Living in Corsica (Europe), I have been working for several years on a book about the history of clean climbing protection, Nuts Story. I have also been a collector of climbing equipment for many years now, specializing in “artificial chockstones”. As a history buff, I have founded and been running the Nuts Museum here in Ajaccio. In spite of a great deal of research I have never been able to find the current addresses of the former American manufacturer: Don Best. In the mid eighties he patented and marketed spring loaded wedging devices, the Quickies, from his company, D. BEST Mountaineering (Long Barn, CA, USA).

Any information which could help me to locate this person would be of real interest to me. If you ever come to Corsica, feel free to visit what is probably the greatest collection of clean climbing protection in the world: my Nuts Museum!

-- Stéphane PENNEQUIN (pennequin.nutstory@wanadoo.fr), November 27, 2003