UKC

Reports that the Climbers' Club have dropped the ball on their definitive guidebook to Gogarth and the evolution of an online wikipedia-type website to all matters Gogarth open to all.

Report in the news at UKClimbing.com... http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Of note is this 360 degree panorama from the top of the descent to Upper Tier and Main Cliff by Keith Robertson

http://www.fachwen.org/qtvr/wales/060121-1431-gogarth.html

There is also one of the South Stack area here:

http://www.fachwen.org/qtvr/wales/060121-1528-gogarth.html

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

coooool :¬) i've had lunch there with mrs rich - she fell asleep and i scrambled about as i recall

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: The Gogarth Wiki site has really taken off, considering that the site has only been live for a little over one week, the sheer amount of quality information on the site is staggering.

There are at present 37 registered users many of which are known and very well respected Gogarth Devotees. Many have been editing thier own first ascents, commenting on the grade list and simply adding ideas.

In order to make it as user friendly and helpful as possible we now require people to up date any info on insitu gear, suspect grade of routes or better descriptions, in order to make this page the most up to date information source on Gogarth there has ever been.

It has been an inspiring experience watching the site grow and grow, as people add to and up date the information. I don't think I have ever seen such a rapid development of some key information to one area of climbing, and is a testiment to the power of the a few like minded individual, the internet and dare I say it UKC for facilitating a debate and helping to promote the site.

Oh and mick the link is wrong there appears to be a /l at the end of the link when clicked. Also we are now online on http://www.gogarth.org.uk

Anyway my palms are sweating with the anticipated resurgence in activity this summer.

In reply to Dringo:

Corrected.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

and......the best DWS at Gogarth: Electric Blue featured in the video Snap Shot of My Minds Eye by Mark Reeves

youtube.com/watch?v=NwkFYW1J3zE&

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Mick, the panoramas by Keith Robertson are amazing! Really give you the sense of being there. Is this the sort of online resource that could be available for the guide? If so, then fabulous.

It seems strange to accuse Ground Up of being "opportunist profiteers". If anyone comes up with a way of turning a profit without an opportunity, then please tell me; and of course you won't want to take advantage of your position and charge me for your services!

I for one, love the idea of an online resource or database to crags, with the added opportunity to purchase a hard copy guidebook. It would be good if Ground Up could offer something like this, perhaps taking advantage of what is currently available. A lot of magazines work in a similar way of course, with premium content available to subscribers only. I certainly wouldn't begrudge anyone making a profit from the guidebook production if it was a quality product, and essential information was available online.

The current situation just seems to be proof that you get nothing for nothing. Working for no financial gain will work with a small audience perhaps, but now we have a substantial market. Given some of the members of the team willing to endorse this production, I'd say the project is in sensitive hands. Of the last CC guide, I have to say that I found the route descriptions very poor, particularly for South Stack, and often resorted to using my North Wales guide.

Dave T.

In reply to Dringo: The Wiki is an inspired idea, but can I ask why are using feet not metres? Are all NW guides in feet (all of mine are in another country so I can't check)?

In reply to TobyA: Many of the details I have entered are in metres not feet? At least i think.

In reply to TobyA: The existing CC guide uses metres.

In reply to Dringo: No probs. I just clicked on one area at random, and it was in feet - let me just check...

Yep Upper Tier, length of some routes in metres but pitch lengths in feet and total lenghts of others in feet. That's the beauty of a wiki, if any of us are really bothered about it we can go and change them!

In reply to dringo: when entering my descriptions (eg dogs of war, savage sunbird) i've moved away from the "start here, go up ten feet, step right, go to a roof, move left, climb past an overlap" type of description. there is no need for such an approach with a decent photo topo...i prefer the qualitative rather than quantitative approach!

perhaps there should be guidelines for writing style?

cheerio

In reply to martin k: There should be no guidelines to a revolution!

I have read some of your description and I like there vague nature. Mousetrap was a stunning example. I will have to read dogs of war as well. I can hazard a guessat it, 'wobble your way up a poorly protected sandy groove, stopping to belay somewhere. Before having to leave the temporary sanity of the belay to gain the top.'

I added a description for the E1 corner just before gogarth, in the guide it was unnecceasrily long. A simple climb the corner to the top seemed to suffice!

I personally defy anyone who thinks they can accurately describe in written english the second pitch of Salem. I have tried and failed!

One of the writers came up with a stunner for right hand red walls,
"This wall can be climbed anywhere at 5b, eliminates exsist"

he then did the same for left hand
"this wall can be climbed anywhere at 5c, eliminates exsist"

Sure the info will be garbled, unreadable if I have typed it but it is fun because it is interactive. Some measurements will be in feet and inchs, others in metric and a few in vague term 'traverse for until it feels right to move up'