SMC Corbetts and Other Hills book

[jaykayemm]

I have just found out that the SMC Corbetts book I bought in Ballater in July 2018 is not accurate and out of date. The book was 'refreshed' in 2016/2017 so this book should not even have been on sale - buyer beware.

I found a Corbett (Cnoc Coinnich) listed in the WH website that did not appear in the official and current (or so I thought) edition. I always heard talk that whenever the SMC reviewed the hills list it was only a money making scam and I fell for it.

In future I will follow the WH site ahead of the official SMC information. How many other Corbetts were refreshed in 2016?

[Scraggygoat]

It’s a fine book, put together by volunteer authors for the benefit of the Scottish walking and climbing community, proceeds from the sale of which go towards other guide books and publications (walking, climbing and the new scrambling series). This and the Munro guides spawned numerous copies, in some cases plagiarisms. Which ultimately in many cases were recycled into walk reports on Walkhighlands (and elsewhere).

It’s a book, all books date, just enjoy it and use it as you see fit. By buying it you have put something back , unlike by using Walkhighlands.

[iain_atkinson_1986]

My version is from 2017 and has Cnoc Coinnich listed as a Corbett. My gripe with my copy is that they basically glued new routes over old ones rather take the copies with mistakes out of print (or sell them off cheaper on their website). No big issue really.

If you're looking for up-to-date information on hills you can download a spreadsheet from hill-database.co.uk, though it's only really Munro tops I use this for.

[jaykayemm]

It might be a fine book but it's useless to anyone who is setting out to climb all the Corbetts as they would fail to climb the hills that are in the 'refreshed' edition. As far as I'm aware the height of the hills has not changed in many millennium so the only reason for a new edition is to increase the revenue of SMC. On your other point the SMC contribute nothing to my hill walking, I rely on Mountaineeting Scotland and Walk Higjlands for all my information. SMC is for climbers not hillealkers.

[iain_atkinson_1986]

It might be a fine book but it's useless to anyone who is setting out to climb all the Corbetts as they would fail to climb the hills that are in the 'refreshed' edition. As far as I'm aware the height of the hills has not changed in many millennium so the only reason for a new edition is to increase the revenue of SMC. On your other point the SMC contribute nothing to my hill walking, I rely on Mountaineeting Scotland and Walk Higjlands for all my information. SMC is for climbers not hillealkers.

Rubbish.

I've several hillwalking books that are no longer up-to-date and look at them for route ideas all the time. Relying on only one source for your route planning means you'll miss out on routes that don't immediately jump out at you on the map or that have fallen out of favour for one reason on another. I routinely combine routes from various different books too.

Even if your edition doesn't have Cnoc Coinnich as a Corbett it should cover 221/222 Corbetts and most would combine Cnoc Coinnich with The Brack anyway so you'd do it either way.

[prog99]

On your other point the SMC contribute nothing to my hill walking, I rely on Mountaineeting Scotland and Walk Higjlands for all my information. SMC is for climbers not hillealkers.

Look in the inside cover or thereabouts , it tells you where the profits go. Then come back to the group and tell everyone.

[Giant Stoneater]

It's a bit like saying hillwalking books in second hand book shops should be removed as they dont contain up to date information, surely it is easily enough to cross reference whither a hill is a Corbett, Graham etc. from various sites.
I still use a Munro/Corbett books that are nearly 20 years old it never worries me that it is out of date.

[WeeHills]

It might be a fine book but it's useless to anyone who is setting out to climb all the Corbetts as they would fail to climb the hills that are in the 'refreshed' edition. As far as I'm aware the height of the hills has not changed in many millennium so the only reason for a new edition is to increase the revenue of SMC. On your other point the SMC contribute nothing to my hill walking, I rely on Mountaineeting Scotland and Walk Higjlands for all my information. SMC is for climbers not hillealkers.

