Kelsey”s New Slot Canyon Guide

Thanks for the great review, Mark. It was well balanced and informative. I like Kelsey’s books, but it is nice to cross reference whenever possible. The bindings, in the past, have not held up. Thanks for sharing the Kinkos tip. Penny

— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “orsdoc” wrote:

I hope that I don’t get in trouble for this

Review of Technical Slot Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau by > Michael R Kelsey.

> This book is probably the single most comprehensive list of Colorado > Plateau technical slot canyons. As such I think it will become a > staple in the library of those who do Colorado Plateau canyons. It > has something for everyone. For those looking for some new canyons > there are enough to keep us busy for a long time. For those who were > concerned about Michael Kelsey revealing every secret slot in the > Colorado Plateau almost all of the canyons listed could be found in > other books, on the web, or asking the right people. One of the first > things I did was to take it to Kinko’s and for $4.26 they put a spiral > binding on it. It lays flat and makes it easy to copy the section I > want to take into the canyon.

Canyon rating systems are changing and the rating system used in the > book probably won’t be the one that the ACA finally decides to use but > it is what was available at the time and it does a reasonable job.

This book is not all you need to do these canyons and it says so in > the introductory section. It is a good first step in planning a trip. > You can get this book, decide what area you want to do canyons and > then start your preparation with USGS maps, maybe a GPS, and > discussion with other canyoneers.

It is very important to read the introduction section. It has a lot > of valuable information that applies to each section. If the words of > wisdom are followed they will help keep those who use the book as a > guide out of trouble. It does have a certain amount of attitude about > “hardcore canyoneers” such as they preach wearing helmets, they don’t > like defacing rock, they don’t like bolts. There is no discussion of > the positive safety ramifications of helmets. Bolts are good > philosophy is insinuated and “hardcore canyoneers” are put down as > being antibolt and sometimes bolt pullers. No mention is made of how > to judge a bolt to be safe, the fact that bolts in some sandstone > don’t really hold very well or last very long, that the natural anchor > may be safer than a bolt and that the natural anchor may be faster to > construct that a bolt stance.

Mr. Kelsey chooses to name the canyons as best he can from the map > names. Sometimes he gives the common name but other times not. I > thought the North Fork of Twin Corral Box Canyon was Alcatraz. The > Little Middle fork of Robbers Roost Canyon just doesn’t do it for me > just call it Mindbender. A table correlating names would be nice.

The color pictures are very nice. The photography section is worth > the read. He has gone to the trouble of updating the book to the new > mile post markers on Utah highways. He lists other sites that give > much more detailed route descriptions on page 21. The Don’t Blame Me! > Section is always worth the read.

Mr. Kelsey lists some R, X, and XX canyons. Mr. Kelsey hasn’t done > all of the X and XX canyons himself. You must read the author’s > experience section. He does give a picture of himself during an > unplanned bivy on page 228. The dried blood on his head from a fall > suggests that his lack of helmet advocacy should be reviewed. It > should also give the reader cause to think very hard before jumping > into one of these canyons. It would be best to do your first few x > canyons with a “hardcore canyoneer.”

Mr. Kelsey packs as much information as possible into this book. Be > sure to read the author’s experience sections carefully. They are > located at the end of each section. Read them first, then the rest of > the text, and then read them again last. He consolidates things with > the use of abbreviations, hand drawn maps which are very busy, listing > multiple canyons per section and map, and cutting back on the > commentary about the canyons. The information is so packed that it is > hard to read. The route descriptions are not as detailed as I would > like, the maps are not as clear, and there are no GPS coordinates. > Take Neon canyon as an example. One of the lower entrances is > described, but for upper Neon Mr. Kelsey states “some have entered > about where R3 is located.” I’ve walked that bench and there is no > sign that says R3 here. There is a lot of sandstone and little > drainages everywhere. Which one goes? The map isn’t helpful with > landmarks or GPS coordinates. He does make the statement “once in > upper Neon time was lost” and if you haven’t been there before, maybe > if you have, time will be lost following these directions.

The information would be easier to digest with a more open formatting. > I understand that Mr. Kelsey is trying to pack as much as possible > into the book while keeping the price down. I would like to know which > canyons are the most photogenic, most beautiful, most fun, most bang > for the effort, his favorites, etc. These lists were one of my > favorite parts of his previous books but lacking in this one. The nice > color pictures do help.

There are those that will be bothered by the fact that Mr. Kelsey > still uses the G-pick and advocates that others do also and rappels > from an ibis hook which can be dangerous in sandstone. He espouses > having the reader place a bolt here and a bolt there. The canyoneers > don’t wear helmets in most of the pictures. He doesn’t redo the > webbing in rat’s nests like on page 265 or 288 or others. He lists > canyons on the reservation that we cannot descend now. He does talk > about natural anchors on page 9 and mentions “hardcore canyoneers” who > despise bolts, the g pick, and modifying the rock. Mr. Kelsey is > indeed unique and one of the many characters in the history of > Colorado Plateau canyoneering history.

Use this book a first step in researching your next trip and it will > be a good addition your library. If you are reading this review you > will probably buy this book. I have several of Mr. Kelsey’s books and > I like them.

Mark >