This campaign is closed

Get it Published: Defining Climbs in the Cascades

Help local mountain guide self-publish a short history & love letter to her home range, the Cascades

Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed

Get it Published: Defining Climbs in the Cascades

Get it Published: Defining Climbs in the Cascades

Get it Published: Defining Climbs in the Cascades

Get it Published: Defining Climbs in the Cascades

Get it Published: Defining Climbs in the Cascades

Help local mountain guide self-publish a short history & love letter to her home range, the Cascades

Help local mountain guide self-publish a short history & love letter to her home range, the Cascades

Help local mountain guide self-publish a short history & love letter to her home range, the Cascades

Help local mountain guide self-publish a short history & love letter to her home range, the Cascades

Mallorie Estenson
Mallorie Estenson
Mallorie Estenson
Mallorie Estenson
1 Campaign |
Seattle, United States
$5,530 USD 87 backers
110% of $5,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Defining Climbs in the Cascades: The Book

Hello, all! Thanks for visiting the page. My name is Mallorie Estenson and I am a mountain guide, climber, skier and writer living in Seattle, Washington. Some quick things to know about me:

  • I have a degree in Journalism from Western Washington University '15
  • I have written for Alpinist, Mount Baker Experience, Backpacker Magazine
  • I have the phrase "What would Fred Beckey do?" tattooed to the inside of my arm
  • I live and breathe the Cascades full-time, year-round for work as a mountain guide
  • I have a strange affinity for the stories of old men, particularly the gnarled climber types

Why are we here? Because I have a favor to ask. It has always been my dream to write a long-form book; hopefully eventually a few. To me, there are few places more inspiring than the Cascade Range, which stretches from British Columbia into Northern California.

The Cascades are home to some incredibly rugged and remote terrain. As a result, it has produced many of the famous climbers you might know today -- including but certainly not limited to Fred Beckey, Colin Haley, Steve Swenson and Graham Zimmerman -- and many more that you haven't heard of.

This book will explore the natural history of the Cascades, a relatively young mountain range geologically speaking; the indigenous history of the Cascades and the stories behind the names of the peaks and volcanoes many Pacific Northwesterners spend their entire lives staring at; and finally, some of the incredible things accomplished in remote, alpine places before and after social media was around to document it.

Still reading? Great. We're off to a good start.

Let's cover the nuts and bolts of this extensive project. Here's an approximate timeline of how this project will play out:

- Research & interviews begin Fall 2022. Beginning with the Cascade Alpine Guides (affectionately known by climbers as "Beckey bibles") and meandering through various already published guidebooks, the extensive climbing library housed by the University of Washington, and works published by Mountaineers books. I'll interview tribal authorities on the Indigenous names and stories of the peaks Cascade climbers know and love. Next, I'll interview climbers and try to collect as many first-hand stories as I can of defining climbs in the Cascades -- like the first Ptarmigan Traverse, in which the Ptarmigan Climbing Club climbed many of the peaks along the now iconic North Cascades route establishing first ascents in their wake.

- Sifting and writing begins Winter 2022. Short winter days in the Pacific Northwest will enable me to compress an enormous volume of information about my beloved home range. During this time, I will be able to fill in any gaps in my research or interviews.

- Editing & book design begins Spring 2023. I will hire someone to review the work and help make it the most tidy, polished version of a book that it can be.

Book is sent to publishers Summer 2023.

Book is delivered to you Fall 2023. Includes: book and profuse thank you note from author.

All of these deadlines are intentionally vague. However, the goal is to have a book delivered to you no later than September 1st, 2023.

Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
Need more information
Let us know if you think this campaign contains prohibited content.

Choose your Perk

The Book

The Book

$30 USD
Pretty straightforward; you're purchasing a copy of the book! The current target is to have the book published and delivered to you September 1st, 2023. If that changes for any reason, I will post updates on the progress.
Included Items
  • Defining Climbs, the Book
Estimated Shipping
September 2023
38 claimed
Ships to United States of America, Canada
The Book & Undying Gratitude

The Book & Undying Gratitude

$50 USD
This option is for folks that want to go above & beyond and invest in the time it will take to produce this book. Backers at this level will be mentioned in the book on a special thank you page.
Included Items
  • Defining Climbs, the Book
Estimated Shipping
September 2023
28 claimed
Ships to United States of America, Canada
Advance Copy

Advance Copy

$100 USD
You'll get to read the book first! This option is for folks that would like to invest in the time it's going to take to research the book and who would like to be the first to get eyes on it. Folks that support at this level will be mentioned on a thank you page in the book.
Included Items
  • Defining Climbs, the Book
Estimated Shipping
August 2023
14 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Supporter of Creative Works

Supporter of Creative Works

$250 USD
You know how much work this is going to take. Admittedly, this is my day rate as a guide. Investing at this level is investing in me to take an entire day away from my day job to invest in making this project a reality and telling these stories. Priority will be given to folks that invest at this level on my thank-you page. You'll get all perks.
Included Items
  • Defining Climbs, the Book
Estimated Shipping
August 2023
5 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Up Caret