Editing Climbing guidebook (section)

==Content and information==
{{Main article|Climbing route#Details}}
[[File:Toix Est Topo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|[[Topo (climbing)|Topo image]] of the [[cliff]] ''Toix Est'' in [[Costa Blanca]] in Spain, by climber Chris Craggs from a Rockfax guidebook]]

Before discussing individual routes, a climbing guidebook will outline the history and current status of climbing ethics applicable for the location including for example whether the use of [[bolt (climbing)|bolts]] for [[sport climbing]] is allowed, and other local customs (e.g. use if non-clean [[aid climbing]] techniques), and the legal position around access to the location.<ref name=RF/>

Guidebooks can locate a given route by verbal description (for example: " ''start in the third left-facing corner below the large, orange roof, left of the route "Something Interesting"''). Starting in the 1980s, a diagram style was developed, with detailed diagrams (or photographs) of the routes with the key obstacles and challenges encountered explicitly marked/overlaid, which came to be called "[[topo (climbing)|topos]]" (see image opposite).<ref name=CL1>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/the-guidebook-odyssey-unearthing-the-epic-task-of-writing-a-guidebook/ | first=Michael | last=Adamson | date=6 February 2009 | accessdate=26 August 2023 | title=The Guidebook Odyssey – Unearthing the epic task of writing a guidebook}}</ref><ref name=CM3/>

Modern guidebooks include a range of [[Climbing route#Details|standard detail]]s for each specific route, including the length of a route and its [[grade (climbing)|climbing grade]]. The description can also include varying amounts of information about how to climb the route, such as the location of the [[Crux (climbing)|crux]] and any special techniques needed (i.e. [[Bridging (climbing)|bridging]], [[laybacking]], or the need for [[aid climbing]])—when the information on 'how to climb' a route is very detailed it is collectively known as ''[[beta (climbing)|beta]]'', and can affect the style of the ascent (i.e. [[onsight]]ing). The guidebook may also include the type of [[rock-climbing equipment|equipment]] needed and particularly for [[climbing protection]]. In a definitive guide, the route's history (e.g. credits for [[first free ascent]]s) would also be included.<ref name=RF>{{cite book | title=How to write ... a MiniGuide | first1=Mick | last1=Ryan | first2=Alan | last2=James | date=July 2002 | publisher=RockFax | pages=1–15 | url=https://rockfax.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/how_to_write.pdf | accessdate=26 August 2023}}</ref>

In 2022, two Austrian climbers published ''Klimafreundlich Klettern'' (or ''Sustainable Climbing''), a guidebook on the Tyrol whose climbing routes could be accessed via public transport or bicycle, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the climbers.<ref>{{cite web | website=PlanetMountain | date=6 May 2022 | accessdate=5 May 2024 | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/sustainable-climbing-guidebook-to-tyrol-austria-lena-muller-deniz-scheerer.html | title=Sustainable climbing. The guidebook to Tyrol, Austria by Lena Müller, Deniz Scheerer}}</ref>

===Sandbagging===

The grading of modern climbing routes is increasingly concentrated around a small number of dominant systems, such as the [[Yosemite Decimal System]] and the [[Grade (climbing)#V-grade|V-scale]] in North America, and the French [[Grade (climbing)#French numerical grade|sport system]] and [[Grade (climbing)#Font grade|Font-scale]] in Europe.  An aspect of climbing guidebooks is the consistency of applying these dominant grading systems with that of other climbing areas and guidebooks so that visiting climbers to an area can accurately assess the scale of a route's challenge.  Where a guidebook's grades are materially 'easier' than what they should be so that the listed grades underestimate the challenge and difficulty of the routes, it is known as 'sandbagging'.<ref name=CN>{{cite web | magazine=Climber | url=https://www.climbernews.com/what-is-a-sandbag-in-climbing/ | title=What Is A Sandbag In Climbing? – Climbing Jargon Explained | date=15 January 2021 | accessdate=6 May 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/places/get-sandbagged-7-routes-to-do/ | title=Get Sandbagged! 7 Notoriously Tougher-than-Advertised Routes | date=9 September 2013 | accessdate=6 May 2024 | first=Eddie | last=Schermerhorn}}</ref>

'Sandbagging' is a source of debate amongst climbers, some consider it a source of unnecessary danger to visiting climbers, while others consider 'sandbagging' a reflection of local customs and historical grading that should be preserved in guidebook grades.<ref name=CN/><ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/people/the-wright-stuff-the-art-of-the-sandbag/ | title=Cedar Wright on 'The Value of a Good Sandbag' | first=Cedar| last=Wright| date=27 June 2023 | accessdate=6 May 2024}}</ref> Certain climbing areas are notable for systemic sandbagging (i.e. most of the grades in their guidebooks understate the true difficulty of their routes), with examples in North America being [[Yosemite]], [[Shawangunk Ridge]] (the "Gunks"), and [[Eldorado Canyon State Park|Eldorado Canyon]].<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/places/numbers-game-historic-sandbagged-crags/ | title=Numbers Game: Classic Sandbags at 4 Historic Crags | first=Liz | last=Drummond| date=2 March 2023 | accessdate=6 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | website=HardClimbs | url=https://hardclimbs.info/sandbagged-climbing/ | first=Zak | last=D | date=22 August 2023 | accessdate=6 May 2024 | title=What does sandbagging mean in climbing}}</ref> Some guidebooks will try to alert the reader on sandbagged routes (e.g. "often considered sandbagged at the grade"), or with more subtle wordings to avoid upsetting local climbers such as "stiff at the grade".<ref>{{cite web | magazine=UKClimbing | url=https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/guidebooks_what_they_say_vs_what_they_mean-12323 | title=Guidebooks: What They Say vs. What They Mean Article | date=10 October 2019 | accessdate=6 May 2024 | first=John | last=Sagar}}</ref><ref name=CM2/>