Twitter Conditions Report Info & Instructions

The Conditions Report uses Twitter (which is free) to create an easy way for all of us to get updated on our phones as to the conditions at different climbing areas. Here's how it basically works and can save everyone a lot of driving time and gas: Say it just rained on Saturday. So Sunday morning we're all sitting around wondering if it's too wet at the Bald to go climbing. If Chris happened to drive down there early, he'd only need to send one text message out to the number #40404, and everyone on the Twitter list would get it on their phone and on their Twitter page.

Now expand this idea to beyond just a small group of friends, and eventually it can grow to the point where we can be getting conditions reports for boulders in Boone, climbs at Looking Glass and Linville Gorge, and bouldering at Barnardsville, etc on any given day if people from all over WNC sign up. It seems like it has a lot of potential. And the best part is, you can turn the feature off for your phone if you don't want to get too many text messages. Then, you only need to check your Twitter home page on the days you want to go climbing and need to see conditions updates.

Also, if you haven't heard a conditions report but want to know what's going on at a particular place, you can just send a text to the number listed above and write: "Does anyone know if it's dry at the Bald?" Anyone who is networked to you and happens to be there can let you know. No more calling around or wondering!

Here's how it works, as far as I know now:

1: Sign up at for Twitter.com. It will prompt you to see if contacts from your email address are already on Twitter. Do this and add any climber you want to follow.

2: Add your phone. This step can easily be found on the links to the right of the page. This will let your phone receive updates and allow you to send them to the climbers while you are out at the crag. (This feature can also be turned off easily at any time.)

2: Go to the page at: http://twitter.com/frixtion and click 'Follow'. You will now be following Frixtion's posts and you will show up as someone following this profile. The Frixtion profile can be the "home base" to see everyone who has joined the report; they will all appear under "Followers" on the right side of the page.

3: Click on each of the Followers you'd like to get updates from, and click on the Follow button on their profile page. This will allow you to receive their updates.

And that's it--you are all set to get weather and condition updates from everyone you are following. I'll add more posts as I learn more about the process. Let me know if you have questions!