UKC

Why is it some people have to go into detail about every route they do?
I think it's great that you had an excellent onsight but when i read "great cam slot before the crux" and "massive hidden jug out right", I find it pretty selfish.
I like reading some logs before certain because it gets me pshyched but sometimes I have to stop myself from reading halfway through because it's so in depth it'd ruin my chances of an onsight.

In reply to R2B:

Because thats what people do in their logbooks and UKC provides an extremely useful public logbook service. If you want to avoid beta just read the guide and look at the votes

In reply to R2B:

If you want to save your onsight, don't read logbook entries detailing someone's experience of a climb, they're going to include some beta at some point.

In reply to R2B:

id asked before (and should on the dev site) to have 2 cmments fields, one for comments and one for beta (which i like to record for myself should i repeat it)

the beta field could be be made
a) private - contributor option so no one else could see it
b) viewer optional , ie choose if they wanted to see it.

but fankly to me your response is OTT

In reply to R2B:

Because they want to?

Psych yourself up with music or cocaine.

In reply to R2B:

You could say that about the vast majority of route descriptions on here and guide books. Best poking your eyes out with a pointy stick, then you'll never ruin you're chances of getting the onblind.

In reply to Lusk:
Best to climb without a guide book? The most fun I've had leading a route was when I didn't have a guide book. It truly felt like an adventure.

In reply to R2B:

Alan keeps promising a forthcoming enhancement to allow for public and private comments. Which would allow detailed stuff to stay private, generally useful info to be public. Of course that wouldn't stop people putting detailed beta in their public comments.

I tend to avoid reading comments until after I've done a route, though I'll sometimes look at the grade voting if it's something at my limit.

In reply to R2B:
So just to be clear, you're complaining about the personal comments people write in their personal log books? Am I missing something here?

In reply to R2B:

There is no such thing as onsight, its a myth.

In reply to The Pylon King:


Just like E0 and good climbing in Somerset.

In reply to aln:

No, they are FACT and not some anal wet dream.

In reply to The Pylon King:


I disagree. I've walked up to a completely unclimbed cliff, looked at a few lines, picked one, gardened for gear placements, brushed lichen off holds, and climbed it. Completely on-sight.

In reply to R2B:

You don't even have to use a guide-book... Just pick a line and go for it!

In reply to R2B:

I'm afraid I am one of those 'selfish' people as I often use my logbook to record happy memories or to suggest to myself what I need to do better next time. I had assumed people wouldn't read it if they didn't want to, and I wouldn't recommend reading it before your ascent, I can't promise it's always going to psyche you up! Afterwards, on the other hand, it can be very enjoyable reading about how people found it as wonderful/scary as you did!

In reply to The Pylon King:


Never knew they existed.

In reply to dagibbs:

Without a guide book it's still on-sight for the person climbing an established route, even if it has been gardened and climbed before, and changed. It's still on-sight for them, in them not knowing about hidden holds or tricky moves and things.

That's aimed at the person you're replying to...

In reply to Timmd:



Depending on the crag, far less so. There may be chalk on holds indicating/telling you where holds are, especially nominally hidden ones. There may be an obvious worn/traveled path showing you where the route goes, and again possibly indicating where holds are. So, arguably, at least at moderately well-traveled crags, even without a guide book you aren't truly on-sight climbing since you do have some beta about the route. (Personally, I'd consider such climbs, and even ones where you used a guidebook to find a climb an have some idea what grade it goes at, etc, to be on-sights. But from an ultra-pure definition of it, it is arguable that climbing any route that is visibly established is not an ultra-pure-true on-sight.)

In reply to dagibbs:


Yes, I agree, i was just being silly.
Harder with an established cliff though unless no-one actually climbs there often.

In reply to R2B:

I thought the art of on sight climbing lay in tracking the polish on the classics...?