Historical research
We research older routes and climbing history across places such as Reddit, Steam, YouTube, Discord, and other community sources.
01
The Cairn Catalogue Field Guide
Chapter 01
Getting Started
What Cairn Catalogue is, where its routes come from, and how to begin exploring, contributing, and taking part in the community.
Welcome
A living catalogue of Cairn climbing.
Cairn Catalogue is the definitive resource for Cairn routes. It exists to document the game's climbing history, preserve established routes, and give climbers one place to discover what has already been climbed.
The Catalogue is also a community project. Routes, history, corrections, photographs, records, and new discoveries all depend on contributions from the people who climb them.
Beyond the Catalogue itself, Cairn Catalogue regularly hosts competitions with real prizes through Cairn Project.
Building the Catalogue
Where do the routes come from?
The Catalogue is built from both historical research and new community submissions.
Original history
When information is available, we try to identify original route names, setters, early ascents, and other details that help preserve the history of a line.
New submissions
Climbers can submit routes directly to Cairn Catalogue. New discoveries are one of the ways the Catalogue continues to grow.
Route information can change.
Cairn's climbing history is still being uncovered. If older evidence or better information comes to light, Catalogue listings may be corrected or updated to reflect it.
Every Submission
Every route gets a route check.
A submitted route does not automatically become a Catalogue route.
Everyone goes through the same process.
Every user-submitted route is checked before it becomes publicly listed in the Catalogue. No one is exempt from review.
1
Submit
A climber sends a route to the Catalogue.
2
Route Check
The route and submission are reviewed.
3
Catalogue
Accepted routes become part of the public Catalogue.
Common Problems
Why might a route be rejected?
×
Edited photographs
Route imagery should follow the Catalogue submission standards.
×
Sloppy route lines or imagery
Submissions need to make the intended route clear enough to document.
×
Existing routes
A newly submitted name does not create a new route if the line is already established.
These are only some of the most common reasons. Full submission requirements are covered in the Adding Routes chapter.
Adding RoutesCommunity Standards
Keep it respectful. Keep it PG-13.
Cairn Catalogue is built for a broad climbing community. You do not need a long rulebook to participate — just use reasonable judgment and treat other people with respect.
Be respectful.
Do not harass, threaten, bully, or deliberately target other members of the community.
Keep it PG-13.
Route names, profile content, posts, images, and other public material should generally be PG-13 or safer.
No lewd or adult imagery.
Sexual, pornographic, or otherwise inappropriate adult imagery does not belong on Cairn Catalogue.
Don't spam or disrupt the site.
Do not flood Community, abuse site features, intentionally submit junk, or repeatedly interfere with other people using the Catalogue.
Don't impersonate people.
Do not pretend to be another climber, falsely claim someone else's work, or deliberately misrepresent who submitted or climbed something.
Use common sense.
Not every possible bad-faith behavior needs its own rule. If something is obviously harmful, abusive, or intended to create problems, do not do it.
A note on moderation
We are here to maintain the Catalogue, not repeatedly police the same behavior.
If a basic conduct issue has to be dealt with more than once, the account may simply be banned. Serious violations may also result in immediate removal.
Where to Begin
Start exploring.
Different parts of Cairn Catalogue are built for different things.
Discover
Routes
Browse the Catalogue, discover established lines, and explore climbing throughout Cairn.
Contribute
Add A Route
Found something new? Submit a route to be checked for inclusion in the Catalogue.
Connect
Community
Talk with other climbers and take part in the community surrounding the Catalogue.
Compete
Cairn Project
Find competitions and other Cairn Project events, including opportunities to compete for real prizes.
Support
Supporters
Help keep Cairn Catalogue running and access supporter perks, including Community name customization.
Learn
Using the Catalogue
Continue to Chapter 02 for a closer look at the site's routes, profiles, Ticklists, logs, and other features.
Continue Reading
Using the Catalogue
Learn how the Catalogue's routes, profiles, Ticklists, logs, Community, and other site features fit together.