30
MOUNTAINLIFEBLUEMOUNTAINS
SUMMER2016
Wong recently uploadeddigital guides on
There you’ll find
detailedguides toThe Swamp,MetcalfeRock, Lion’s Head,Devil’sGlen,Mount
Nemo andOldBaldy. Printed copies for theKickstarter supporters printed in
June.Wonghopes todo a secondprint run shortly after that. Keepwatching
ontariorockclimbing.com for the latest.
But just asWong’s book is printing, the rumours ofAlexandropoulos’ book
have come true.
OntarioClimbingVolume 1:The Southern Escarpment
printed
in early 2016. Covering crags southof Orangeville, the book is available online
at ontarioclimbing.com and atmany climbinggyms andMEC.
Sowhy has it taken so long?“There have beenhuge access issues that seem
to change everyweek,” saysAlexandropoulos.“That and trackingdown
accurate route and first ascent infomade this an epic project.”
OntarioClimbingVolume 2:TheNorthern Escarpment
printed in June and
contains infoon all the crags northof Orangeville.A stickler for detail,
Alexandropoulos has beenmeticulous inhis research, ensuring that the history
of each crag is recorded. In fact, he’s described the book as a guidebook/
history book hybrid.“Itwas important to accurately documentwhat has
happened since the last comprehensiveguidewas publishedalmost 25 years
ago,”he says.“Since then, a lot of new routes havegoneup, butwe'vealso lost
anumber of crags due toaccess issues. Itwouldbeeasy to ignore these closed
or secondary areas, but thenwewould risk forgetting theaccomplishments
of the climbers that camebeforeus.Thegoalwas tohavea really functional
guidebook that celebratedour rich climbinghistory andhighlighted the fact that
peoplehavebeen climbing inOntario since the1950s.”
SoOntario is going from a placewith zero recent guidebooks, to three?Well,
that’s not all folks. Set topublish later this summer is a guide tobouldering at
Halfway LogDump.WhileAlexandropoulos plannedon includingHalfway Log
Dump inhisVolume 2, he simply couldn’t.“TheHalfway LogDumpbouldering
guide is JoeHo's project,” saysAlexandropoulos.“He's done somuch research
and created somuchoriginal content, thatwewouldbe hardpressed todo a
better jobof documenting the area.”
“After seeing some of the books fromother crags likeHorse Pens 40, Red
Rocks andHueco, I feltwe really needed togiveHalfway LogDump a book it
deserves because it’s such a beautiful and awesome area,” says JoeHo.“Most
importantly, I worked closelywith theBruce PeninsulaNational Park to ensure
we included any access and environmental concerns tomake surewe keep
the area open.”The book is also available on
, at select
climbinggyms andMEC.
While this time last year therewere zero recent climbingguides for Ontario,
now there are four.Whichone should youget?Why not support all the
thanklesswork that goes into them, andbuy all four?
–Colin Field
"A lot of new routes have gone up, butwe've also lost a
number of crags due to access issues. Itwouldbe easy to
ignore these closed or secondary areas, but thenwewould
risk forgetting the accomplishments of the climbers that
came before us. "
