|
haleymay
Mar 15, 2010, 5:53 AM
Post #1 of 7
(701 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 30, 2009
Posts: 66
|
Silly question, but... Are guide books completely necessary for local information? Is the same information in them available on websites (like this one)?
|
|
|
|
|
unrooted
Mar 15, 2010, 7:00 AM
Post #2 of 7
(687 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 13, 2003
Posts: 840
|
Depends on the place you want to climb, what grades you're looking for, etc.
I love having guide books around, plus trying to find info about a certain area online can be a pain in the butt, very few topos and possibly less trustworthy than a guidebook. A good guidebook will also tell you where the best non-climbing attractions are in relation to the climbing. Another thing to consider is that buying guidebooks is one way you can directly support climbing, the people who write guidebooks spend a shit-load of time and effort finding all the info that goes into a guide, they are often also the people who put the routes up initially, so they aren't in it for the money.
|
|
|
|
|
qtm
Mar 15, 2010, 1:22 PM
Post #3 of 7
(656 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 8, 2004
Posts: 548
|
Some sites have lists of routes, which include the grade but not much more. Relying on such lists, you may have trouble actually finding that route. Whereas a guidebook would typically give you more details about the route, maybe some important information, helpful gear, etc.
Some sites have topos of the crag. These can range from crude drawings to detailed pitch by pitch information. Most (that I've seen anyway) include only a limited number of routes, compared to more comprehensive guide books. The problem is that if the topos are free, a lot of people have downloaded them and are using them, and will congregate around the listed routes. Sometimes on a busy weekend, you're better off with the guide book and climbing routes off the beaten path.
And as unrooted says, buying guide books helps to support the authors who generally put in a lot of work.
|
|
|
|
|
lena_chita
Moderator
Mar 15, 2010, 2:40 PM
Post #4 of 7
(632 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 27, 2006
Posts: 6087
|
As others have said, some areas have better online info than others. And if you are climbing with someone who has a guidebook, or shown around by someone who knows the area intimately, you might not immediately need one.
But in general, it is one of those cases where being cheap is not cool. You presumably have money to buy climbing gear and travel to climbing areas. You are not taking the last $$s out of your children's food allowance. Be good and spend that $25-30 on a guidebook. Often part of the money goes to Access Fund to help maintain the very same areas where you are going climbing. And the guidebook author is a fellow climber who has spent many months, if not years, checking and double-checking things to make that publication possible.
|
|
|
|
|
tomtom
Mar 15, 2010, 3:38 PM
Post #5 of 7
(594 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 9, 2004
Posts: 366
|
haleymay wrote: Silly question, but... Are guide books completely necessary for local information?
No. Most routes were initially put up without a guidebook.
Walk up to a chunk of rock.
Eyeball a possible route.
Rack up.
Climb.
|
|
|
|
|
Adk
Mar 15, 2010, 3:43 PM
Post #6 of 7
(589 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 2, 2006
Posts: 1085
|
qtm wrote: And as unrooted says, buying guide books helps to support the authors who generally put in a lot of work.
...and a lot of work is right!
|
|
|
|
|
edge
Mar 15, 2010, 3:50 PM
Post #7 of 7
(583 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 14, 2003
Posts: 9120
|
Guidebooks are so much cooler than web browsing!
I can buy a guidebook for an area I am planning on visiting, and read it all day without waiting for pages to load, servers being down, or receiving too much information from a climber who visited there once and feels the need to chest thump his superior knowledge.
Guide books can inspire you in your tent or your apartment.
Sure you can print stuff off the web, but do you know that the person who provided it knows WTF they are talking about? Guidebook authors have far superior knowledge about local ethics, eateries, outfitters, etc than some online tard trying to up his postcount.
|
|
|
|
|
|
