a shit. Move on with your life.

actually, people do care. I care and many others have expressed concerns on this thread and other threads. Illegally bolting, rebolting, or retrobolting makes the community as a whole look bad and threatens access, as does limbing trees

Billcoe wrote: ^^"There was an incident in the 90's (?) when a party was issued a citation and their gear - at least the drill and bolting supplies - was confiscated at the top of El Cap. ^^" You are probably thinking of Kurt Smith and Scott Cosgrove power drilling on an epic 54 day attempt at freeing the Muir Wall in 1994. BTW, I agree with the 3 posters posting below Andy. Give it a rest. I'm in for the guide, thanks Erik.

AND in that case, the NPS was tipped off by climbers. In fact, many say that the whole power drill ban was a result of climbers bitching during the early bolt war days much more so than the NPS taking and major issue with the practice.

If you've been around long enough and spend (waste?) enough time on the Taco, you'll start to get a picture that the extremely vocal online "Valley Vets" represent but a tiny fraction of what the broad spectrum scene is like there, or at many other major climbing areas. There's been a long history of "Lynch Mobs" rallying against those who dare otherwise. In some cases there were transgressions that did need a response (and in others, perhaps not nearly as major as the story made it sound). In any case, the outcry often far exceeded the needed response and more often than not, I've concluded burning at the stake should have often been a slap on the wrist. Decades later, tempers and egos soften the the truth of the "Crime" often is revealed.

I'm sure Eric is no saint. Frankly, few of the passionate climbers are without "sin". I simply suggest all on the 'net take the "reports" with a fairly large grain of salt. Few are in the trenches getting the real perspective. There are many climbers out there with more "cred" and better things to do with their time than to provide an alternate perspective to online spats.

eli poss wrote: I care and many others have expressed concerns on this thread and other threads.

You're right, there's already an entire (epicly long) thread about this. So either stick to that thread or give it a rest, and quit muddying up this site with your opinions. This horse has been beaten dead time and time again.