Ok, so the question likely on your mind is “why is there a hiking site review on a photography blog?“, and the answer is really quite simple – we like the product that Peakery.com has put together, and want to share it with you.
Our blog here at Powder Ridge Photography is about sharing our experiences as we seek out “Images that are Wonderful to Behold“. As of late, most of those experiences have been in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains, and as we hike through the amazing Alaska landscapes we’ve found ourselves up on more than a mountain peak or two. Those mountain top experiences are worth logging, and it used to be quite common to find “summit logs” on mountain peaks. Yet it seems that as of late they are absent from most summits – at least around our home base in Eagle River, Alaska. That is kind of sad, but perhaps just a reality of this modern era we are living in. If only there was a “virtual” summit log where hikers, mountaineers, alpinists, and outdoor enthusiasts could come together and share their mountain top experiences together.
Logo from Peakery.com
While there are many sites on the web dedicated to regional trails or summits, sites dedicated to logging the bare technical facts of a summit, or blogs (such as ours) that share experiences and trailhead notes, there is really only one that seems to put all of these individual facets together, and includes a “social media” dimension that just works – Peakery.com.
We stumbled across Peakery just a couple of weeks ago, and we were instantly won over. The interface is clean, crisp, bright and is filled with images of mountain peaks the world over. There is a map interface that incorporates satellite imagery, topographic maps, and shaded relief maps, each with incredible detail. At the present moment, Peakery has catalogued over 300,000 peaks world-wide, and thanks to the ability for users of the site to submit peaks, more are being added regularly. Images of the peaks are automatically uploaded from Panoramia when available, and users can submit their own photographs to be used as the “official” photo of the designated mountain. Google 360 degree flyovers are also prominently featured for identified peaks.
Signing up for an account is simple, either using the typical “email/password” route, or the increasingly popular “sign in with Facebook” option. Once you create an account you can link your FaceBook and Twitter accounts, your blog, share a bit about yourself, and upload a profile photo. Each of these features gives Peakery a decidedly community feel that other mountaineering sites are sorely lacking. You do not need to sign up to use the site in so far as being able to search for peaks or enjoy the maps, but you will not be able to submit peaks for inclusion, add photographs, or otherwise “participate” in the site’s community.
We really enjoy the community feel of the site, which includes comments from users about their climbs, the routes they used, who they enjoyed the hikes with, and the photos they upload. Users of the site can also provide photographs of the mountain to designate as the “official” peak photo.
Examples of Summit Badges on Peakery.
Make it to the top? Get a “Summit Badge”! Get the first summit? Peakery gives you the credit! You can look at the map and see your summits, anywhere on the globe, be they in Alaska, Colorado, Cuba, or on the other side of the planet. Peakery also features several “collections”, such as the Colorado 14’ers, and the National Park “high points”, fun features for making your list of bragging rights.
As a whole, we really enjoy this site – which is the brainchild of Scott Kendall – and we are thankful for the forum. There are a couple of items we’d like to see added, and are glad to see that the team at Peakery is willing to listen to them (via their feedback link). We’d like the option of being able to “add a peak” directly from the map browser, rather than having to re-navigate to a region with the submission tool, though this will become less and less important as more peaks are catalogued. We also think it would be a neat feature to be able to upload “tracks” from hikes taken, using downloads from a Garmin watch or GPS unit. This would allow for new trails and routes to be documented as well. That extra bit might detract a bit from the “Peak” point of Peakery, but we think it would be a worthwhile dimension.
All in all, you can expect to see our summit logs, photos, and journey notes on Peakery regularly. Powder Ridge signed up under KG’s account, but the rest of the team is sure to join soon. For now, find us at http://peakery.com/users/KG/, and follow along in our adventures.
See you at the top!
Powder Ridge Photography 