New comprehensive Tuolumne Meadows Guidebook coming this summer!

Greetings, I know it was looked down upon... years ago when this thread started, but have the authors given more thought to a PDF version?

It potentially could:
Resolve the inner page fold issues with the topos.
Be monstrously more portable.
Make error fixes more manageable.

Plus the other pros and cons of having a PortaLedge Document Format. :  -) 

We drooled over multiple copies last weekend and when it came time to climb, it was left in the trunk of the car. I saw a single tear crawl down the spine as we walked away. (Er, it could have been the moisture from sleeping in the car?) I would like to believe... it was the former. 

Thank you for all the "herd" work it took to make it happen.
What say you about your excellent work joining the 21st century? - Merci

Shaniacwrote:

Greetings, I know it was looked down upon... years ago when this thread started, but have the authors given more thought to a PDF version?

It potentially could:
Resolve the inner page fold issues with the topos.
Be monstrously more portable.
Make error fixes more manageable.

Plus the other pros and cons of having a PortaLedge Document Format. :  -) 

We drooled over multiple copies last weekend and when it came time to climb, it was left in the trunk of the car. I saw a single tear crawl down the spine as we walked away. (Er, it could have been the moisture from sleeping in the car?) I would like to believe... it was the former. 

Thank you for all the "herd" work it took to make it happen.
What say you about your excellent work joining the 21st century? - Merci

Don't most 21st Century climbers just take photos of the relevant guidebook page on their phones? ( I'm still 20th Century---scribble the description or topo on a piece of paper and leave my phone behind!!!). PDF guides mean the end of print guidebooks---and, again as a 20th Century relic, I love print guidebooks--much rather have something concrete that I can look through than be stuck having to scan squinting through a small screen---though I do understand the size/weight issue for longer climbs. An interim website for corrections and new routes is a great idea, though ( I'm not totally stuck in the last century).

Shaniacwrote:

Greetings, I know it was looked down upon... years ago when this thread started, but have the authors given more thought to a PDF version?

It potentially could:
Resolve the inner page fold issues with the topos.
Be monstrously more portable.
Make error fixes more manageable.

Plus the other pros and cons of having a PortaLedge Document Format. :  -) 

We drooled over multiple copies last weekend and when it came time to climb, it was left in the trunk of the car. I saw a single tear crawl down the spine as we walked away. (Er, it could have been the moisture from sleeping in the car?) I would like to believe... it was the former. 

Thank you for all the "herd" work it took to make it happen.
What say you about your excellent work joining the 21st century? - Merci

Pdfs are real easy to share….for freeloading

John Clarkwrote:

Pdfs are real easy to share….for freeloading

Have we stumbled on a genuine use case for NFTs here?  A guidebook that's only accessible through a digital wallet- coming soon to a crag near you.

Andy Shoemakerwrote:

Have we stumbled on a genuine use case for NFTs here?  A guidebook that's only accessible through a digital wallet- coming soon to a crag near you.

Like…the vertical life app? Kaya?

Not exactly.  It would mean you purchase the guidebook electronically and the publisher issues an NFT of the guidebook (digital file kept on a blockchain) that could never be shared or copied.  It would require a bunch of coding software mumbo jumbo to make the large guidebook file viewable on your device. You could individually screenshot each page probably, but you couldn't simply download the entire guidebook and email it to your buddy.  

I think?  I have a 100 level understanding of blockchain technology.  Some techno wizard will probably tell me I have some part of this theory incorrect.  But I'd love to learn more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-fungible_token

So gunksapp

Block chain is dumb for this as you still need an "authority" to manage interface and content hosting as the market is so small. Might as well just use traditional Auth as it's easier, cheaper and you don't need expensive specialists to maintain it. 

NFTs are just a link, they don't have the actual picture. 

Andy Shoemakerwrote:

Not exactly.  It would mean you purchase the guidebook electronically and the publisher issues an NFT of the guidebook (digital file kept on a blockchain) that could never be shared or copied.  It would require a bunch of coding software mumbo jumbo to make the large guidebook file viewable on your device. You could individually screenshot each page probably, but you couldn't simply download the entire guidebook and email it to your buddy.  

I think?  I have a 100 level understanding of blockchain technology.  Some techno wizard will probably tell me I have some part of this theory incorrect.  But I'd love to learn more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-fungible_token

Unfortunately, all it would take would be to screenshot the pages to go around the crypto protections. And that's not to mention the crazy energy cost involved with anything blockchain/crypto related, which is completely at odds with any environmental values in the climbing community.

