Just to Rant About Smith

Imagine how crowded Bend would get if Smith was really good? We’d need more roundabouts!!

Checked in here because I'm heading to Smith for the first time in a couple weeks (stoked!!) and have been getting real cosy with the guidebook.  I guess it's too late now, but Alan, here's a couple ways you could have avoided that bind with Falcon:

1. in true rock star style, send em a greatest hits or live album while holding back the good stuff for the next publisher

2. crowd fund!  I'm sure the notoriously deep-pocketed climbing community would have scratched up enough loose change to get you out of that contract

In all seriousness, if there's anything the climbing community can do to facilitate the next phase of this life-long project of yours, I hope that you'll ask and people will come through and help however they can.  In the meantime, if it just means that we have to spend more time reading the current guidebook to get the lay of the land, that's not the worst thing - your writing is great, and your work shines through the publisher's flaws.  Thanks!

Alan Wattswrote:

Thanks Sam for your thoughtful post.  You raise some good issues, though I'm not familiar with Charlie from It's Always Sunny, That reference flew over my head.

1. My guide was published by Falcon, and for better or worse has the look and feel of a Falcon guide.  I agree that their product is below the caliber of Wolverine Guides.  I attempted to work with Wolverine for my 2010 guide but contract issues made it impossible.  I was given the option of paying Falcon $75,000 to buy out of the contract I signed when I started work on the second edition in 2001.  

2. I was disappointed with the end result of my third edition guide.  The history, first ascent information, and index were cut without any input from me.  The layout maximized the size of the book, with  lots of wasted space, and photos for obscure areas used a full page when I intended them to be 1/4 page at most.  Chapter numbers inexplicably didn't appear at the start of each chapter, and the photo topos were touched up in a way that made them worse than what I submitted.  Many had information cropped out.  The attention to detail, overall, was not up to the level I strive for. But with that said, the quality of photos is far superior to what was in my 2010 guide (just flip through it and compare). And the 830 new routes include many all-time classics.  There are many errors that I've noticed that should have been caught in the editing process - my fault as much as Falcon's, but there are dozens of small errors in both my 1992 and 2010 books as well. Even those of us who have climbed at Smith for 50 years still sometimes mess things up. But I stand by 99% of what's in the book.  

3. Smith Rock is what it is.  it's a beautiful area with a rich history.  The climbing is varied like few other areas in the country, with tuff and basalt routes bearing no resemblance to each other.  The rock is brilliant in places and not so brilliant in others.  It's not the Red or New River Gorge, nor do I wish it was. Both are special places with magnificent climbing.  So is Smith.

4. You (or anyone else) are welcome to create your own, easy to navigate Smith guide.  Be warned that you'll end up earning about $5 per hour for the thousands of hours you put into it.  That, possibly, is an answer to your question about why no one can publish a guidebook on par with other world class areas.  Guidebooks are a labor of love, and in the end, 90% of the feedback received is negative, not positive.  That's unchanged from my 1992, 2010, and 2023 guides.  I hope to do one final, comprehensive guide to Smith in my lifetime (hopefully with Wolverine - likely in two volumes).  In the meantime, my complete guide on Kaya (with 2312 routes and counting) should be available this summer. With GPS links to every route, and no space restrictions, you'll find yourself less confused as you wander about.  In the meantime, I suggest you continue to navigate Smith using Mountain Project, where finding routes is nearly effortless.

5. Please drop me a line next time you head to Smith.  Seriously, I have no hard feelings (though it's possible you violated Guideline #1 in your post). I've received much worse - especially back in the early days of sport climbing when it seemed like every climber in the US was against what I was doing.  I'd enjoy visiting with you about how I can make a better book and improve your Smith Rock experience. And if you're so inclined, the beer at Redpoint will be on me.

Alan, I have to say that as a climber who started climbing at Smith in 2010, your 2nd edition guidebook was like a gift from the gods! I don't have a horse in the race regarding various guidebook publishers, but I know a labor of love when I see one, and your guidebook really helped me to fall in love with the place where I cut my teeth climbing. The history, index, clear topos and thoughtful route descriptions all contributed to the connection I have with Smith. I was thrilled when your new guidebook came out and I understand the disappointment with the editing decisions the publisher made. 

That being said, I'd gladly purchase the book again. I partially view purchasing guidebooks as a way to support those who have invested so much into a local climbing area, and I'll look forward to supporting whatever media you continue to publish in.

