by wayfarer » Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:48 pm
Hmm. I may be misunderstanding "Omnidirectional Relief and Steepness" measurements. I must admit to being a bit puzzled about the presence of certain peaks and absence of others. For example, Grindstone Ridge in Virginia is essentially a large, cliff-bound shoulder of High Knob, with gentle slopes above, but it makes the Southeast Top 50 list at #47. Meanwhile, the Pinnacles of Dan, also in Virginia, which score very high (for Virginia) on Tim's list is not on the RORS list at all. Regardless, most of the peaks on both the Eastern RORS lists are definitely among the most visually impressive peaks in the East and I have made it a goal to try visiting them all eventually. So it is very neat to be able to track my progress and see what others have done on LOJ. And if there are access issues with any of them, and I see that someone else has climbed it, I may be able to learn something from them. But if you would prefer, I can keep these lists private and share the links with a few friends or anyone who asks me for it.
That being said, I think Tim's lists are fascinating. They also come up with many of the most impressive looking peaks. And since they score every peak in the LOJ database, they are more useful for searching out new places to explore. Though it's a bit less of a problem in the Northeast than in the Southeast ( a lot rockier up there, and they do have some peaks above treeline), I think the steepness lists are a good tool for searching out views. Peaks that score high, especially on maximum steepness, are quite likely to have rock outcrops and cliff faces. Of course, this is rarely a consideration out West, but I think about it a lot here in Virginia. I have already put Tim's lists to my own use towards that end but I think it will be cool to have a couple of regional best lists. So I'm looking forward to making those 100 Steepest lists too. If I leave the RORS lists public, I think it will be fun for people to be able to compare the differences.
What can I say? I work with what I've got. Always looking for something worthwhile to go up!
Rick