The new Robin Barley guidebook.

[jred]

Despite being useless as an actual guidebook and possibly being tinged with a bit of bitterness Robin's guide is brilliant. Multiple errors in grades, names, f.a.'s and location are made throughout the book, far too many to make it a good guide, but who cares?. Robin's has given us his perspective as Squamish' most prolific and controversial route developer and it does not fail to entertain. Like most good satire it is hard to say whether or not all of it is serious. Is he kidding when he adds "bequeathed" and "not bequeathed by Robin Barley" to the routes credits? Are we colonials going to be caught with our pants down when Robin reveals we are the victims of an intricate ruse? Does Robin giggle himself to sleep at night thinking of his large collection of pushed buttons?

[slhughes]

it's 20 bucks at valhalla. profits go to search and rescue. i just mind travelled to 2054 and copies are going for 340 litres of water. this is indeed a fine item of climbing culture. it's going next to my copy of the first chouinard catalogue and the '05 guide to suicide bluff- classic. limited edition too. highly recommended.

[smallman]

I found the anchor section to be especially humorous, especially in regards to camouflaging anchors in the name of environmental values but bleaching entire cliffs or logging large patches of forest is environmentally ok.

[tsouth]

I must say I enjoyed the "give me a large enough lever and I'll lift the world" in response to people pulling the staples out of the rock. Plus the testing description was a good read.

[johnthethird]

Any idea if/where this book is available?, I looked in valhalla a few weeks back and no sign of it.

[jstod]

Valhalla's got it. They sold out of their first shipment right away but had more copies when i was in yesterday.

JS

[Jonny5]

I just got a copy today. Quite a good read so far.

[JAR]

Remember MEC's book purge a few years back? Sure you do: black column of smoke rising from the rooftop parking lot of the Broadway store, charred wraiths of pages consumed by worms of ember as they tumbled heavenward, spittle from the mouths of barking fanatics that sizzled on the pavement... Ok, me neither, but it does appear that "Liv[ing] Simply" means avoiding abstract representations in all their many forms (words, contour lines, logos of mountains...) Point is, the place aint no Bodleian.

Pulp Fiction at Main and Broadway has picked up the slack. Chris, the owner, has a family connection to the Vancouver climbing community that goes deep; he stocks one or two guides, often has great secondhand climbing books, and can order pretty much anything else you might want. He has some of the Barley books in right now, for a better price than you'll find anywhere else. Get your Apocrypha while it's hot!

[Khoi]

The Vancouver MEC store has almost 10 copies.

There are with all the other climbing guidebooks off to the side of the climbing counter, facing the wall of ropes.