Sam Stephenswrote:

This is the same actor as Charlie from “It’s always sunny in Philadelphia” but this is a screen shot from one of the Pacific Rim movies 

Alan Wattswrote:

Thanks Sam for your thoughtful post.  You raise some good issues, though I'm not familiar with Charlie from It's Always Sunny, That reference flew over my head.

1. My guide was published by Falcon, and for better or worse has the look and feel of a Falcon guide.  I agree that their product is below the caliber of Wolverine Guides.  I attempted to work with Wolverine for my 2010 guide but contract issues made it impossible.  I was given the option of paying Falcon $75,000 to buy out of the contract I signed when I started work on the second edition in 2001.  

2. I was disappointed with the end result of my third edition guide.  The history, first ascent information, and index were cut without any input from me.  The layout maximized the size of the book, with  lots of wasted space, and photos for obscure areas used a full page when I intended them to be 1/4 page at most.  Chapter numbers inexplicably didn't appear at the start of each chapter, and the photo topos were touched up in a way that made them worse than what I submitted.  Many had information cropped out.  The attention to detail, overall, was not up to the level I strive for. But with that said, the quality of photos is far superior to what was in my 2010 guide (just flip through it and compare). And the 830 new routes include many all-time classics.  There are many errors that I've noticed that should have been caught in the editing process - my fault as much as Falcon's, but there are dozens of small errors in both my 1992 and 2010 books as well. Even those of us who have climbed at Smith for 50 years still sometimes mess things up. But I stand by 99% of what's in the book.  

3. Smith Rock is what it is.  it's a beautiful area with a rich history.  The climbing is varied like few other areas in the country, with tuff and basalt routes bearing no resemblance to each other.  The rock is brilliant in places and not so brilliant in others.  It's not the Red or New River Gorge, nor do I wish it was. Both are special places with magnificent climbing.  So is Smith.

4. You (or anyone else) are welcome to create your own, easy to navigate Smith guide.  Be warned that you'll end up earning about $5 per hour for the thousands of hours you put into it.  That, possibly, is an answer to your question about why no one can publish a guidebook on par with other world class areas.  Guidebooks are a labor of love, and in the end, 90% of the feedback received is negative, not positive.  That's unchanged from my 1992, 2010, and 2023 guides.  I hope to do one final, comprehensive guide to Smith in my lifetime (hopefully with Wolverine - likely in two volumes).  In the meantime, my complete guide on Kaya (with 2312 routes and counting) should be available this summer. With GPS links to every route, and no space restrictions, you'll find yourself less confused as you wander about.  In the meantime, I suggest you continue to navigate Smith using Mountain Project, where finding routes is nearly effortless.

5. Please drop me a line next time you head to Smith.  Seriously, I have no hard feelings (though it's possible you violated Guideline #1 in your post). I've received much worse - especially back in the early days of sport climbing when it seemed like every climber in the US was against what I was doing.  I'd enjoy visiting with you about how I can make a better book and improve your Smith Rock experience. And if you're so inclined, the beer at Redpoint will be on me.

Alan, this is a classy response and I would love the chance to talk with you about your history and the history of Smith. Sorry I was kind of on one the day I wrote that first comment. It came from a place of frustration, partially over having to rebuild community in a new state after moving from the area that I loved and learned in. 

No one has made me feel unwelcome here, except that climbing can be a hard to community to rebuild, especially as we get older and have different lives and responsibilities to cope with while trying to maintain an identity. 

You've clearly got thick skin, and may not need an apology, but I'd like to offer it if I offended you or the work you've done in making Smith what it is. I treat MP as an old place to troll sometimes, but never really with any bad intent. Sorry if you got caught in my snarky post.

For Oregon climbing, wouldn’t even call smith rock choss

Max Rwrote:

Show me on the doll where Smith Rock hurt you.

Lololololol

I'm a bit late to this but as someone who loves Smith deeply and spends a lot of time there, I do think that the regular crowd in the park suffers from a sort of stockholm syndrome, myself included.

Max Tepferwrote:

 Personally I've always thought that it was more historic, aesthetic, and inspiring than it was 'good' by most metrics. 

I think Max's words here hit the mark. Climbing at Smith is challenging; the right conditions are often hard to find, it wrecks your skin, rock quality can be poor, etc. I believe that these same factors that make Smith a challenging place to climb are also what make it so remarkable. Success at Smith often requires a certain degree of toughness, persistence, and an ability to enjoy an experience that may not be 100% fun and pleasant. Being able to practice this mindset in a gorgeous, easily accessible climbing area with a lifetime of routes places it in high standing in my book.