A new website has been launched for climbers and mountaineers giving details of the winter climbing potential in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Spain. This free online resource can be found at www.guidebook-
For those climbers and mountaineers seeking quiet, remote locations with climbing of an exploratory nature then the Sierra Nevada fit the bill perfectly. There is also guaranteed snow from December until well into May. In addition, with over 320 sunny days per year, that magical combination of sun and snow is almost certain to be met.
The online guidebook details climbs of all grades, difficulties and situations. Each climb is explained using photos to explain the approach and route to follow. There are also pages on the access, approaches, maps, weather, avalanche risk and other useful online resources.
The guidebook has been produced by Spanish Highs Mountain Guides, who work in the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Granada. Richard Hartley, owner of the company gave his reasons for producing the guidebook, "We realised over the course of the last 7 years, our guides had climbed many routes, taken hundreds of photos and knew the mountains intimately. We knew no current guidebook existed so decided to consolidate the knowledge into an online guide. We took what we knew, gathered bits of information from spanish sources and talked to local climbers. The online guide is the result. Hopefully many more climbers and mountaineers will be attracted to these wonderful mountains!"
However, the guidebook is far from finished. As the homepage explains, "this is ongoing an ongoing project". It is hoped that climbers will report back on their findings this coming winter so more detail can be included. The guidebook is set to become the definitive resource for the Sierra Nevada mountains in winter.
