Red River Gorge, on your iPhone
Just back from the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City, where I ran into my old friend Dave Pegg. Dave is a long time climber and a former editor at Climbing Magazine. I met Dave way back in the days of the Phoenix Bouldering Contest when I lived in Arizona. These days Dave heads a book publishing company called Wolverine Publishing, most notably the publishers of some very successful climbing guidebooks. I’ve worked with Dave several times over the years on photography for these books but it had been awhile.
After some how-do-you-do’s, he excitedly pulled me aside to show me something, and whipped out his iPhone. I figured it was pics of some new crag somewhere I would never make it to, but instead he showed me this.
It’s the complete and functioning 3rd edition to his guidebook to the Red River Gorge – already one of the best climbing guides out there – on a mobile phone / ipod touch. All the standard climbing route information is in here, plus a ton of interactivity tools for sorting, rating, and finding your favorite climbs. And no, it does not require an internet connection once installed. Release is set for May 2010.
OK not so shocker, as all books are headed toward an electronic second life, but the great thing about this app was how well-designed and useful it appeared. Game changer? I’ll be able to share more details with you plus a not-so-exclusive interview with Dave closer to May.
Comments
You can have the exclusive interview after I get the exclusive interview. I saw him first at OR 🙂
Peter: You know I had to throw that out there. He nodded at me on his way to meet you.
The free Lite version of the app is out. Check out:
http://www.facebook.com/RedRiverGorgeRockClimbs