About Me

My name is Daniel Kay — Dirtbag Dan. I started climbing more than 10 years ago, and like many folks, quickly found myself completely addicted. Climbing was all I thought about - where to go, when, with whom, and how to pay for it. I started collecting climbing guidebooks in order to facilitate climbing trips. 

Often, I discovered, the best way to buy climbing books was in a large lot. People downsize, clean up their collections, need to move - you know how it is. I’d buy a collection here and there, usually for one or two books I wanted. I soon discovered that I could sell the other books from the collection, and in this way, usually pay for my own purchase. Sometimes, if I was savvy, I could even pay for a climbing trip!

After buying a particularly juicy lot of books, I started selling guidebooks in a thread on the Mountain Project Forums. Over time, as I kept buying and selling books, I accidentally found myself the owner of a small business (and a hefty personal collection of climbing guides). This website is an extension of that thread - a place to sell vintage, rare, and out-of-print climbing guidebooks at reasonable prices.

I’m a climber and collector same as you. I hope to make some money, yes, but also to put these books in the hands of local climbers where they will be used and appreciated. 

Want to know more? Send me an email via the contact from or check out my personal blog, This Is Youth. 

(Header photo is me, Paul, & Sarah atop Whiteman Falls in the Canadian Rockies; a beautiful day out)