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nopantsben
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 9, 2013 - 10:18am PT
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What is it?
Enthusiasm? Vocabulary? Content? Photos? Location? What's the most important ingredient and what doesn't matter?
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orle
climber
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Your everyday run-of-the-mill holdless proless flares smeared with Crisco and the thin blood of sport climbers.
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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I want to be involved in the report, I want it to draw me in. I want to hear about people having fun, enjoying being with their partner and enjoying their life event. Good photos, too, I want to see good photos.
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Dapper Dan
Trad climber
Menlo Park
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For me , without a doubt it is photos.
And maybe it is just our instant gratification culture , but I cant stand long winded reports , where every detail is relayed and expounded upon .
Shakespeare had it right 500 years ago . " Brevity is the soul of wit " .
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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I prefer if folks take time to actually WRITE something. Don't need or even want it to be a book. But a little more than 3 words per picture would be nice.. and more than a couple pics is good too. I like hearing about the less than perfect trips, the ones where things didnt go perfectly.. or at least hearing about something during the trip that was unexpected or a difficulty. Something challenging to the OP and something learned from makes for a better story to me. A bit of humor and something cool about your partner(s). Let your emotions of the trip show.. the good the bad ..convey that emotion.
The TR could be about driving to the store but if presented well and somehow tied in to climbing I'm probably going to enjoy it.
DMT for example does such a good job sharing simple outings with friends or family to obscure places. Good pictures and sparse but pointed writing.
Mark Hudon's take it to another level. Better than most articles in magazines. Desirable top level wall routes, Fantastic Photo's , great writing. He puts massive effort into his TRs.
Pellucid Wombat. Wow that guy should be writing guidebooks. Can be funny but his strong point is information about the route. In pro level pictures and diagrams.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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People are like ravens.. they like shiny distracting things but their attention span is brief.
I've had several top-rated TR's so what I usually shoot for is:
*Photos
*Some Humor
*Edit the sh#t out of it to get the text as brief as possible but still get the highlights across. I usually write the full TR with full details. Then edit try to cut out at least half of the text.
*Catchy titles help. Titles like: "My Winter Ascent of the NW Direct SE Face of the North Face of Half Dome" Don't exactly send me clicking for a read. Titles like that usually = a 50 page dissertation on every ponderous move of every day of a trip.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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The best trip report is about an epic, near death experience, including deep soul searching questions about life and death.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Something different.
A move-by-move description, even if it is of a hard climb, doesn't do much for me. How many of those can you read before they all start sounding the same, and all you want to do is scan the pictures?
But throw in something new, something different, and you're at least headed in the right direction. One of my favorites was Micronut's report on his visit to Nepal, where he did very little climbing, but traveled from village to village volunteering his dental skills. Great pictures, great story -- who cares if it wasn't full of gravelly, flared offwidths and overhanging fingerlocks?
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Reeotch
Trad climber
4 Corners Area
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*Edit the sh#t out of it to get the text as brief as possible but still get the highlights across.
+1!
That being said, it is nice to know that people are reading your words as well as looking at your pics. But, I do try to keep the text brief and to the point, something I had drilled into me by several professors. I think most professional writers would agree.
It is awesome when people leave comments. I was amazed to see the number of views vs. the number of comments on TRs. It is like 40 - 50 to 1 or more.
+1 for humor, too.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Just post it up!
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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There has to be a story behind the words, not just a bunch of pictures and pitch by pitch details.
Favorite TR to date would probably be Mark's Iron Hawk TR. That should be published in Alpinist mag for sure!
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Yep, good photos and some self efacing honesty goes a long ways. Humor happens, when it's real it's great, when it is forced, it can be tedious.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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The best trip report is about an epic, near death experience, including deep soul searching questions about life and death.
I'll give a +1 on this as well. ^ I write sit-coms.. not the dramas, but there are definitely some tales that are just too gripping to stop reading.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Wwjd; What would Jim (Donini) do? ;)
It's all about the story, that's what i've learned with my recent Alpinist effort. Draw the reader in, by describing your motivations and surroundings clearly. Pitch by pitch details can get long winded really quick.
Great pics really help too!
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Honest stories - funny or epic - from mortals. The partnership between people and the places is important. I loved the cables route TR with the autistic kid.
I will also obsessively read TRs about routes I am planning to do. Beta buried in there - places where I might get lost, pro tips, approach and descent notes are all gold when I am planning a route that is big for me. I'm currently enjoying several TR about a long alpine climb and hearing of the unexpected bivvies.
The second it sounds like a hot flash for a climbing magazine with big numbers, big names, and big egos - I'm outta there. Can't learn, relate or enjoy those tales.
Tell me a story. Give me some golden nugget.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Obviously the ones with the most comments are the best! Duh! I'm gonna write one right now!
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Content, humility, and music.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Obviously the ones with the most comments are the best! Duh!
Or the most controversial.... ;) lol
I'm gonna write one right now!
I've been hoping you would write up your most recent roadtrip!
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Alexey
climber
San Jose, CA
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For me, most important is what route was reported. My favorite TR are about the routes I inspired to climb after reading them.
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MisterE
Social climber
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Don't give away the end at the beginning. Keep a hook.
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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gonna say it: some of the best TR's were written by Jeremy.
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Will_P
Trad climber
Melbourne, Victoria
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Just try to write it like Micronut or Burch3y* and you can't go too far wrong. Funny, clever, inspiring, and irreverent.
[*although his last one was a bit off the mark - didn't even make the most of the comedic potential of having a French climber partner]
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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1. Epic climbing
2. Good photos
3. Succinct writing
4. Passion
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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When I'm writing one, I usually try to think about WWJD? Then I get distracted by a cat and forget what I'm doing.
Usually, when I'm finished, I read it to see if I like it. If it looks good, I completely rewrite it in an opposite style.
Hahahaha!
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snowhazed
Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
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There are many TR's that serve all kinds of purposes. Most TR's are not designed to be the best. A trip is a trip, a report is a report.
The ones I enjoy most draw you in. Sometimes all it takes are epic photos, sometimes the lyricism of the author, sometimes it is the genuine details of the experience that inspired the person to write. When you get all three of those together they sing.
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Jul 10, 2013 - 12:22pm PT
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Good ones break down something like this...
Tribal rites. Not the route, but the kind of stories that connect multiple generations to intense experiences. 'My Visit to the Canoe' and just about anything that Herson guy does qualify.
Pushing the Fun Meter into the Red: [url="http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/739225/Waterskiing-Tenaya-Lake-1978http://"]Waterskiing Lake Tenaya[/url]. End of story.
Ho Man yarns never let the truth get in the way of a good story but also take the piss out of the adventure writing trope. I've heard that Leo Houlding can do an hour-long slide show with just five slides, so maybe you have to be British to do it.
For my limited attention span and reliable wi-fi nothing gets me as psyched as ThingsToLucAt. Massive nature and audacity to spare.
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