The Guidebook of the Future

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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SarahT
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by SarahT »

Furthermore & I kicked around the idea of teaming up to publish 13er guidebooks over a year ago and after speaking with a few CO guidebook authors and potental customers more or less concluded it'd be a wasted effort. Bottom line, people ain't gonna pay for what they already get for free. This site has at least 1 trip report for nearly every 13er. Roach claims his High 13ers book is no longer in print because of lack of demand.
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by benners »

SarahT wrote:Bottom line, people ain't gonna pay for what they already get for free. This site has at least 1 trip report for nearly every 13er. Roach claims his High 13ers book is no longer in print because of lack of demand.
On the other hand his 14ers guide has sold well enough to necessitate a 3rd edition and is still on sale all over the place, despite there being hundreds of TRs on every 14er on this site and others. I think a lot of what makes a book sell has to do with the popularity of the activity being written about, even if there's already free info out there (or at least I hope so :-D).

To the OP - I still like having a paper book along that I can beat up, throw in the trunk of the car, write notes in, and all that good stuff. I think it would feel weird to lay in a tent at night in the middle of the wilderness reading a Kindle, but that's just me.
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by lordhelmut »

Furthermore & I kicked around the idea of teaming up to publish 13er guidebooks over a year ago and after speaking with a few CO guidebook authors and potental customers more or less concluded it'd be a wasted effort. Bottom line, people ain't gonna pay for what they already get for free. This site has at least 1 trip report for nearly every 13er. Roach claims his High 13ers book is no longer in print because of lack of demand.
Sarah - if you and Furthermore wrote a 13er Guidebook, I would buy numerous copies. If you have a compelling and convincing enough proposal to a publisher - they will sell your books. At worst - it won't sell and the only thing you would've "lost" is your time (which I imagine wouldn't be looked at as a loss anyway). It could reinvigorate climbing for some people rather than missing all the material that gets lost in transit on the internet super highway. We stare at computer screens enough all day, having a tangible book in hand, on the drive out to the trailhead, or flipping through on a rock and a perch with a view. In your case, it would have an even more meaningful impact, cause people would start to realize there is more to life than 14ers in this state. Lots of states have high peaks - like the 10ers in Glacier NP, the 13ers of the Utah Uintas, California 14ers - and they aren't nearly as overrun as the CO 14ers. It might promote a healthy progression or a less lopsided perspective on peaks in Colorado. There are enough 13ers where none will really ever be in danger of being abusively overrun and a handful of people might learn something about themselves they might not of been able to realize on 14er trade routes.
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by ameristrat »

Jim Davies wrote:I really liked Roach's 14er map pack...too bad it's been discontinued. The idea of having the map and route description together on a single durable card was great, and I wish I could get something like that for the less popular peaks. OTOH, it's basically the same as printing the 14ers.com route description, minus the "durable" part.
I haven't done this but I've certainly thought about it - you could buy that nat geo adventure paper and print whatever you need on there. It's supposed to be waterproof and durable.

I carry a gps but prefer to have a paper copy of a map and key features of the route. I have way more guidebooks than I need too - I just like having the physical thing.

And +1 to the reply above. I'd buy a 13er guidebook from you guys in a heartbeat.... Provided that it isn't $75 :)
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

ameristrat wrote:I haven't done this but I've certainly thought about it - you could buy that nat geo adventure paper and print whatever you need on there. It's supposed to be waterproof and durable.
Yes
Before all of my hikes, I print my map on a 8.5x11" sheet of the waterproof paper but go with the iGage map paper which is a LOT cheaper.
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by Mtnman200 »

SarahT wrote:Furthermore & I kicked around the idea of teaming up to publish 13er guidebooks over a year ago and after speaking with a few CO guidebook authors and potental customers more or less concluded it'd be a wasted effort. Bottom line, people ain't gonna pay for what they already get for free. This site has at least 1 trip report for nearly every 13er. Roach claims his High 13ers book is no longer in print because of lack of demand.
I still regularly use my 1st edition (1984) of Garratt & Martin's "Colorado's High Thirteeners," although I check more up-to-date sources for access info. In some cases, G&M is the only place to get a basic route description for an obscure bicentennial peak.
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by JTOlson26 »

Call me old fashioned (especially for a young guy) but I still prefer a tangible book to leaf through, as well as a good 'ole fashioned USGS Quad, or sometimes a Trails Illustrated.

I still peruse the internet, this site more than any other, for ideas and the like, but when it comes to the nitty gritty, I prefer a book and maps. Of course, printing maps is always an option these days as well, too.
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by Chicago Transplant »

Sadly, I think paper books are going to slowly fade. Several magazines and newspapers are no longer published in print forms, and books will probably follow suit.

Personally, I like paper. I have no iThings or smartphone or Kindle, etc type devices myself so losing out on paper would hurt. I like the good old fashioned feel of holding a book in your hands and flipping through the pages and I don't plan on changing that attitude anytime in the foreseeable future. As others have said, paper books don't lose batteries, are easy to read at camp, and you don't have to worry about cracking the screen or causing other damage to your $300+ iThing, if your book gets wet the pages might get a little wrinkled, but it still works. 8)
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by TallGrass »

Print out (color is nice) on 8.5x11" on plain recyclable paper of condensed notes and a few options (bail, explore, ...), fewer sheets the better, ziploc freezer bag for waterproofing if needed, fold in 1/4ths, front low thigh pocket. Couple times just given it away when leaving to someone hiking in sans map or route who's just following trail and cairns. Also pack a NatGeo/Trails Illustrated map which isn't as good on fine detail, but much better for broad overview and to see where to connect to major foot trails.

Think it was Presto who commented on starting 14ers with only the brief Borneman & Lampert description and outline. Think I'll go that route on some later ones just to avoid deja vu. First 14er attempt with just a topo was kind of nice in that respect -- every turn was new and fresh.

That said, as "geologic time includes now," the routes are constantly "edited" so alertness pays. :wink:

Oh, and it's a lot harder to use your heavier smartphone or Kindle as emergency tinder. :twisted:
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by planet54 »

BillMiddlebrook wrote:Before all of my hikes, I print my map on a 8.5x11" sheet of the waterproof paper but go with the iGage map paper
It must be nice to have money for all that ink and paper. :P I put my nice ,big 21.5"x27 " USGS map in a Ziploc. I'll wager that more hikes have been done that way than will ever be done with igage.

It seems that getting from point A to point B by figuring out how to do it yourself is becoming a lost art form. Doesn't anyone like a little mystery anymore ?
Last edited by planet54 on Wed Feb 19, 2014 4:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by TallGrass »

planet54 wrote: It seems that getting from point A to point B by figuring out how to do it yourself is becoming a lost art. Doesn't anyone like a little mystery anymore ?
Nope. All I need is my 14er app, five bars, slope meter app, finish the TR before hitting pavement, ... Does need a window on the bottom for taking photos though.

Image
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Re: The Guidebook of the Future

Post by Chicago Transplant »

Unfortunately its an every increasing digital world.

Found this image somewhere on the web from a German hotel somewhere...
SignOfTheTimes.jpg
SignOfTheTimes.jpg (30.28 KiB) Viewed 791 times
http://crazyhyena.com/in-case-of-fire-funny-sign_en
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