Rock Climbs in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Ed Webster. Mountain Imagery, Conway, New Hampshire, 1982. 294 pages, black and white photographs, route diagrams, bibliography. $14.95.

“Have you seen the new guide to the Valley, man? Like it’s really awesome!”

“What? Did you say a new guide to the Valley?”

“Yea, it’s like really radical. Lots of pics, new cliffs, and like a totally awesome format.”

“What sort of format, man? You mean big, with lots of photos and topos?”

“No way, Jay, like it’s really well laid out—Cross references, like cosmic cliff pics … you know, like from outer space or somethin’. And to top that all off, it’s uh, you know, filled with new routes that are even starred to tell you the good ones fer sure.”

“Wow, I was, you know, getting’ like kinda bummed to have to repeat all those old climbs again. Now I can go get pumped on some new lines.”

“Yea, but I did find a couple problems in Webster’s book, but they’re no biggies. Like, it would have been real nice to have cliff photos of Mount Willard and Frankenstein, and some of the starred routes out on the K Highway like gagged me out.”

“Whatdoyameanman? Why’d they gag you out? Like too wild?”

“Naw, too groady man. You know, loose rock, bushes, that kinda stuff. So if you go out to the Painted Walls or Far Out Sundown, like beware of some of the starred routes.”

“Man, it’s great Webster got his act together to, like, do a new guidebook. Did Roper help out?”

“Roper who man?”

“Like you got brain drain or somethin’? Steve Roper, he wrote the last guide to the Valley—you know the green one.”

“Like this is really wild! I’m like rapping to you about the Mount Washington Valley, and you’re thinkin’ about Yosemite! This is too much!”

“Whatdoyameanman—Mount Washington Valley? Where’s that?”

“Ever hear of New Hampshire, man?”

“Nope. Whereisit?”

“Buy the guide and find out, man. It’s worth it.”

Todd Swain