Local rock climbing guru Francois Laplante will soon be able to add author to his resume with the publication of Jasper's first modern rock climbing guidebook.
The 272-page book, which isn't expected to hit store shelves until the spring, has already been a huge success surpassing its $5,000 goal in less than 48 hours on Kickstarter, an online crowdfunding platform.
鈥淚t's insane,鈥� said Laplante, about surpassing his goal. 鈥淚 knew that I had lots of support and lots of help, but I would never have thought I'd see this much interest.鈥�
The book, , includes more than 500 rock routes, 50 boulder problems and hundreds of high-quality photos.
It also includes several detailed maps, GPS routes, information about cellphone coverage and historical facts.
鈥淛asper has so much to offer and, even though the guidebook will reveal Jasper rock like never before, there's still massive potential for more development,鈥� said Laplante, who started the project two years ago out of a love for the sport.
鈥淲hen I moved to Edmonton it was pretty easy to find information in books for Canmore and Banff, but for Jasper it was pretty hard. There was no information, so I started asking people in Edmonton, what about Jasper? And a lot of people would tell me there's no climbing in Jasper,鈥� said Laplante.
鈥淚 was just blown away how people just assumed because there were no books there was no climbing.鈥�
Prior to moving to Jasper to pursue his passion, Laplante spent four years in the military working as a vehicle technician, first in Ontario at CFB Borden and then at CFB Edmonton. He started climbing in Quebec when he was 16 years old.
鈥淲hen I moved to Edmonton, every single weekend I'd either be here or in Canmore,鈥� he said.
During his weekend trips to Jasper, he met a lot of other likeminded people in town and soon discovered Watchtower crag, a popular rock climbing area located near Medicine Lake.
After climbing the spot several times, he decided to put together a 14-page book about the area using Paint, a basic computer program used to create drawings or edit digital pictures.
鈥淚t was nothing profession, but people in Edmonton wanted to buy this little book because they knew this place existed, but didn't know where it was,鈥� recalled Laplante.
After finishing his four-year contract with the military in July 2014, he decided to move to Jasper to pursue his passion.
鈥淭he very first day I finished my contract I moved here and started working on this book full time.鈥�
鈥淢ost of the routes in the book I've climbed,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat took the most time was measuring the length of every route and counting the bolts or explaining what gear you need for every single pitch.鈥�
To record the information, Laplante climbed with a pen and paper to jot down information every time he reached a pitch.
He also made sure to take pictures of each climb and recorded details about how to approach each climb, including using GPS coordinates.
He said he's still surprised by the number of routes he's recorded over the past two years.
鈥淭here was at least five times more climbing routes than I thought there was going to be,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn't even know if the book was going to be 150 pages at first and now it's at 272.鈥�
Over the last year, when he wasn't climbing or putting the book together, Laplante put in 40 to 45 hours every week working as a guide for SunDog Tours, a raft guide for Jasper Raft Tours and a rock climbing instructor for Rockaboo Mountain Adventures.
鈥淚t was an insane summer, but I managed to make it happen.鈥�
He said it will cost him about $20,000 to self publish the first 2,000 copies of his book with FriesenPress, a North American self-publishing company.
Any additional money he earns, either through sales or through his Kickstarter campaign, he said he hopes to put toward restarting the Jasper Rock Climbing Association.
People can pre-order the book for $35 through Laplante's Kickstarter campaign and can pick it up at Gravity Gear when it hits stores shelves this spring.
For those who don't live in Jasper or want a copy before it's available in stores, it will cost $45 and includes shipping within Alberta, otherwise it's $50 for shipping within North America.
For more information about the book, visit www.kickstarter.com and search:
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
