If you have ever climbed a big wall or plan to do so, then you MUST read Chongo's Complete Book of Big Wall Climbing. This 500+ page text will soon become The Definitive Wall Climbing Text. It will change the way you climb big walls, making things easier, faster, and just plain more fun. Chongo's ideas are far ahead of their time, and render obsolete many of the "traditional" big wall climbing problems I used to struggle with, problems many of you are probably STILL struggling with. Chongo's solutions are so simple yet so ingenious that you will be shaking your head wondering why you have been doing it wrong for so long! (Know how to tie a load-release knot??) The Book is also the soloist's Bible - Chongo's description of the Continuous Loop and Solo Tagging allowed me to solo El Cap as my First Solo Ever (Iron Hawk). Not bad, eh? It's a bit expensive (I'm guessing $50 or $60 US), but worth every penny, as you are GUARANTEED to save ten times this amount in effort on your next ascent of El Cap. Hell, you'll save this just learning how to properly construct his 2:1 Hauling Ratchet! Hauling for me is now so easy I took extra water and a solar-powered shower on my recent solo of Native Son. Actually getting your hands on a copy of the thing may be the crux - look for Chongo in the Lodge parking lot or in the Caf. Chongo may not be the most motivated person in the world, but when you combine True Laziness with the brilliant mind of a self-described "Idiot Savant", the result is Wall Climbing Genius. Check it out!

-- "Pass the Pitons" Pete Zabrok (pzabrok@netcom.ca), September 05, 1999

Answers

Chongo's book is more like $75.00, but it is good(if you don't want to do a lot of dinking around on easier walls)

-- Bunz (hothotbunz@yahoo.com), September 22, 1999.

Yes, the book will make things easier, but faster? pete, wasent it 5 days fixing and then 12 days on NS? and for iron hawk 16 days on the wall + fixing to tree ledge?

-- scotty (mstinky1@hotmail.com), September 26, 1999.

Yeah it probably will make it a whole lot faster. Every trick that is easier saves energy so you can go farther each day. Plus Chongo may not be the fastest climber but i bet he had fun doing the solos. Isnt that what really counts?

-- Brian (slobri@aol.com), September 27, 1999.

I guarentee that pete is having more fun than any "speed climber". And he showed me some o chongo's tricks, definitly saved me some time and energy. Thad

-- Thad (School_Sucks@bored.com), September 27, 1999.

a sun shower? are you kidding? man, i think the best thing about doing walls is getting all dirty and smelly, walking into the garden terrace and polluting the area with my presence, basking in the satis- faction that i've lived a little more than the average humanoid. chongo is a super guy, though, and if i wanted to spend $75 on a book i'd be glad to give it to him. good luck on the sea, chuck!

-- joe (pigfucker@oldmcdonald.com), November 09, 1999.

Dudes I am now the proud owner of Chongo's book! I just got it yesterday...it's really great. Around 600 pages. Lots of cool illistrations. Everything is very detailed + Chongo has a cool writting style. I admit $77 is a lot for a book, but this one is worth it. Chongos a great guy so i was very happy to help support him. He's going to solo the Sea of Dreams. You should see all the crap hes taking with him!! It's amazing. Hes got over 100 lbs of water...hes even taking a shower. All that is possible thanks to his 2:1 hauling rachet. Good luck Chongo!

Climb smart,

-- Brian (slobri@aol.com), November 15, 1999.

Yea, but he has had ropes on that damn climb since August. Maybe if he went light and started the damn thing he would get up it. He is a nice guy, but if his tips make a wall ascent that long, then no thanks.

-- Ronnie Miller (dylan-miller@juno.com), November 16, 1999.

Yeah Ronnie he has had his ropes up there a LONG time. But thats his climbing style...like yours may be to go fast and light. I bet you hes having just as much fun. Also when youre getting ready to solo the Sea you can tell him how its done.

-- nameless (nameless@no_use_for_a_name.com), November 16, 1999.

Yea its cool that he is having fun, but having his bags hanging for 3 months. Everyone else who does the route has to deal with his shit hanging there. And that is not right in my book. Fine if he takes 15-20 days on the route WHILE HE CLIMBS, but not fucken around at the base.

-- sucks_my Wanker (clusterfuck@passing.com), November 17, 1999.

Gee Scotty, I must be Your Hero if you keep such good track of my times! (grin) You might be interested in knowing that we brought along my solar powered shower on our (ahem) recent ascent of Jolly Roger. Also a ghetto blaster and tunes, a stove to make coffee in Jon's french press, some Julius Kessler whisky, and like some beer too, eh? I doubt I'll ever bother climbing fast - what's the point? This IS a holiday, after all! Between Reticent Wall and my solo of Native Son, I did NO climbing. Between Native Son and Jolly Roger, I did NO climbing. Both climbs were done straight off the couch thanks to Chongo Technology. Remember, I'm just an insurance guy who happens to solo big walls, so like I need all the help I can get, eh? I bet I could probably get pretty good at climbing if I just climbed a bit more. P.S. Scotty who?

-- "Pass the Pitons" Pete Zabrok (pzabrok@netcom.ca), December 01, 1999.

Everybody's got their own gig and style when it comes to climbing. Sloth, in regard to climbing, may be fun while the weathers good, but the longer your hanging your ass off a wall, the longer you are exposed to myriad of objective hazards(weather,rock and shit fall). Chongo's a super nice guy, who has babysat my fixed lines after I drop them more than a few times. But what the hell!! A few seasons ago he had his South Seas swing going for like two years!!! At least he didn't have his chongo express of luggage hanging of the third anchor. How in the heck are you suppossed to pass a Chongo proclaimed 400 lbs of lovin' to get up the Sea? His book may rock, but leaving pigs fixed for months on end is crap.

-- Brent Armstrong (pinscar@hotmail.com), February 02, 2000.

So can anybody tell me where i can actually purchase one of these fine books?

-- Craig Clarke (cclarke7587@qwest.net), June 18, 2001.

You can (used to be able to) get a copy from chuck himself. He sells them out of his truck in the center of the universe. -Mp

-- matthew (poll7356@uidaho.edu), August 14, 2001.

Try www.chongonation.com

-- Victor Pereyra (vpereyra@yahoo.com), May 28, 2003.