Crag Solar Orientation

I would love to be able to add solar orientation to the advanced search criteria. When I am looking for routes to do on a particular day that is often a significant factor driving the choice.

Thanks!

David Houston wrote:I would love to be able to add solar orientation to the advanced search criteria. When I am looking for routes to do on a particular day that is often a significant factor driving the choice. Thanks!

By solar orientation do you mean the aspect of the crag? I think its a great idea as well.

I think that's a great idea. Search for east/south facing crags in the winter-- unless you're looking for ice-- and west/north facing crags in the summer. Makes a ton of sense and definitely mirrors where I actually try to go when I've direct knowledge of this stuff.

+1

I was just thinking this needed to be added especially since most modern climbing guide books have this in the book. it could be as simple as N,S,E,or W.

The search function would improve bigtime

Great idea, but my request will probably get deleted. What crags in Clear Creek get good winter sun?

Mitch: yes, the aspect. I wonder if there is way to indicate how much sun it gets as well. For instance in some canyons even south facing cliffs get little sun.

Kevin: I've had good luck starting at High Wire late morning and moving to Highlander as the sun comes around. People also recommend the Dog House.

Good thought...but there are some challenges to this. Solar orientation varies with the time of the year. Some crags are fully shaded in December but are fully in the sun in the summer. Some face NE, SSW, etc. Some crags are not flat but curve or are multi-faceted, so the aspect can change. Some solar aspects change on time of day due to projections of rock or hillsides that will shade 'em.

Simple solutions might leave one disappointed using that as a culling tool to select crags.

Leo Paik wrote:Good thought...but there are some challenges to this. Solar orientation varies with the time of the year. Some crags are fully shaded in December but are fully in the sun in the summer. Some face NE, SSW, etc. Some crags are not flat but curve or are multi-faceted, so the aspect can change. Some solar aspects change on time of day due to projections of rock or hillsides that will shade 'em. Simple solutions might leave one disappointed using that as a culling tool to select crags.

ARCGIS has an aspect tool that will calculate solar radiation for an area based on time of year. I believe that will correct for projections that block light to the cliffs during the day. I've been toying with the idea of a more substantial database for local crags, might be time to start gathering up the tools. It wouldn't be hard to calculate the aspect and solar radiation levels and put it into a graph that shows how that changes throughout the year.

I won't have time for a while, but I can give it a try early next year.

Leo Paik wrote:Good thought...but there are some challenges to this. Solar orientation varies with the time of the year. Some crags are fully shaded in December but are fully in the sun in the summer. Some face NE, SSW, etc. Some crags are not flat but curve or are multi-faceted, so the aspect can change. Some solar aspects change on time of day due to projections of rock or hillsides that will shade 'em. Simple solutions might leave one disappointed using that as a culling tool to select crags.

how about a simple shade/sun beta. an easy question like - on a winter day is this climb in the sun or the shade? solar projections aside, most climbs get sun or they dont all year even if it is only one hour.

get the time to the hour and you have something important.

I agree. This would be a very helpful feature.

Some guidebooks have North indicated but a lot of folks don't seem to grasp that the sun rises in the east or that in the winter South faces get sun almost all day.