[Baron]

Hope they call it 'Peaks Bouldering'

[Stubbs]

Mid august is an interesting time to start trying to judge the grade of grit problems!

[slackline]

Mid august is an interesting time to start trying to judge the grade of grit problems!

Maybe they'll start with lime problems?

[jimmykay]

I look forward to a grade debate on the UKC forums about Kudos Wall grades.

I wonder what grade they'll give Weedkiller....

[dobbin]

Word, imagine you're trying to walk very very closely behind someone (might help you visualise this better if its the Ben Moon).

Mmm, the Ben Moon! He make me do a sex wee

[Jim]

I wonder what grade they'll give Weedkiller....

I'm going to vote 8b

[Paul B]

you mean B8 right?

[account_inactive]

I thinks it's essential that guides are made by locals or people who have adopted an area (as a local), like in the case of the 7&8's guide.  I heard about the Rockfax guide being developed over a year and half ago and spoke to Rupert about it as a heads-up.  Obviously for one reason or another (probably Adrian working on the French guides) they didn't get their act together and in the mean time Vertebrate have produced an excellent update.

Anyone should and is allowed to produce a guide book and people should vote with their wallets.  I for one will never purchase a Rockfax guide to Peak district bouldering or any other Rockfax publication. Out interest the original Peak bouldering Rockfax was written by Allen Williams, no stranger to the Peak (or bouldering for that matter) and an excellent reason to purchase a guide.

All of this has been done to death before.  Check out these threads over the years.....

http://www.camptocamp.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=144276
http://8a.nu/forum/ViewForumThread.aspx?ObjectId=9591&ObjectClass=CLS_UserNewsComment&CountryCode=GLOBAL

[Paul B]

I thinks it's essential that guides are made by locals or people who have adopted an area (as a local), like in the case of the 7&8's guide.

Whilst its a nice thought the fact is (and you'll discover this shortly), that local topo's can often be both hard to find and woeful at the same time. Do you want to spend the first day of a week long trip trying to track down somewhere that sells the guide (later to find out its out of print) or pick up the widely available select from your local climbing store?

Thats not to say I'm a huge fan of rockfax. I met some people in Rodellar who were very vocal with their thoughts on how much care and attention Ceuse was given for instance and I wasn't awestruck by the accuracy of the Cote D'Azur Calanques section.

With regards to information, its hard to get past the fact that UKC/Rockfax currently have the best logbook system and in truth a fairly elegant way of recording/gathering information and opinions on routes/problems for future guidebook publications.

Thats said I just can't see the logic in persuing a Peak bouldering guide at this time with some glaring (albeit currently W.I.P) holes in their publication list (i.e. the limestone). [TBH in preference I'd love to see a BMC definitive in this area].

Also, with the new wave of BMC offerings and great publications from the likes of VB and Groundup (like the CC pembroke guides too) I'm amazed that the rockfax formula can still compete.

[account_inactive]

Local topos can often be found on the net for free (especially is Spain where guides are kept in bars) and it doesn't take a genius to find them.  I agree, Rockfax has a place for the convenience climber and it's up to each person to decide which book to buy.  Online databases are the way forward but they should be hosted by nonprofit organisations like peakbouldering.info but when bolts are paid for and areas developed and maintained then it's a question of ethics.

[RopeBoy]

Hi ,

I bumped into Adrian Berry at Bell Hagg a few weeks back while he was checking out the crag and he said he been working on it for a while, just finishing off some French guides first. To be fair he did climb all the problems and wasn't just doing it sat at home cribbing off previous aforementioned guides.

I suppose the timing is a bit odd but as mentioned it will probably appeal to a different set of climber/boulderer.

J 

[Teaboy]

 it will probably appeal to a different set of climber/boulderer.

I'm not sure why this argument still has currency, there is nothing about the VB guide that makes it inaccessible to any group of climbers, there are hundreds of easy problems.

[Offwidth]

Hi ,

I suppose the timing is a bit odd but as mentioned it will probably appeal to a different set of climber/boulderer.

J 

The timing is maybe ideal for those that see competition as a major benefit to guidebook production (I think the case for this is usually oversold, especially in a honeypot area like the peak). I'm glad to see Adrian is climbing everthing but I'm not so sure how much this helps invigorate the main area of market difference: the many extra lesser punter problems that the BMC have (but with added routes and several volumes) and VG don't; I know the ingredients well enough to know we could have michelin star fare or a dogs dinner; I guess we'll have to wait and taste.

I must admit I've enjoyed all the peak bouldering guides so far; Alan W's original is probably still my fave.

[Big Dave]

Strange timing I must admit, but I'll probably end up buying it anyway, to add to the collection started with the OTE guides I got all those years ago!

[RopeBoy]

[/quote]

I'm not sure why this argument still has currency, there is nothing about the VB guide that makes it inaccessible to any group of climbers, there are hundreds of easy problems.
[/quote]

I don't mean there's a greater selection of easier problems (or harder ones come to that) just a different set of climbers.

I too will probably buy it as I enjoy guide books and collect them.

J :-)