If I were feeling pedantic I might point out that isostatic rebound, erosion and sea level changes have altered the heights of our hills over recent millenia. Mostly though changes to the corbett list are down to technological advances in measurement. And unlike munros corbetts actually have defined criteria to fulfill. None of which is the fault of SMC.

If you don't like the book might I politely suggest you donate it to your local library where others may find inspiration from it, mildly outdated though it may be.

[Fiona Reid]

It might be a fine book but it's useless to anyone who is setting out to climb all the Corbetts as they would fail to climb the hills that are in the 'refreshed' edition. As far as I'm aware the height of the hills has not changed in many millennium so the only reason for a new edition is to increase the revenue of SMC. On your other point the SMC contribute nothing to my hill walking, I rely on Mountaineeting Scotland and Walk Higjlands for all my information. SMC is for climbers not hillealkers.

Wow! That's a lot of angst over one missing hill.

The SMC don't add or remove hills to make money by selling more books.

The money that the books make goes to the Scottish Mountaineering Trust which supports a number of worthy causes including footpath maintenance - this likely does contribute to your hillwalking. Full details of the trust and what they support can be found at https://thesmt.org.uk/

[Coulags]

Is the OP really Mr Logic from Viz ? Stravaiging about and talking pish

[Coop]

It might be a fine book but it's useless to anyone who is setting out to climb all the Corbetts as they would fail to climb the hills that are in the 'refreshed' edition. As far as I'm aware the height of the hills has not changed in many millennium so the only reason for a new edition is to increase the revenue of SMC. On your other point the SMC contribute nothing to my hill walking, I rely on Mountaineeting Scotland and Walk Higjlands for all my information. SMC is for climbers not hillealkers.

Rubbish, anyone setting out to climb all the corbetts , Munro's, Donalds etc etc would probably take a few years and not rely on any one book . They'd use maps , many GUIDE books, many websites, and word of mouth..
Just for yourself type the name of any hill in Scotland into your browser bar with the word summit at the end, and hit search.
Hill bagging will come up somewhere and will tell you all you need to know about that hill - all its classifications and re classifications
Enjoy the hills

[Scraggygoat]

Imagine relying on Mountaineering Scotland and Walkhighlands, and not being able to cope with missing one hill from a book…modern dependency walking culture encapsulated in one post!

To paraphrase Monty Python ‘What have the SMC ever done for us’

Apart from; One of the founding clubs of Mountaineering Scotland (in the now lost hope that they would actually represent walkers and climbers) & continue to fund them, compiled the very list the OP is moaning about, hold historical records, produce guide book series for walkers, climbers, ski tourers, and scrambling (often copied including by Walkhighlands) all long before they were commercially viable, added their weight to the drafting of the Land Reform act, produced one of the first schematic maps to the peaks and passes of the Cullin, foot path repairs, hut network & hut renovations, formed the charitable SMT trust mentioned above, which also supports Scottish Mountain Rescue.

Well apart from ***** what have the SMC done for us!

And no I’m not a member (though could have been if I wanted).

May I suggest you throw away the guide book never log onto Walkhighlands, take the corbett list and a stack of OS maps and just get on with it, because in reality that’s all any competent Walker needs.

[rockhopper]

FWIW my SMC Munro and Corbetts/other hills books are about 30 - 40 years old as I got them when I started. There were about 278 Munros then but I just annotated the book over time. Similarly with the Corbetts for additions/deletions. Haven't seen the need to replace them and even if I did I'd just accept that they'd go out of date. I find them good for reference but often didn't use their routes anyway esp on the Munros.

[WalkWithWallace]

Some harsh criticism of the SMC book, plus you can still pick up Cameron McNeish's book in the shops that has 284 Munros listed in it.

The SMC Grahams and Donalds book is excellent and a revised Corbett book is in the pipeline. Looking forward to it.

[iain_atkinson_1986]

A bit off topic but how is the latest version of the SMC Munro book with A' Chrailaig on the front? Any major change to routes etc?