Uniting Canada's Largest Climbing Community

Pursue Perfection

The courier arrived at my house on Friday morning. I was still in my pyjamas, coffee in hand, when I unwrapped the first print copy of the book I have worked on for so many years . Untrimmed and unbound, like a giant newspaper, this proof was almost exactly like the books that we'll soon be stuffing into our packs as we prepare for our local climbing adventures.
Ontario Climbing Vol 1 The Southern Escarpment

Justin Dwyer trying to remain calm while reviewing the proof of the new Ontario climbing guidebook.

This was the first time I've seen the book in print. It's real. Not just some organized collection of bits and bytes. I can hold it in my hand. I can leaf through it. With my heart pounding I sat down and started at the front. I had work to do. I had to make sure everything translated well from digital to print. But, like a new magazine, I was excited to just look through it, read the things that are most enticing first, check out the photos and mark stuff to look at later. I read some of my favourite pieces, things I've read dozens of times. The emotion of the whole experience was overwhelming.
Ontario Climbing Vol 1 The Southern Escarpment

Nathan Kutcher enjoying the excellent sport climbing at Mount Nemo.

Everything looked great. The paper quality is amazing. And from what we've seen of the printer's work, the binding will also be super high quality. This is one of the best guidebooks I've ever seen. I made my way through the book and closed the back cover. Up to this point in the process I hadn't seen the back cover ad.
Ontario Climbing Vol 1 The Southern Escarpment

Tatiana Soldatova having fun at Buffalo Crag.

Arc’teryx has been incredibly supportive of not only our guidebook project but also the Ontario climbing community. Their ad on the back cover is immediately appealing thanks to its sleek design and sexy curves (of the featured approach shoe). Sitting there are two words. Two words that sum up this whole project. Two words that define why it takes so long to update a 25-year-old guidebook for Canada's most popular climbing area and Eastern North America's premier limestone cragging destination. Two words.

Pursue Perfection.
Ontario Climbing Vol 1 The Southern Escarpment

Pursue Perfection

We would also like to take the time to thank some of our current advertisers that have shown such enthusiastic support for this project:
Ontario Climbing: Vol 1 The Southern Escarpment is now available for pre-order at the Ontario Climbing Guidebook Store, and will soon be available at MEC and many local climbing gyms and outdoor retailers.
Justin Dwyer
Justin Dwyer has been climbing and documenting routes on the Niagara Escarpment for over 15 years. He has always been passionate about local climbing history and obsessively collects all-things related to climbing in Ontario. Over the years, he was given the prestigious title of Captain Nemo by prolific Ontario guidebook author, David Smart. He has climbed over 65% of Nemo’s 300+ routes, but his level of completionism extends far beyond to almost every crag. He is the undisputed master of the Escarpment’s weird, esoteric and obscure.