SF, Sierra Club, 1972, 1st edition. 356 pp, maps, diagrams. Coated softcover. Near Fine.
This may be the most controversial climbing guide in USA history. In 1972, at the height of the backpacking and mountaineering boom, the Sierra Club produced this guidebook. And oddly, its problem is not that it was poorly written or that it has bad directions. It was done well. Here is what happened.
The other problem with the guidebook is that the High Sierra has many minor peaks, bumps along a ridge, that at best are named in the guidebook and map by their altitude. There were no unclimbed peaks left in the Sierra in 1972, and all the bumps had been climbed, but never recorded in guidebooks as is normal.
Many bumps even had cairns. Nevertheless, Andy Smatko and his friends recorded hundreds of their ascents of these nubbins as a ''First Recorded Ascent''. This is okay for Mount Whitney as Indians climbed it centuries ago, but not for every minor peak!
I was living and climbing in California at the time this book was published and remember the outcry to this book when it came out. Perhaps it foretold the eventual separation of the Sierra Club from climbing altogether, as not long afterwards the Sierra Club stopped training climbers or leading technical climbing trips, and publishing climbing books or articles in its journal.
For several years, approx 2000-2005, Andrew Smatko was buying multiple copies of this book from us, I guess to give to people. This Smatko book is mentioned in his obituary, easy to find on line now, also copies below. (Other authors who needed copies their book, and to whom we sold or gave copies were Heinrich Harrer, Smoke Blanchard, Jon Krakauer, Tommy Caldwell, and Nick Clinch)
Fortunately the Sierra Club did correct their mistake by having Steve Roper do a proper High Sierra Guidebook, of which we usually have copies. It has all routes on all the peaks, which makes it easy to pick the route you want to do.
All later High Sierra guidebooks such as the Secor guide and Super Topo Guides are ''selected'' books, with only the best or most popular routes listed. There will probably never be another complete guidebook to the Sierra Nevada, at least done as a physical book. This may be true for many rock climbing ot mountaineering areas that have had huge route developent due to the popularity that climbing has now. Maybe online.
Andrew Smatko Obituary
Smatko, Andrew John, M.D.
Born June 14, 1917 in Fort Edward, New York to John and Anna Smatko. Passed on to New Horizons August 21, 2005 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. While practicing Obstetrics and Gynecology on the West side for almost 60 years, he delivered over 5,000 babies. He took a special interest in all of his patients and they loved him dearly.
Andrew was also a passionate mountain climber who scaled more than 1800 ascents, 300 of which were first ascents. He also edited "Mountaineer's Guide to the High Sierra" in 1972. Andrew had a most likeable personality, good sense of humor and lived a very full life. His deeds and accomplishments leave a fine legacy; he will be missed by all.
Andrew is survived by his wife of 47 years, Shirley, and his son, Andrew Jr.
Published by Los Angeles Times from Oct. 1 to Oct. 2, 2005.
