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Climb Quality - how do you rate it? 13-Sep-2012 At 12:45:46 PM pmonks

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On 13/09/2012 simey wrote:
>You can still use some editorial discretion even if you haven't repeated
>the climb.

I can't see how what you just described achieves a "single editorial perspective". In fact it probably makes it worse - if ODH put up some new routes in Sydney and I was still actively editing SSS, I'd have docked all his stars I reckon!

>I am a local at Mt Arapiles and to be totally honest I have no interest
>in the thousands of very mediocre climbs that have been established there.

Your "mediocre" is someone else's "underrated gem" - you're not everyclimber, nor is anyone else (guidebook editor or otherwise). At least comprehensive guides don't make that mistaken assumption - they can't, by definition.

>The notion that you may be waiting in conga lines of bumblies on overated
>classics simply doesn't occur at Arapiles.

I've hit queues at Araps most of the times I've been there, although I've usually chosen to climb some other route rather than exacerbate a conga line. The one time I recall not hitting any queues was one rainy May a few years back, but then not being a local means I don't have the luxury of visiting "off season" (in fact my last couple of visits have all been opportunistic).

>As a result the crowds at Arapiles are more dispersed than ever because
>people can trust good quality select guides much better than shitty comprehensive
>guides.

What a crock. Select guides concentrate climbers rather than dispersing them - I saw this first hand with the early sport climbing guides to the Blueys. Early 2000s was the best time to visit Piddo, Narrowneck etc. because no one was there! Mid to late 90s (when the comprehensive UBM guide was the latest & greatest guide) those crags were much more crowded - I assume they've gotten busier again what with Simon's select guides including them again.

Now Araps might be different since it's basically just one crag (ignoring Mitre Rock, Campbell's Kingdom etc.) but for areas like Sydney and the Blueys select guides have a significant impact on a crag's traffic.

[edit after Stu's response] And yes it's significantly worse here in seppoland, partly because there are way more climbers (and they're much more polarised - you're either a hardman or a bumbly, and it's the latter who are mostly doing the moderate "select guide classics"), and also because there are a lot of routes that are slightly less than awesome (according to some guidebook editor's opinion) and so don't make the cut, while some "classic" nearby gets worn and accident prone due to overcrowding! It's quite irritating!!