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Climb Tasmania Selected Best Guide Out Now 25-Jan-2006 At 10:06:55 PM Robin

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Interesting question. I think if a new route description is submitted to Rock, Argus etc then it is up to the author (first ascentionist) to place the copyright if they strongly feel the written description is their intellectual property. Given that a copyright is unlikely to be placed then I think it's free for all ie. the route description is the property of the climbing community.

If an editor of a guide puts in the effort to check the climb and re-write part or all of the description then I think it is correct that the editor has the copyright to those changes only.

Now here's where it get's interesting! The contents of Argus and Rock are subject to copyright so no contents can be reproduced without the permission of the relevant organisations. So if you were to follow that to the letter of the law you either would have to do the climbs, collate the facts and write your own description or seek approval to reproduce part or all of the information.

Thankfully I think common sense prevails. A lot of new guides use existing information, sometimes quoted almost verbatim, but they add additional information and humour & that is good for climbing as a whole. If someone was to simply use existing information, shuffle words around, do no research and publish a 'new' guide then I don't think that is fair game.

So back to the Tassie guide; great guide, photo topos were excellent, climb selections generally very good. I did find it usefull to look at the other guides for additional information. Also found the sea level traverse a bit lacking on information after the swim? If you plan a road trip to Tassi I would definitely say buy the select guide but if you've got the time & money I would say also buy the other guides for the areas you're visiting.