Help us out!
DrTopo is a website run by climbers for climbers. We need your help if we want to keep our guidebooks accurate and if we want the website to keep growing (and we sure do).
There are a few ways you can help DrTopo.
1. Submit a guidebook
When we started, we did most of the guidebooks but now, more and more climbers are submitting their work. We have received over 50 guidebooks submitted by climbers just like you. You don't have to make a topo for the hottest crag on earth. Even your local hang out deserves to be online. Wether you're visiting your aunt or driving by on your way to Hueco it's always fun to stop at a little crag for a day.
Send topo to : alex@drtopo.com
GENERAL GUIDELINES
So get your pen and paper and get to work. If your area already has a published guidebook, make sure that you don't infringe copyrights. You can't just go out there and recopy the guide. You need to draw the cliff or the boulders as you see them, without using any other references. Same goes for describing the climbs, you need to describe them in your own words. You can only use the published guide to help you with names and ratings and it's always good to ask around to get consensus on ratings. Of course, if you use any references, make sure you mention them in your introduction.
If you're making a guide to an area that as no other guidebooks, you don't have to worry about copyrights, but you have to worry about access issues. Is the crag officially opened? Who owns the land? Who owns the parking? Are you trespassing on your way to the crag? Ask around to make sure that climbing at your area is perfectly legal. Guidebooks can increase the traffic to an area, but they can also help inform the climbers on any access issues. Therefore, a well done topo can improve the access to sensitive areas.
DRAWING THE AREA
For bouldering areas, it's usually better to use a "bird view". Check out a few of our topos and use the same standards. We use shading to represent overhangs. Also, the boulders too small to be climbed are grey rather than white.
For climbing areas you have to use your own judgment. Some cliffs with a straight cliff band are easier to represent from front views. Same goes for cliffs with many link ups and variation. It's easier to draw the routes, rather than describe them. With a good front view, you don't really have to use words afterward to describe the routes. On the other hand, cliffs with many dihedrals and aretes might be easier to draw using the "bird view". If you do so, you'll definitely have to describes the routes afterward, especially on where to start.
The single most important thing in a guidebook is finding the crag. So draw a decent road map using the many tools available online (Google maps, MapQuest, park maps, etc.) and make sure you always send an overview of the whole climbing area including the parking.
Files format: the best for us is Adobe Illustrator files. Second best are pdf that were created with vectorial drawing software. Otherwise, pdf, jpg, gif, tiff, eps are all accepted. If you're not too good on the computer, you can even mail us hand drawn topo and we will put it on the computer for you (although it might take a little longer). However, if you mail us a topo, make sure you type all the text and email it to us in a regular email.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTES
A drawing is usually not enough and you also need to describe the routes. For bouldering, describe the starting holds and make sure you mention it if it's a sit down start (SDS). Then say where to go (ex: SDS-Start on the two sidepulls and go up and right to finish on the arete).
For routes, avoid relying on other routes to describe where to start. For exemple don't write "start 5 feet left of the previous route" as a route can be added or removed in the future. Also, if the climber don't know what the previous route is, it won't be of any help. Instead, use obvious features like a crack, dihedral, arete or a big tree.
(ex: Start in the black streak, 8 feet right of the dihedral and climb straight up the face, just left of the arete).
Also, if an overview map is not enough, describe on how to get to each cliff.
INTRODUCTION
This is a really important part of the guidebook. First, you want to talk about your area. Describe the place to get people interested in checking it out but be honest, don't over hype the place. What kind of rock can we find there? What type of climbing? Sport, trad or bouldering? Is it mostly slabs, faces or overhangs? How long have people been climbing there? Is there interesting historic details?
Mention anything that could be relevant. It's always nice to read about an area, wether you're surfing on the web or chilling in your car in the rain.
Then you have to cover some specific topics.
Directions: No need to say that's pretty important. How do we get to your crag? Be concise and precise. Give plenty of landmarks and don't assume people are from around town. Start from the main highways and describe each turn all the way to the parking lot. Then of course, describe the trail unless you're lucky enough to have the crag just by the parking.
When: What's the best season to visit. Don't say year round!!! That's really rare. It's not because the locals accept to sweat through the summer and freeze their fingers during the winter that the area is year round. That's what we call a spring and fall area... So be honest and write down what's the best time to visit, not how hardcore are the locals.
Sleep: Same thing here, think about visiting climbers. Is there camping near the crag? Any place to stay for free? Any cheap hotels or other places good for climbers?
Eat: Where can we find water and basic supplies? Where's the nearest groceries? Do you have any places to suggest (pizza, restaurant, pubs, etc.)
Access issues: Is there anything to mention? Parking issues? Private land we need to avoid? Is the area free or is there a fee to park or climb?
References: Is there published guidebooks to the area? Is there people that help you with the topo?
REWARD PROGRAM
Thanks to Metolius, climbers who submit guides can be eligible to get free gear.
Click here to learn more...