Show Me the Money

Hair-raising Himalayan expeditions, crazy adventures to exotic lands, first ascents of remote peaks — all these could be ours, says conventional wisdom, save lack of one key ingredient: M-O-N-E-Y. Enter Jeff Blumenfeld and his You Want to Go Where? How to Get Someone to Pay for the Trip of Your Dreams ($24.95, skyhorsepublishing.com). This unique book covers everything from brainstorming a winning trip idea, to securing funding, to making it happen, to all the pitfalls and minutiae in-between — such as how to answer would-be sponsors’ “So what?”, on why ordinary folks should care about your travels. Blumenfeld also includes several helpful case studies (e.g., a golfer funded to hit a golf ball 1,319 miles across Mongolia), analyzing what they did wrongly and correctly.

Also Out:

• Get the Beta on sublime south-central British Columbia from the West Kootenay Rock Guide ($26.95, wonowmedia.com), with 162 color pages detailing its stunning trad, sport, and mixed routes.
• For knobby alpine blocs with an unbeatable backdrop, Tuolumne Bouldering ($23.95, supertopo.com) gives the scoop on 275 problems at 20 stellar Meadows locales.