From: timsc@hwcae.Honeywell.COM (Tim Schneider)
Newsgroups: rec.climbing
Subject: New RMNP/Lumpy Interium Guide
Date: 28 Jul 92 16:54:57 GMT
Reply-To: timsc@hwcae.honeywell.com
Distribution: rec
Organization: Honeywell, Air Transport Division; Phoenix, AZ



Review : An Interim Rock Climbing Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park
         by Richard Rossiter

The book looks like another Richard Rossiter classic ! Done in the same format that
distinguishes Rossiter's guides from all the others, it's clean and easy to follow. The
guide, as you may have guessed from the title, is described by Rossiter in the preface
as "...grossly incomplete, especially in the area of the High Peaks." This is pretty
evident, as the book details the climbing on the Petit Grepon, but leaves the Sabre and
the Sharkstooth out. He goes on to mention in the preface that they decided to publish
what he had due to the fact that no other guidebook for the area is currently available.
He mentions, "The coverage of Lumpy Ridge is fairly broad and includes nearly all new
routes from the last decade." He goes on to ask for feedback from people who "preview"
the book for typo corrections, route corrections, and new route info.

The book is done in three sections : Lumpy Ridge, Estes Area Crags, and High Peaks.

Lumpy Ridge area covers the obvious crags; Sundance Buttress, Twin Owls, The Book, Pear,
Batman Rock, Checkerboard Rock, Bookend, Citadel, Lens Rock, Trunder Buttress, Crescent Wall,
Triangle Wall, Rock One, Little Twin Owls, Batman Pinnacle, and Lightning Rock. As
promised, the coverage looks fairly complete.

The Estes Area Crags section has the following crags : Needle, Thimble, Thumb, Fin, Shield
Wall, and Dihedral Rock. I don't know much of anything about the climbing in this area, so
I don't know how complete this list is. I do know that some of the crags contained in the
old Kimball guidebook are missing, most obvious is Rock of Ages, and the classic Days Of
Heaven (10+)...

The High Peaks section, admittedly grossly incomplete, contains some routes on the following
walls : Long's Peak East Face, Long's Peak Chasm View Wall, Chiefshead, Hallett Peak, The
Petit Grepon, and Spearhead. This is a pretty good collection of the classics, but I'm sure
that a lot of routes/walls will be added in the future edition of this book. I was surprised
that The Sabre routes weren't included...and I believe that Sharkstooth has some climbing.

Suffice to say that this guide is exactly what it says it is...an interim guide. A pretty
good one and I'm sure that when the full-blown guidebook comes out, it will be another of
Rossiter's classic guides. If you're heading for the area, this would be a good investment,
otherwise, I would wait for the full guide that should be out next year some time.

If anyone out there wants to write to Richard Rossiter to suggest some additional coverage
in any of the sections, he was asking for input from reviewers of the book. His address and
phone # is :

Richard Rossiter
2635 Mapleton #177
Boulder, CO  8034
(303) 443-2439


G. Opland


--
tim schneider                       honeywell air transport systems division
ph: 602.436.3078 fax: 602.436.2252   po box 21111 ms k26e2 phoenix, az 85036
email: timsc@hwcae.honeywell.com  or  uunet!asuvax!hwcae.honeywell.com!timsc
Newsgroups: rec.climbing