Climbing

Recent Reads: Mountaineering Books

Daniel Leave a comment

My online store selling climbing guidebooks and mountaineering literature has really taken off. I just passed my 100th online order at Dirtbag Dan Books, accounting for over 500 books sold! This has been an engaging and exciting project. It has also been bringing all sorts of interesting climbing books to my door. I’ve been trying to read the ones which interest me quickly, in case they sell.

Mountaineering literature is a specific genre, but broader than you might think. Here’s what I’ve been into lately:

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Dirtbag Dan Books

Daniel Leave a comment

If you know me in real life, you’re probably aware that I’m always slinging climbing books – buying and selling guidebooks. Over the years, this has proven to be a pretty reliable small business for me. I was selling mostly via forums and social media – good venues to reach interested customers, but they require an active effort. Since I had some time on my hands after my climbing accident, I decided to build an online store for selling climbing books. That website is now complete! You can check it out at DirtbagDan.com.

(in climbing culture, being a ‘dirtbag’ is considered a positive thing)

Some rare books I have in stock currently:

If you’re a collector or a climber, I think you’ll enjoy it. New books will be added on a rolling basis, and all orders ship USPS media mail. Check it out and buy some books! Thanks.

Surviving a 100-foot fall

Daniel 9 Comments

Since this is the Internet, you get the crude title, and the summary up top. 

The short version: yes, I did fall ±100 feet trad climbing in Eldorado Canyon (My Garmin Fenix GPS watch measured a drop of 33 meters – 108 feet). I was runout on easy ground, lost balance, popped a piece, fell way past the next one, and was caught on a Gri-Gri. I broke my left foot in two places (fifth metatarsal, non-displaced calcaneus fracture) and had two cuts to the face which required stitches (5 in the left eyebrow, 11 in the forehead/scalp). No surgery for the foot. The incident easily could have killed me, but instead left me with a relatively minor 10-week recovery. 

The long version, after the jump.
(Warning: there will be a couple bloody pictures)

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Vallunaraju North Ridge 2024

Daniel 1 Comment

Calum Kenny (UK/Hong Kong) and I climbed the North Ridge of Vallunaraju in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca on July 10, 2024. We successfully completed the route, although we found it in much harder condition than reported in many sources. We carried our camp up and over and descended the standard route to moraine camp, and then the Llaca refuge.

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