One defect that did come to light in the testing: the built-in flash unit on the camera, like most digitals and most SLRs, is pretty weak. It works out to maybe ten feet, great for indoors, but doesn't do much of anything outside. There is no attachment point for an external flash. Therefore, unless you're at a belay or something, this isn't a great unit for night climbing shots. With the range of exposure features, it captures sunsets and the like pretty nicely. No options on this camera for time-delay shutter opening (for star shots, etcetera). --tradkelly

It keeps me warm, it keeps the wind chill off in 60mph gusts and 30mph sustained winds several pitches up, it keeps me drier than my goretex. It's not bulky. It looks good. I like it. What's not to love? --tradkelly

It keeps me warm, it keeps the wind chill off in 60mph gusts and 30mph sustained winds several pitches up, it keeps me drier than my goretex. It's not bulky. It looks good. I like it. What's not to love? --tradkelly

This is the only print guide available for the area currently. The old guide, of about the same quality, has been out-of-print and very rare for ten years. The only other options for finding these areas are climbingboulder.com (not much in the database for this area) or http://www.geocities.com/summitcorock , the online guide that some of the pictures from this current guide were taken. If you're up there in the summer or want to get away to cooler environs in the heat, this is a decent alpine/trad place to try things. Wish it had more ice stuff in it. --tradkelly

It's the best product out there right now showing Cactus and Spiney. I'm waiting to see what CT's photo-pano guide (www.climbcolorado.net) looks like when it comes out, and it's been a couple of years since SE put out this guide's latest revision. There are new (and quality) routes not shown in the guide, and several of the (harder) routes have been rebolted and anchors enhanced for safety. Putting out a guide is a heckuva lot of work, but it's time to update what's out there.

The climbs are shown on hand-drawn maps, and are very clear. The only thing that I can think of to help this volume would be a couple of photos of major formations/clusters of climbs (to help orient to the proper climb while on the ground) and an overall panoramic view of the cliffs (from the lower road, or on top of Dark Side) to show where each area is on the cliff.

Overall, an excellent guide, and by far the best to anything at Shelf Road. --tradkelly