Five Reasons to Always Use a Rock Climbing Guidebook
Ditching resources to have an 'adventure' at a popular crag is reckless at best, always use the information made available to maintain access and to be safe
Over the past 100 years, the sport of rock climbing has changed in many ways, from the gear we use to the organisation of access groups. One of the best things to come from the boom of climbing has been all of the quality printed guidebooks that are now available.
While some climbers might think that ditching available knowledge, which has been collected for the benefit of everyone, is the way to go – the best and most experienced climbers almost always agree that using local resources will keep you safe, save you time and give you the best session that you can ask for.
Here are five reasons to always use a guidebook, when they’re available.
To Be a Climber, You Have to Think Like a Climber: Since the dawn of the sport of climbing, people have used beta collected by other climbers. Few good climbers have purposefully avoided useful information, rather it’s often the climber who’s out to prove something who’ll boastfully avoid smart beta. The first-ever recorded climb was in 1492, and the first ascent report gives this beta: “As Dompjulian relates, ‘I have had mass said upon it and have caused three crosses to be set up. It is about a French league in circumference, a quarter of a league in length, and a crossbow shot in width, and is covered with a beautiful meadow, and we have found a beautiful herd of chamois, which will never be able to get away It is the most beautiful place that I have ever visited.'” Good climbers know how to report beta, and how to use it.
Safety First: Anyone who goes to a well established crag to have an “adventure” is out of their mind. Every popular crag is like an outdoor gym, so every crag you visit has climbs that are rigged in a certain way to facilitate a certain kind of ascent. If you need a stick-clip, the guidebook will tell you. If there are run-outs, the guidebook will tell you. Thinking you’re cool because you ignored useful and relative information makes you a bad climber. Real adventures are had in the mountains, not the crags.
Saves Time: Climbers visit crags to get the most from their sessions, not to diddle-daddle around hoping to make sense of something that is already written down in a book. You want to have a concrete plan, know the climbs you want to try, know how many quickdraws you’ll need, know how long the route is, and know the best way to descend. Using available resources, such as guidebooks, not only saves you time, but everyone else.
Supports Route Developers: Every bolt you clip was installed by a route developer, there are no brag-worthy adventures in trying to “rediscover” the climb. By buying guidebooks, you’re not only supporting local route developers, you’re helping small publishing companies get by.
Maintain Access: Good climbers know how to maintain access, bad climbers don’t. You maintain access by avoiding rescue, drama, epics and accidents. You risk having access closed by putting yourself in harms way in an ignorant manner, such as by ignoring available route beta. Again, real adventure isn’t had at outdoor gyms, it’s had in the mountains.
