“Finding
a climber who perceives bouldering as a moving meditation, or one who values
form and style far beyond difficulty, is a daunting task . . . bouldering needs
its own analytical literature. In this book, Francis Sanzaro takes a
significant step in that direction.”
John
Gill, Godfather of
bouldering & author
“…
today, you rarely see much literature and reflection coming out of anyone. That
just changed. Francis Sanzaro stopped what he was doing and took the time to
reflect on bouldering and what it means to him and why he does it. The result
is his impressive new book ‘The Boulder: A Philosophy for
Bouldering’. In it, he presents
some of the most thoughtful and interesting writing I’ve ever read about this
sport. ‘The Boulder’ is a dynamic new addition to the body of climbing
literature and philosophy.”
Andrew
Bisharat, Editor, Rock & Ice Magazine
“The
language we use to describe climbing is pretty rudimentary, relying on lots of
waving of the arms. If climbing is to become a serious competitive sport – and
it seems to be heading that way – then there will be major advances in this
area . . . this book will confirm what we know already: that there is a lot
more to bouldering than meets the eye.”
Dave
Flanagan, author of ‘Bouldering Essentials: The Complete Guide to
Bouldering’
“A
brilliant book that everyone interested in moving over stone should read! At
first it sounds like a difficult read, with concepts detached from actually
"doing it," but Francis Sanzaro manages to describe complex ideas
without ever losing touch to the challenge and joy of bouldering - highly
recommended!”
Udo
Neumann, author of ‘Performance Rock Climbing’
“’The
Boulder’ explores the philosophy of bouldering, what it can mean for boulderers
and how we can use this examination to improve both our bouldering and what we
take from it. For many readers, discovering bouldering will no doubt have
changed your life, but surely starting out in a new found activity isn’t
the end of the story? There are many life changes to be found as you learn more
and more about what bouldering is doing for you. I would expect most readers to
be helped along this path.”