* Features the best bouldering areas in all regions of the United States * Contains historical photos, informative sidebars, and approach maps to bouldering areas Stone Crusade transcends the climbing guidebook genre. Blending history and commentary with information on all the major U.S. bouldering areas, John Sherman has created the definitive bouldering book. He shows how bouldering began, provides its masters, explains the ethics, and reveals why bouldering is the poetry of mountaineering. From Oregon's Smith Rock to North Carolina's Howard's Knob, California's Stoney Point to Maine's Portland Head, Sherman provides details on access, the ratio of beginner to expert problems in each area, the area's size, and difficulty rating. With an irreverent style, Sherman demonstrates his keen ear for wonderfully outrageous stories told by local climbers, as well as his photographic talent.Stone Crusade is both an invaluable reference and great entertainment for aspiring climbers, stone gymnasts, or armchair mountaineers.