stele1

stele1

stele1 is a stable format for climbing data:
organize an area you know well into an accessible catalog.

That catalog lives on your computer as a folder.

Whatever you build from it — a guidebook, a website, or folder you share — is your choice.

the editor

The editor runs in your browser.
No account needed; accounts aren't even available.

The editor updates your catalog directly.
No admin approval needed; administrators don't even exist.

The editor covers the whole spec; everything in the spec is editable. Plus some utilities: whole-area map and search, dedicated pages for each route, area, and photo.

open the editor →

the schema & format

The schema is a set of small, intentional choices about how to model climbing.

schema excerpts:

Climb Notes are flexible and organized by topic.

...
"notes": [
  {"topic":   "history",
   "content": "Alan Watts bolted it, ground-up on lead in 1985. Despite the respectable style by modern standards, it caused moderate uproar at the time.  Watts projected it himself but didn't send. Jean-Baptiste Tribout, visiting from France in 1986, sent it, calling it 5.14a. The first 5.14 in America. The next few years brought ascents from the whos-who of late 80s climbers: Scott Franklin, Jerry Moffatt, Ron Kauk. Alan Watts came back in '89 for his own ascent. Since then, we've seen it go from a route for the elite to impressive goal for some of the most talented amateurs.",
  {"topic":   "elevator pitch",
   "content": "The name asks: should bolts like this exist? load up on quickdraws an find out!"},
  {"topic":   "beta",
   "content": "The first 1/3 is a warm-up of crimps and stems to a no-hands at the third bolt. The crux is the next 25 feet: small crimps and side pulls on a slight overhang, no real rests, exit on a long lock-off to a sidepull rail. Above the crux, a knee-bar rest if you weight it right. The headwall is 5.12+ on big holds."},
  {"topic":   "locating",
   "content": "Begins from above a pointed boulder. Right of the arete two small roofs (Last Waltz), left of Sunshine Dihedral."}
],
...

Each climb can carry a comprehesive selection and particular notes can be extracted when publishing.

The format is portable, transparent, and built to outlast any single tool.

review the spec →

what stele1 is for

stele1 is designed for outdoor free climbing. The design intentions start and stop at outdoor free climbing. Utility for gyms, big-walls, indoor competitions, and mountaineering is incidental.

A stele1 catalog covers an area that someone can know well. You can fully know Devils Lake, Shagg Crag, or HP40. A subset of a larger destination is also a good fit: Joshua Tree Boulders or The New's Endless Wall. A single catalog for a huge region like Appalachia, the Sierras, or Colorado would be working against the grain.

What you know well is what sets the scope of your catalog.

browse a minimal catalog →

stele1 as a data layer

The 1 in stele1 is a compatibility commitment. Any stele1 catalog will always load in stele1 tools.

stele1 ships JavaScript and Python libraries, plus a CLI.

The format and libraries are a foundation that won't move, so you can build your own climbing software without rehashing the basics.

stele1 on codeberg →