Climbing guidebooks are used by rock

climbers Climber may refer to: *Climber, a participant in the activity of climbing *Climber, general name for a vine *Climber, or climbing specialist, a road bicycle racer who can ride especially well on highly inclined roads * Climber (BEAM), a robot that ...

to find the location of climbing routes at crags or on mountains. Many guidebooks also offer condensed information about local restaurants, bars and camping areas; often include sections on geology and local climbing history; and may contain many pictures to inspire climbers. Guidebooks may range in size from pamphlets detailing dozens of routes up to tomes that document thousands of routes. The library of the

American Alpine Club The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 24,000 members. Its vision is to create "a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes." The Club is housed in the American Mountaineerin ...

contains over 20,000 books and videos, a majority of which are such guidebooks. In the Alps the

Alpine Club Guide The ''Alpine Club Guides'' (german: Alpenvereinsführer, commonly shortened to ''AV Führer'' or ''AVF'') are the standard series of Alpine guides that cover all the important mountain groups in the Eastern Alps. They are produced jointly by the G ...

series is very comprehensive.

Route descriptions

Guidebooks can indicate locations by verbal descriptions (for example" ''start in the third left-facing corner below the large, orange roof, left of the route "Something Interesting"''). Starting in the 1980s, a diagram-style was developed, with the detailed diagrams of the routes, called "

topos In mathematics, a topos (, ; plural topoi or , or toposes) is a category that behaves like the category of sheaves of sets on a topological space (or more generally: on a site). Topoi behave much like the category of sets and possess a notio ...

" (probably from French). Route descriptions typically include information about the length of a route and its

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

(difficulty). The description can also include varying amounts of information about how to climb the route, such as the location of the

crux Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...

, special techniques needed, and amount and type of

gear A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic pr ...

needed. When this information is very detailed it is collectively known as ''beta''. In a definitive guide, the route's history (credits for

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

s etc.) would also be included.

Publication

Guidebooks may be compilations of selected popular routes, or exhaustive references. They may be published by national/regional mountaineering bodies, commercial publishers, or self-published by local enthusiasts. They are almost always sold in climbing shops near the areas described (or in general shops in areas too small for a climbing shop), but are also often distributed internationally. As climbing areas develop, it is usually necessary to publish new editions of guidebooks every several years. In the interim, "new routes" updates are published, either as printed booklets or online. In recent years, many climbing guidebooks have been published in digital format, often for display in

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

applications. This medium offers the benefit of frequent or continuous updates, as well as rapid searching, and even, in some cases, GPS navigation.

Influence

Climbing guidebooks are important to the culture of climbing, transmitting history and stories down through the ages, and delineating what is considered good style in a particular area. The upcoming publication of a new guidebook of the area often leads to a flurry of climbers establishing new routes there (because one can clearly see the parts of rock terrain which are still unclimbed).

References

External links

* {{cite web, url=http://www.climbing.com/climber/the-guidebook-odyssey-unearthing-the-epic-task-of-writing-a-guidebook/, title=The Guidebook Odyssey – Unearthing the epic task of writing a guidebook, author=Michael Adamson, date=16 February 2009 , publisher=

Climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done fo ...

, accessdate=2013-07-04 Climbing books