Colorado Climbing - Google Earth

So first off hello! I was pretty bored last night and decided to go threw MP and plot all the areas i could find GPS cords to for Colorado in Google Earth.

If anyone likes the idea of this, and would like the file please let me know and I will be happy to post it for everyone. Some areas like the South Platte are not finished yet, but a lot of areas simply did not have GPS locations for them. So if you have any, I would love to add them to this file. Who knows, maybe I will work on some other states next.

I was thinking about adding some trail guides as well to help people find there way to crags and whatnot, but think I might need someone that is a lot more familiar which some of these areas.

Here is a picture of what I have so far, I would love to hear some feedback! Thanks and happy climbing!

Awesome idea Tucan. I don't live in Colorado so this isn't much use to me but the idea is something I'd like to see integrated into mountain project.

I'd like to be able to give separate crags a latitude and longitude. Right now you can only give areas a lat/lon which in my opinion doesn't really help a whole lot. Why go to the trouble of building mapping capabilities into your site if you aren't going to make them as useful as you can? Anyways, if each crag can have a location you could then have an export to kml button so you could then view them all in google earth. I like being able to use google earth to chase the shady areas.

Sounds great!! I'm sure everyone here has "mis-spent" time looking for areas, especially when bouldering. Not looking to take the fun or adventure out of it, but I think we could all use a few less days on "recognizance".

Thanks!

Here's a Google Earth file for some Boulder-area crags, with links to Mountain Project:

home.comcast.net/~ronolsen/…

Thanks for some feedback guys! I have only been climbing outdoors for about a two years, but have done years upon years of indoor gym climbing. I have the worst since of direction so I thought this might help me find the crags a little faster, plus I can find areas close to me without having to go threw 500 pages to find locations. I will try and get at least Colorado finished tonight (or tomm) and start working on some other states (I think a road trip is needed soon). Let me know if you have any other ideas, and I will post the areas as soon as possible! If any of you know a MP admin, or a MP admin reads this, I am a computer programmer (mysql, php, html, java, vb, c#), and would love to "steal" your database of GPS locations and help you implement a Google earth/map feature. Just a thought, I can just go threw all the pages as well, just might take a little longer :). Thanks guys!

Ron - thank you, I will be adding these areas when I get a chance.

Poignant and hilarious Bob! I don't know whether I agree with you, but I know it's a view worth considering seriously. Exactly how much do we want to tame our adventures? Is there a cost in terms of lost struggle and challenge to our animal spirits? What makes our adventures rewarding and worthwhile?

Shawn Mitchell wrote:What makes our adventures rewarding and worthwhile?

Maybe bushwacking for ages to find a remote and infrequently traveled flatiron? You'll know immediately if you can relate.

Bob Packwood wrote: I respectfully stand against your little project, against Google, and against the attitude that everything has be bloody digital mapped and at your fingertips. PS - Besides, the Chinese are gonna take out the GPS constellation sooner or later and then you'll be up shit creek.

While I have had many excellent climbing adventures which started with a mid-trip decision to drive six hours in the other direction to a crag that we'd heard about but didn't really know where it was, I'll have to disagree with Bob on this one.

All you have to do is leave the climbing guidebook or iPhone or GPS or reality simulator at home, and the adventure is back. In short, you can just choose not to look. This isn't retrobolting.

As for the crowding issue, in my limited experience, the approach seems to be the strongest determining factor as to how crowded a crag gets. Others may have different experiences/opinions, though.

Avery Nelson wrote: Maybe bushwacking for ages to find a remote and infrequently traveled flatiron? You'll know immediately if you can relate.

Yes, well, is that time wasted or is it effort that makes the experience more precious and sets it apart from crushing the blue problem indoors?

And keeps the Packwoodian hordes away...

I would say that your aimless bushwacking adventures to find crags are actually detrimental to them, not helpful. Don't believe me? Come out to Red Rock and I'll show you some trail mazes where "bushwackers" have made one trail into ten.

As far as "submitting crag locations to google" goes, using google maps on the mp site doesn't mean the crags are going to show up outside of mountain project. The only way you are going to be able to get the crag locations is either on a map embedded on the mp site or from a .kml (google earth) file that has been downloaded from the mp site.

Wow, I didn't really expect this thread to go like this. First off, if you don't like the idea of having GPS cords to crags, I suggest you find another website because all those that I have planted, are plotted on MP, or do as someone said, and leave your GPS, or iphone whatever in your car... problem solved. Second, if you have a crag/boulder that only you climb, and you are worried about it getting overcrowded, don't share the coordinates... simple right? I never asked to share your deepest darkest fantasy.

When I am plotting these in Google Earth, I am not submitting anything to Google. I am submitting them to a file thats stored onto my computer that kinda looks like XML.

I appreciate all the feedback. I am still going to go on with this little project, if not for the public, for myself and whoever else requests it.

As for Bob Packwood... you need to take off the little metal hat, and take down the hangers from your ceiling... google already knows everything.

I too have done this same idea. But its basically a way for me to keep track of all the climbs I want to do and roughly where they are. also with links to weather so I know if I'll get rained on or not. Although, I'm going to be the selfish fat kid who won't share his candy. Sorry folks, its a good idea. but I'm not sharing.....

Hey, I can totally relate to the anti-technology thing. My cellphone doesn't even take pictures or movies or anything and I leave it at home or turned off whenever possible.
That being said, I choose to be an old fogey but don't have any problem with the younger generation having their own toys and tools. In my day, chalk, friends, sticky shoes and belay devices were considered the stuff of wimps, I eventually came around to most of those. If a person in the back country can't find their way without gps, can't read a topo, and doesn't appreciate the joys of finding themselves (both literally and spiritually) when they are lost; then I say let Darwin have the final word.

YDPL8S wrote:In my day, chalk, friends, sticky shoes and belay devices were considered the stuff of wimps, I eventually came around to most of those.

Nice post. Just curious which of these latter day crutches you still hold back from tainting your climb? :)

I'm a little late in the conversation here, however there are alternatives to google Earth. Such as Open Street Mapping. In fact it may be more advantageous to use OSM because the data is available for download unlike Google earth.

Also, isn't the point of mapping boulders and bouldering areas is to prevent a bunch of gumbies getting off route on their way to the boulders in the future. Maybe those who initially go out with the gps devices aren't as good as folks who know the lay of the land, but it would be more sustainable in the long run.

Shawn, chalk if I can help it, although the greasy build-up makes it necessary to use at least some of the local dust or dirt. Some of my favorite old holds in Eldo now seem like they're made out of porcelain.