City of Rocks Idaho: A Climber's Guide (Regional Rock Climbing Series)

By Dave Bingham

Book Overview

This seventh edition of City of Rocks - A Climber's Guide offers the most thorough and up to date information, maps and topo's detailing over 750 high quality climbs. Also included are details on... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970096410
• ISBN13: 9780970096418
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Falcon Guides
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

City of Rocks Idaho--A Climber's Guide

There is confusion here as to what book is being reviewed, viz., the 2006 version of "City of Rocks Idaho--A Climber's Guide" or some earlier edition. This is caused, in part, by Mr. David Bingham's listing all editions by the exact same name and not having an ISBN associated with the book. Further, the book being sold here is listed as "7th". Looking at the title page of the 2006 edition, there is no mention of what edition it is. Being an occasional visitor to the City, 4 trips since 1988, I owned 2 earlier versions of the book. On the basis of the reviews here, I hesitated to buy the current (2006) edition until I was able to see it. Simply put, it is a vast improvement over the earlier versions. The challenging topographics have been replaced by photographs, which clarify the location of the crags and of the routes. The illustrations have been supplemented by useful verbal descriptions. Many new areas have been added, e.g., Tahitian Wall. The worst aspects of the index have been corrected. For example, "The Anteater" is now listed under "A" and not under "T". The book is sturdily bound although it would hold up better as a field guide if the corners had been rounded. I recommend this book as a fine, useful guide to the area. The earlier guidebooks by Davis and by Calderone were quite decent and helpful when they were published but are outmoded by the 2006 edition of "City of Rocks Idaho--A Climber's Guide." Since I'm a professional publisher and indexer, take the following nit-picking with a grain of salt. The index would be easier to use if different font styles were used for route names and for all other objects. This lack of difference contributes to omissions, e.g., "Private Idaho" refers to a route and to a crag, but the route gets omitted from the index. Also, the rating of the route should follow its name in the index. The author should either forgo using "5." before a rating or use it all the time. The confusion this causes is such that not even the author can follow his own usage, e.g., Delay of Game is listed as 5.8, whereas Skyline is listed as 8. Many routes have a generic name such as "Chimney." They should be given unique names, even something like "Chimney of the Spire" would be an improvement. Occasional inset photographs of the starts of routes on some of the larger crags, e.g., The Breadloaves, would make it easier to figure out where the climbs are on a crag. And some of the washed out photographs, e.g., Lost World, need reworking. David, thanks for yours series of guidebooks to the City. They've provided me with a lot of pleasure (and some adventure now and then) over the years.

City of Rocks Idaho, 7th A climber's Guide

Updated version of a popular guide to a popular place

climbing is an adventure what did you expect

Dave's book is the most up to date info available next to phonytony's recalled book. The pictures are great in tony's if you know where and what your looking for. Dave's book has mistakes like any guide book. There is a new Bingham book as of April 04 and most likely there are few mistakes, with black and white photos, new routes, and never before shown crags. Next thing you know people will want handicap ramps for every scramble and street signs on every route and trail. Until them swallow some form of adventure and climb whatever you can find.