ACA Canyoneering Book - Redeux

[Iceaxe]

Is this actually going to happen this time or is it just more vapor-text?

Here is a short unabashed history of the ACA book to date....

I've been hearing about this mythical beast since at least 1999. It was almost done and would be out shortly.

Sometime around 2002 I had the pleasure of reading several draft versions of different chapters.

In 2004 I received this.... "The book is being published in 3 volumes. Volume 1 covers our Technical Canyoneering Course curriculum for canyons up to 3B. Volume 2 covers our Advanced Canyoneering Course -- canyons up to 4C -- and Canyon Rescue Course curriculums. The third book will be titled 'Anchors for Canyoneering' and will provide numerous anchor examples. Volume 1, version 1.0, will start shipping in early January 2005."

In 2006 you could actually drop some coin and order the book out of the Mountain Gear Catalog..... but no matter how many days you stood waiting at the mailbox it would never arrive. At the time the book was called "Canyons-Skills and Techniques" and was being trumpeted with a lot of posts of the cool looking front cover.

Now in 2010 pretty pictures of a new cover and title "The ART of Canyoneering Field Guide" by Rich Carlson start showing up. The teaser is being posted in several places by the author with no further information or comment.

So.... is this going to actually happen this time is it it just anther show of smoke and mirrors?

[jman]

I checked canyonsandcrags.com, which is Rich's website practically , but there is no 2010 book. Sorry.

[Iceaxe]

I checked canyonsandcrags.com, which is Rich's website practically , but there is no 2010 book. Sorry.

Rich has lots of websites/social nets/yada yada.... it's on this one http://canyoneering.us/ among others....

[jman]

Rich has lots of websites/social nets/yada yada.... it's on this one http://canyoneering.us/ among others....

Sorry, that's what I was implying. I looked at the book cover and saw the website, but like you mentioned above, no time or date reference. So from there, I checked his website (of his store in Cedar City) and didn't list it.

who knows when...

[Don]

He's announcing it on Facebook.

[Don]

Rich is using a barcode as a teaser for this at his forum. At 19.95 it's a better price than I was expecting, but it sounds like writing it isn't done so there is no date to go along with the hype.

[rcwild]

Happy to see my marketing strategies are working. But you missed all the hype here: http://canyoneering.us/subscribe/

[moab mark]

I have been following along over on the ACA site but for the bogley folks, are you getting any closer on a date? I would prefer the field book over printing off the internet.

Mark

[rcwild]

I have been following along over on the ACA site but for the bogley folks, are you getting any closer on a date? I would prefer the field book over printing off the internet.

I am producing two versions; one a 4x6 field handbook printed on waterproof synthetic paper and the other a subscription version. Nearly finished with the field handbook. Sending it back and forth between a few friends for tweaks. Printing in Hong Kong. They are expecting my material by the end of this month. Not sure how long their process will take -- back and forth with proofs, etc. Hoping it will be out sometime in July.

The subscription version incorporates all of the material from the field handbook, plus much much more. A perpetual book. Large parts of it are already online, just not accessible until I finish setting up the subscription program, etc. Expecting to start accepting subscriptions within a week or two at the most.

Thank you for asking.

[Jaun_Jablome]

[rcwild]

Hey Juan Ja Blow Me,

I have this problem with a lot of women; they are so impatient.

Except for the mustache and the glasses, that guy does look a lot like me. Wish I had his cool outfit. Hmmm ... I wonder if they make it in neoprene.

BTW, you spelled Juan incorrectly.

[Brian in SLC]

Except for the mustache and the glasses, that guy does look a lot like me. Wish I had his cool outfit. Hmmm ... I wonder if they make it in neoprene.

Does it ever! That guy could be your identical twin...

Hilarious!

[hank moon]

Does it ever! That guy could be your identical twin...

Hilarious!

More on the "Tron Guy"

http://www.tronguy.net/TRONcostume/

[rcwild]

The subscription version of the book is available now at: http://www.canyoneering.us Will be adding tutorial videos and online canyoneering courses soon.

[airman]

The subscription version of the book is available now at: http://www.canyoneering.us Will be adding tutorial videos and online canyoneering courses soon.

Am I the only one here that hasn't seen an update since the Fall of 2010? I've seen updates to the blog, but no updates to the subscribed content.

[airman]

Am I the only one here that hasn't seen an update since the Fall of 2010? I've seen updates to the blog, but no updates to the subscribed content.

Anyone?

[Bob Madsen]

Ditto !! This is Hallerious. Paid my money long-long time ago, it's on the way, almost there, then get a bunch of Divider's in the mail, and told to print from some web site, not given, (guess I'm to join ACA, my ink, and more $$) !? Feels like Lucy/rcw holding the Football for Charlie Brown/me, at Thanks Giving, "Trust Me", Sorry rcw, Never Again !! It's been an amusing journey, you Got Me; LOL Now a Class Action Lawsuit, would be Entertaining
Bob

[oldno7]

Feels like Lucy/rcw holding the Football for Charlie Brown/me, at Thanks Giving, "Trust Me"

How accurate

Many of us have been "Charlie Browned" and not just over his book.

Guess his nickname should be "Lucy"

[rcwild]

If I ever forget how much I suck, all I have to do is come to one of these forums to be reminded.

There is always a back-story. In the past, I made the mistake of responding, but there is a saying, "Never pick a fight with a dog that is meaner than you." I don't have the time or desire to finish, so I won't bother starting.

I have no good excuses for not finishing the book other than I don't feel that I am a good writer and have been intimidated by the process. I quit working on the original book when my friend, Dave Black, decided to publish his. At each missed deadline, I offered to give full refunds. A few asked and received. Most refused to accept a refund. Some said they wanted to keep pressure on me to finish. Others told me they considered it a worthwhile donation for all the work I've done for the canyoneering community.

Several months ago during a Scout Leader training, Mark Rosen asked me if I ever planned to finish the book. I told him I wanted to, but didn't know when I would find the time. Jeff Dredge was there and asked me to at least sell him the parts that I had finished. That's when the idea for the subscription website came about. The site allows me to deliver material as I produce it and allows me to complete it in small manageable bites. Some of the material is new. Other material is being converted from the original 6x9 book format to 4x6 field manual format. The 4x6 pages are published on the left side of 8.5x11 sheets that are in PDF format on the subscription site for printing.

I hope to print the 4x6 version as a compact field manual on waterproof paper. Printing quote from Hong Kong was $12,000 for 3,000 copies. I can't come up with $12, let alone $12,000.

In May I merged my online store with the subscription site. Both are now at http://www.canyonsandcrags.com. During the merge something stopped working. Unfortunately, I left for Scotland a few days later and had very limited internet access there. I am back home now and will be trying to solve the problem this week. If anyone has trouble logging in or can't access all of the content, let me know.

My personal email address is rcwild@mac.com

[rcwild]

... then get a bunch of Divider's in the mail, and told to print from some web site, not given, (guess I'm to join ACA, my ink, and more $$) ...

Bob, you are not registered on the site. I sent an email to you asking for your mailing address, which you provided so I could send the dividers to you. The email asked you to register on the site as a free Bronze member. When I received notice of your registration, I would upgrade you to Silver so you have access to the content with no additional cost. The instructions were also in the cover sheet that accompanied the dividers you received. If you lost it, the URL was www.canyoneering.us. It is now www.canyonsandcrags.com, but both URLs point to the same page.

The email I sent also included an offer to receive a full refund in lieu of the subscription. That offer still stands. Up to you.

My personal websites are separate from the ACA. The ART of Canyoneering subscription and ACA membership are two different things.