Personally, I would love for guidebooks to come with a coupon for a discount (maybe 30%?) on the corresponding Gunks/Kaya/etc module (or even just for the Kindle version of the guidebook).

I'll happily pay for the convenience/utility of not having to scan pages and not cracking the spine while doing so, not to mention the (probable) updates over time as new routes are added, descents change, etc.

FFS guys it's a climbing guide book, the people who use these care about development, Erik seems to do just fine with his Yosemite guides being available as a PDF. 

There’s an easy solution to size of book, not wanting to crack spine, etc. just buy two guidebooks. One sits on shelf, other gets razored up to carry pages. Far far less resource and energy use than blockchain. Besides the energy use of that horrid technology, there’s the noise pollution. Children are bleeding out of their ears, dogs are going bald, adults being hospitalized. 

phylp phylpwrote:

There’s an easy solution to size of book, not wanting to crack spine, etc. just buy two guidebooks. One sits on shelf, other gets razored up to carry pages. Far far less resource and energy use than blockchain. Besides the energy use of that horrid technology, there’s the noise pollution. Children are bleeding out of their ears, dogs are going bald, adults being hospitalized. 

I take pictures of guidebook pages so I don’t have to lug books around. My smartphone goes everywhere with me, including up multipitch. I have an extendable tether for when it’s not in a cargo pocket. Reading a page on it is harder than reading a paper page, though. 

George Bracksieckwrote:

I take pictures of guidebook pages so I don’t have to lug books around. My smartphone goes everywhere with me, including up multipitch. I have an extendable tether for when it’s not in a cargo pocket. Reading a page on it is harder than reading a paper page, though. 

I got absolutely roasted on this forum some years ago for suggesting this in some thread where somebody was complaining about guidebooks. I was like who carries a guidebook except for cragging, take photos of the route you're on for the day and go.

"dude yea right what if you drop your phone"

"bro a guidebook costs way less than a phone"

"you must be rich if you can afford dropping so many phones"

and on and on lol

Share the link!

The mini-locker clips to the gear loop above my cargo pocket. 

George Bracksieckwrote:

I take pictures of guidebook pages so I don’t have to lug books around. My smartphone goes everywhere with me, including up multipitch. I have an extendable tether for when it’s not in a cargo pocket. Reading a page on it is harder than reading a paper page, though. 

I use some combination of carrying the guidebook, carrying printouts of routes, taking photos of guidebook and carrying phone (using Koala tether), and using MP app offline. Photos are fine for cragging. But I do like paper printout or copy for long multipitch topos.  I have a pants pocket with easy access. 

I got a copy for Christmas.   I really like it.  Nice contemporary design.  I would love to get the poster sometime.

Post updated

Lots of good information in this book.  I love comprehensive guidebooks!  I really appreciate the info regarding what routes might be suitable for setting up for TR/ micro-trax.  

Negatives: 

1. The photos frequently being obscured by the spine.
2. The use of the antiquated 5.10-, 5.10, 5.10+ system instead of a,b,c,d.
3. The lack of topos for longer routes.  When I compare this to the topos  in Handren’s Red Rocks book or even the new High Sierra set it’s way subpar.   

Ranger 1522wrote:

Lots of good information in this book.  I love comprehensive guidebooks!  I really appreciate the info regarding what routes might be suitable for setting up for TR/ micro-trax.  

Negatives: 

1. The photos frequently being obscured by the spine.
2. The use of the antiquated 5.10-, 5.10, 5.10+ system instead of a,b,c,d.
3. The lack of topos for longer routes.  When I compare this to the topos  in Handren’s Red Rocks book or even the new High Sierra set it’s way subpar.   

The +/- system is not old in its current understanding of use that .1x- is a/b, .1x is b/c, and .1x+ is c/d
I think it better than the 4 point of granularity of the abcd system.

The old way was it insinuated the sustained nature of the route (or lack of with -)

Mr Rogerswrote:

The +/- system is not old in its current understanding of use that .1x- is a/b, .1x is b/c, and .1x+ is c/d
I think it better than the 4 point of granularity of the abcd system.

The old way was it insinuated the sustained nature of the route (or lack of with -)

Wish we never moved away from the old way, would be nice to know at a glance how sustained a route is