Friday 20 December 2019

GPS Coordinates

A recent conversation with a climber who was visiting Lleida for the first time, alerted us to the possible pitfalls of relying purely on the GPS coordinates we provide in the sector approach descriptions.
It seems that on two occasions his Satnav device took him and his friend to completely the wrong place. The first time this happened he was certain that the coordinates we gave in the guidebook were faulty, but when it happened again at a different sector he decided to investigate. It turned out that the mapping software he had installed on his Satnav was for driving only (on recognized roads) and as both the sector parking areas he had failed to reach involved 'off-road' driving on forestry tracks, the device didn't have a clue what to do. In fact, it took them to the nearest point on a surfaced road and then delivered the 'you have reached your destination' message.
The moral of this story is that you should not only make sure your Satnav device is loaded with the appropriate mapping software, but also make sure to read the approach descriptions and consult the physical maps in the guidebook!

3 comments:

  1. Any updates on confirmed grades for Barranc de Fontfreda at santa linya?

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    Replies
    1. Hi There,
      Strangely enough we haven't had news about any recent ascents at this sector. Hopefully things will change in the next couple of months...

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