NEW BOOK PROVIDES A HANDY GUIDE TO AREA WINERIES
A new book — "Exploring Southern Illinois Wineries" — would make a handy guide for a road trip visiting up to 30 wineries in the area, including the 12 on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.
Due out in September, the book's authors, Matt Bliss and Kelly Drew, have compiled road maps, a history of wine in the region, the grape varietals, touring suggestions, a guide to wine tasting, lists of lodging and restaurants, hiking guides to natural attractions and useful websites. Each winery has at least three pages dedicated to it with photos and wine lists.
The 224-page book has 17 full-color spreads and 13 full-page photos.
The book is being put out by Lusk Creek Publishing (1-612-730-3907, luskcreekpublishing.com). It will be available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
The cost is $18.95 — about the price of a bottle of Southern Illinois red wine.
Daily Egyptian article on Matt Bliss, author of Sandstone Warrior: A Bouldering Guide to Southern Illinois
Another way to enjoy nature
Chris McGregor
chrism@siu.edu
Published: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Matt Bliss has problems.
Bouldering, a style of rock climbing which does not require all the gear commonly associated with rock climbing, looks at each rock as its own problem.
The climber then attempts to solve the problem, said Bliss, author of “Sandstone Warrior: A Bouldering Guide to Southern Illinois.”
Participation in bouldering only requires climbing shoes and a crash pad, he said.
“Bouldering in general versus rock climbing is a little more obtainable for more people,” he said. “You do not need as much formal training, and it is easier for people to get interested in.”
Bliss said he wrote his book to showcase the popular bouldering destinations in southern Illinois and to give climbers a guide to the areas.
The book features driving directions, trails, camping areas and food in the area. “If you know nothing about the area, you could have the book and find the good bouldering down here,” he said.
There are so many bouldering destinations in southern Illinois that multiple books would not be able to list them all, said David Chancellor, vice president of So iLL Holds, a company which manufactures indoor climbing holds.
“There is roughly one thousand miles of sandstone climbing in the area,” he said.
Bliss said although he has traveled around the country, southern Illinois still features his favorite type of stone and most enjoyable climbing experiences.
Ian Pendergast-White, a graduate assistant of the outdoor adventure program who runs the climbing wall in the Recreation Center, said bouldering is a great way to spend time with friends.
“I enjoy bouldering because it tends to be more of a social atmosphere, you go out with a group of buddies all trying the same thing,” Pendergast-White said.
He said southern Illinois is especially good for bouldering with friends because it features world-class destinations without the large crowds usually associated with climbing hot spots.
Chancellor said the bouldering experience is unique in this region because the high quality of the rocks is rare in the Midwest.
“I grew up in the St. Louis area and my second climbing trip was to southern Illinois to a little place called Jackson Falls,” Chancellor said. “I instantly fell in love with the beauty of area and the climbing.”
He said the rock formations are very unique to the area and is an exceptional playground for climbers.
“The sandstone here is very unique in the sense that it lends very well to climbing,” he said.
Each climber stressed the importance of respecting the environment and preserving it for future generations.
"This sport is kind of a lifestyle and a different way to enjoy nature. Rock climbers in general are very conscious of their environment,” Bliss said.
Chris McGregor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275
SICKY GNAR GNAR
TEACHING THE WORLD HOW TO GET TOTALLY RADICAL
THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009
So Ill Guidebook
Last week while I was interneting I found out that the new So Ill Bouldering Guidebook was available. There had been rumors for a while now that a sweet new guide was going to come out and I was very psyched to find out that it wasn't some super cruel hoax. I ordered it on the spot.
I was very pleased three days later when Katie found it in our mailbox. After chasing her down and prying it from her hands I opened it up and was pretty happy with the initial look and feel of the book. It's a nice size and seemed to be very well put together and polished.
After looking through it for a couple of days I'm very impressed. This is how guidebooks should be. Beautiful color pictures and incredibly clear topos and directions. We have all seen the poorly done guidebooks and while they can be endearing in a certain way, the So Ill guide is a good testament to what should be a standard. There were maybe 4-5 areas that I didn't know about and two of those are pretty major areas that are seemingly very worthwhile. He also included topos for Elephant Rocks in neighboring Missouri. Having been there many years ago, it was nice to see what some of the problems actually were.
One thing that I appreciated a lot was the brief history write up in the front of the book. I'm a nerd when it comes to climbing history and I'm pretty sure that the "history" section is my favorite part of all guidebooks. Matt Bliss did a great job with this one.
Definitely a worthwhile purchase. After I actually go down there again I'll try to update everyone on whether or not the directions helped us not get lost. Unlikely.
POSTED BY STEVE SCHULTZ AT 10:02 AM
Urban Climber Magazine Aug/Sep 2009
BLOC BATTLER
Matt Bliss’ recently released SANDSTONE WARRIOR is the first exclusive bouldering guidebook for Southern Illinois (SO ILL!). As one of the area’s developers, Bliss knows the score -- his 232-page book contains info on 450-plus problems at 12 areas, including directions, amenities, area policies, and nearby attractions. The guide details the area’s bouldering history (John Gill is credited with the earliest activity), and there’s a section on local bouldering ethics, too. With clear area maps, photographic topos, and tons of full-color actions shots, Sandstone Warrior is just the book for those looking to get So Ill.
SoiLLBouldering.com
