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High Drama
High Drama

High Drama

The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of American Competition Climbing
By John Burgman, Foreword by Kynan Waggoner

SPORTS & RECREATION

400 Pages, 5.5 x 8.5

Formats: Trade Paper, Mobipocket, PDF, EPUB

Trade Paper, $19.95 (US $19.95) (CA $26.95)

ISBN 9781629377759

Rights: WOR

Triumph Books (Mar 2020)

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Overview

A celebration of climbing and the pivotal figures who made its growth possible, from the rock faces of Yosemite to urban bouldering gyms and beyond
One afternoon in 1987, two renegade climbers in Berkeley, California, hatched an ambitious plan: under the cover of darkness, they would rappel down from a carefully scouted highway on-ramp, gluing artificial handholds onto the load-bearing concrete pillars underneath. Equipped with ingenuity, strong adhesive, and an urban guerilla attitude, Jim Thornburg and Scott Frye created a serviceable climbing wall. But what they were part of was a greater development: the expansion and reimagining of a sport now slated for a highly anticipated Olympic debut in 2020.High Drama explores rock climbing's transformation from a pursuit of select anti-establishment vagabonds to a sport embraced by competitors of all ages, social classes, and backgrounds. Climbing magazine's John Burgman weaves a multi-layered story of traditionalists and opportunists, grassroots organizers and business-minded developers, free-spirited rebels and rigorously coached athletes.

Reviews

"A regular contributor to Climbing and Climbing Business Journal, Burgman details the growth of the niche sport of competitive climbing from the early years as an outdoor challenge that appealed to antiestablishment rock climbers to the growth of climbing clubs and the booming business of indoor climbing gyms. His easy-to-read historical account highlights the numerous men and women who led the way in competitions as well as the grassroots movement to grow the sport. Coverage includes the first International Federation of Sport Climbing Championship at Snowbird, Utah, in 1991, the rise of sponsorship deals to fund the sport, courting mainstream media like ESPN, and the evolution of national and international governing organizations. Sport climbing has come a long way from the days when a couple of guys created a climbing wall on a California highway on-ramp. Climbing will make its debut in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics with a format that will judge sport climbing (based on difficulty), speed climbing, and bouldering. This timely volume is sure to appeal to climbing fans interested in the history of the sport." —Booklist

Author Biography

John Burgman
See Author
John Burgman has been reporting on competition climbing for the better part of a decade. He writes regularly for Climbing and Climbing Business Journal. He is a Fulbright grant recipient and the author of two previous books, Why We Climb: A Dirtbag's Quest for Vertical Reason and Island Solitaire.  Kynan Waggoner is the former CEO of USA Climbing, the national governing body of the sport of competition climbing in the United States.

Press Releases

High Drama

The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of American Competition Climbing

By John Burgman

 

Contact: Sam Ofman, Triumph Books, 312.568.5450, sofman@ipgbook.com

 

Sports are born from innovation. The first basketball hoop was a fruit basket. The first hockey puck may have been a barrel cork. In 1987, competition climbing was born underneath an on-ramp to Highway 13 in California. Since its fittingly unusual origin story, the sport has grown into a global phenomenon.

 

In High Drama: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of American Competition Climbing (Triumph Books, March 3, 2019), Climbing Magazine writer John Burgman explores the rich, living history of one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Burgman’s experience and perspective shine as he traces competition climbing from its humble origins to its upcoming debut as a 2020 Olympic event. Burgman’s research and reporting, when combined with insights from the sport’s biggest names, make this engaging new title a must-read for both the climbing community and new fans alike. Highlights include:

 

  • The early years and development of competition climbing, including the key players who helped shape the climbing community
  • Balancing a grass roots culture with the commercial growth of the sport
  • The decades-long struggle to make competition climbing an Olympic event, and what it means to be included in the 2020 games
  • The history of competition climbing’s all-time and future greats, including the First Family of American climbing, pioneers Didier and Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou and their daughter Brooke Raboutou, who will represent the US in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
  • A look at how school climbing programs and the emergence of bigger and better gym facilities will impact the next generation of competitive climbers

 

High Drama presents a thorough and accessible account of how competition climbing has solidified its place in the world of modern athletics.


About the Author:

John Burgman has been reporting on competition climbing for the better part of a decade. He writes regularly for Climbing and Climbing Business Journal. He is a Fulbright grant recipient and the author of two previous books, Why We Climb: A Dirtbag's Quest for Vertical Reason and Island Solitaire.

 

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