"The" Indian Creek guidebook?

So many options, but which is the standard/ best?

David Bloom's

And probably stick with the older edition (2nd)

Good review on the new guide. I was skeptical that simply changing rack beta would improve the book, and it seems I was right.

+1 S Denny

3rd edition has some new routes - cool
unfortunately the gear lists are even further off than before. i think that part of the problem is that towards the beginning, a lot of folks gave him gear lists that he converted from camalots to friends, which has some complications. then, he probably converted from friends back to camalots, but not necessarily using the same formula. which has some complications....

Brand-specific gear beta is the worst thing to happen to modern climbing.

Gear lists (and ratings for that matter) are not important at all in the Creek. In my experience, translating other climber's gear lists is maddening and useless.

I stopped carrying a guidebook there ever since I got familiar with the different crags and their locations. I found that onsighting everything at the Creek is a better way to go.
Just look up at the pitch. It's right there in front of you!

i agree with bob. i still have yet to look at the guidebook down there. hear it has color pictures..neat!

Bob Dobalina wrote:Gear lists (and ratings for that matter) are not important at all in the Creek. In my experience, translating other climber's gear lists is maddening and useless. I stopped carrying a guidebook there ever since I got familiar with the different crags and their locations. I found that onsighting everything at the Creek is a better way to go. Just look up at the pitch. It's right there in front of you!

I would generally disagree with this. I found that the Creek was a place for which gear beta was pretty darn helpful, especially on a longer pitch. On a short pitch, you can eyeball what you need, but on a long pitch it helps to know what size you need. Maybe your eyes are better than mine, but I can't accurately guess whether the top 40 feet of a 160 foot tall pitch is 0.5s or 0.75s. You are hosed if you take the wrong size, and carrying a bunch of each up the whole pitch isn't ideal either. Hell, even the idfference between red camalots and #2 friends can be critical. At other climbing areas, there is usually enough variation that several different pieces will go in but in the Creek there is only one right size for the gear...and you really need the right size gear.

Brad M wrote:Brand-specific gear beta is the worst thing to happen to modern climbing.

It's pretty easy to translate between the brands after you've used lots of different gear. I would argue that the worst-thing-to-happen-to-modern-climbing award goes to bouldering.

Marc H wrote: It's pretty easy to translate between the brands after you've used lots of different gear. I would argue that the worst-thing-to-happen-to-modern-climbing award goes to bouldering.

+1

Bouldering was the worst thing to happen to my body.