UKC

Is it just me or does anyone else get niggled by Rockfax guides not clearly identifying Rock Type for crags. I own loads of their guides and rate them highly in general, but this seems a strange oversight.
OK, the information is sometimes (but not always) squirreled away in the crag preamble text ...but when you are doing charts for grade distribution, making little symbols up for crimpy routes, telling you how busy a crag is likely to be and informing readers of not just the time but also the angle of the approach walk etc. etc. it surely makes sense to state clearly somewhere what rock you will be climbing on.
Knowing rocktypes in an area I am unfamiliar with often has a bearing on my crag selection, so it would be good to know!
Perhaps others are unfazed by this and my geological bent is a peculiarity that others don't suffer from.

In reply to The Ivanator:

Shoddy.

In reply to The Ivanator:

I saw the thread title and wondered if you were referring to missing topos.

In reply to The Pylon King:

I mean when you've got the only bit of gritstone in an ocean of limestone you want to know, yeah?

In reply to The Ivanator:

Well, it would be handy when deciding to take cams to the crag :+)

In reply to The Ivanator:

exactly

In reply to The Ivanator:

Yeah, Northern Limestone was particularly shoddy in this respect...

In reply to The Ivanator:

Seems it is just me and the metal monarch then!

In reply to The Ivanator:

Or maybe those who might agree with you are old-fashioned enough not to use Rockfax in the UK.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Arrgh, I've not been climbing 10 years and already I'm part of the "old fashioned" brigade!
Would be interesting to hear the rationale behind Rockfax's lack of clarity in this area.
With the style of Rockfax guides the lack of historical context is expected, but surely an extra column in their crag selector tables and/or an obvious inset box on the introductory page for each crag would be a good addition.
I've been browsing my new Ariege Rockfax ahead of a potential trip and often find myself having to scrutinise the topos in a vain attempt to work out which crags are Limestone and which are Granite.

In reply to The Ivanator:
I think you are being a bit naive. There are not that many different rock types in this country and the title of the guidebook is often a give away. As climbers we are not necessarily geologists and with that in mind this is the rock formations I understand them:

If it is yellow and hard it is granite.
If it is brown or black, rough and rounded it is gritstone.
If it is brown or black, rough and rounded but comes off in your hand, it is sandstone.
If it is white and really hard to climb it is limestone.
If you are in the mountains it is mountain rock.
It it is smooth with no holds or gear it is slate.
If it is a choss pit, you are in Lancashire.
If there is more vegetation than rock, you are probably in the Midlands somewhere and desperate for any sort of climbing action.

I hope that clears things up for you.

In reply to ByEek:

Certainly an entertaining summary. But when you get to deepest West Penwith things get a little more complex, would be interested to hear your appraisals of Quartzite, Killas Slate, Greenstone, Serpentine etc.

In reply to The Ivanator:

Now I am being naive. According to Google maps West Penwith is in Hull. Alas, there is no climbing there but there is to the north in Filey and that only adds to the confusion, because the rock is yellow but not granite and it is a choss pit but not Lancashire. I think I need to go back to the drawing board!

Where is West Penwith BTW?

In reply to The Ivanator:

............scrutinise the topos in a vain attempt to work out which crags are Limestone and which are Granite.

haven't used that book, but that does sound kinda' piss poor....
if it helps:

how's y' French?
http://cafma.free.fr/index.htm
"calcaire" is limestone
"granit" is... er.. dono... you'll have to figure that one out yersell.....

In reply to ByEek:

'Tis Kernow. Land of Saint Piran's Flag ...but you know that for sure!