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Where exactly is Snow Valley? Snow Valley is located between Running Springs and Big Bear, in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains, at an elevation of about 6,700 feet. How come I've never heard of Snow Valley before? Once a private playground for the local Rim of the World Climbing Club (ROWCC), Snow Valley was first unveiled to the world in October 1996 at the first "Snow Valley Boulderfest"--So Cal's answer to the Phoenix Bouldering Contest. Larger events followed in 1997 and 1998. This resulted in some traffic to the area, but not much. In the seven years since the last Boulderfest was held, a small but dedicated group of boulderers have been working the area. But Snow Valley remains relatively unknown. I went up there, and couldn't find some of the areas/problems in the guidebook... Sorry. The guide is not perfect, and most of the boulder problems see so little traffic that you may never see chalk on them. During the Boulderfest events, every problem was marked, and people were stationed in each area to tell you where each problem was, even which holds were on or off. But today, Snow Valley isn't Disneyland; it's an adventure. What's the climbing like at Snow Valley? There's a variety of boulder problems at Snow Valley, but the one thing they all have in common is rock that will rip your hands to shreds. It's a great place to train. As Brad Singer once said, "If you can climb at Snow Valley, you can climb anywhere." I noticed there's a lot of "easy" problems at Snow Valley; what's that all about? When the ROWCC first started developing Snow Valley, it was with a bouldering contest in mind. And they wanted it to be a contest that anyone could participate in and have fun with. This started the tradition of easy boulder problems at Snow Valley. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of moderate to hard boulder problems at Snow Valley. But there are a lot more documented "easy" boulder problems than at most bouldering areas. It makes for great training. One day I decided to do 100 boulder problems, and set up a meandering course of 100 easy problems. After doing 75, I could barely move, so I went home and drank some beer. But that's nothing. At the 1998 Boulderfest, Reed Bartlett did an incredible 118 boulder problems. As far as I know, that's still the Snow Valley record. Is this guide available in any retail stores like REI or Sport Chalet? No, at least not yet. I'm not comfortable buying things online, can I send you a check? At this time I cannot accept mail orders for the book, but I hope to have that changed soon...so stay tuned! Who is Max Armpet? Max was the original lard-ass climber, made (in)famous by an article he wrote ("Confessions of a Lard Ass Climber") which I published in mOthEr rOck, the (in)famous Southern California Climbing Magazine which was published between 1996 and 1998. Despite his tremendous girth and his tendency to break most holds, he never gave up trying. The "Rudy" of bouldering, he's an inspiration to us all. They'd make a movie about his life, except that he's an obnoxious retarded bastard. Plus, Chris Farley died in 1997, so would play him? Maybe John Goodman? Where can I buy old copies of mOthEr rOck magazine? Right now, maybe eBay? But I do have a limited supply of some old back issues somewhere in my attic. When I find them, if they have not been eaten by rats, I will make them avaible on this web site "while supplies last". The info in your guidebook used to be available for free on your web site, so why are you charging for it now? Are you a cheap bastard, or just an asshole? The info on the web site was quite old; it had not been updated at all in several years. The printed guidebook takes the information from the web site, adds a lot of new climbs, corrects a bunch of misinformation and bad beta, adds a bunch of photos and lame stories, and wraps it all in a convenient book you can stash in your pack. Think of it this way: the web site was a can of beans, while the guidebook is a full-on burrito. My friends and I did some new problems up there, can we send the info to you? Some of your beta is wrong... See new route info, or post it to the blog. What are you going to do with new route info and corrections? First, they will be posted on the new route info. Eventually they will be integrated into the guidebook, and a Second Edition will be published. When will the Second Edition will be available? The Second Edition likely won't be available until mid to late 2006. Will there be anything new in the Second Edition? Uh, yeah. Maps for Ridgeline, and the Sunny D Boulders. Maybe, finally, the Couch Potato Boulder? Numerous updates throughout. New photos. And a map of the Pemo Boulders, a fun little place with a long approach (I always get their by mountain bike), near Mill Peak off Keller Peak Road. You have a few roped climbs in the Snow Valley guide--are you going to include more in the second edition? No. Brad Singer is currently working on the Second Edition of his comprehensive climbing guide to the San Bernardino Mountains. If you can find it, BUY IT! Who is the "ho" who inspired the "John-A-Thon" boulder problems? I wish I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you. You can do better than her anyways. Find yourself a good woman, who wants you for who you are, not because your first name just happens to be "John" and she can put another notch in her diaphragm. $15.99 + $3.00 shipping (U.S. only) = $18.99 total |