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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Bill Graveland The Canadian Press
Ben Pearman, a 29-year-old rock climber and master's student in computer science at the University of Calgary, created an app called ThreeTopo to help climbers navigate complex routes. The app uses 3D digital mapping created from drone photos to provide detailed information on the best way forward for climbers. The app can be used one-handed, even while climbing, and has been tested by experienced climbers who say it reduces the uncertainty of traditional climbing. Pearman hopes other climbers will contribute data on popular routes across North America, making the sport safer by reducing the risk of getting lost or injured.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Ben Pearman, a 29-year-old master's student in the University of Calgary's Department of Computer Science, created an app called ThreeTopo to help climbers navigate challenging routes. The idea came to him while climbing the south face of Mount Yamnuska in Alberta's Bow Valley, where he realized it was easy to get lost due to the scale and complexity of the rock wall. Pearman used a drone to capture detailed photos of the climb, which were then used to create a 3D digital copy of the rock face. The ThreeTopo app uses this information to provide climbers with practical guidance on navigation, such as exact routes and anchor points. This is particularly useful for climbing routes like Red Shirt, considered the "crown jewel" of climbing in the Rocky Mountains.
Written for “Hiking Safety App Launched” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
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answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
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No political leaning scored for article 5409 · logged 2026-09-06
CALGARY - When clinging to the side of a rock wall hundreds of metres in the sky, avoiding a single misstep can save your life.
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avoiding → cling → life
Ben Pearman, a rock climber since age 18, said the idea of the app came to him while his group was trying to determine the best way to climb the south face of Mount Yamnuska in southern Alberta’s Bow Valley.
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group → say → Valley
“You get up there and the whole thing looks sort of like a planar surface from far away, like one big sheer cliff,” Pearman said in an interview.
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Pearman → get → interview
“The scale just swallows you.
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scale → swallow → you
And you’re like, ‘Oh man, it’s really easy to get lost here.’”
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it → ’re → ?
The sheer limestone wall of this climbing route is known as Red Shirt, and Pearman said it’s the “crown jewel” of climbing in the Rocky Mountains.
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it → know → Mountains
He decided to turn a climbing map into a project, creating the ThreeTopo app for climbers.
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He → decide → climbers
He used a drone to shoot detailed photos of the 240-metre-tall climb and created a three-dimensional digital copy of that section of the rock face.
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He → use → face
The app examines the potential for new navigation and conveys the information to climbers.
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app → examine → climbers
Pearman said it was also important to make it so climbers could use it one-handed when they consult it at safe points during the climb.
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they → say → climb
As an example, a climber could ask the app for information on the best way forward while at one particular spot in the climb.
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climber → ask → climb
The app could reply: “You’ll want to start traversing left from the anchor.
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You → reply → anchor
Once you hit the corner, start heading upwards until you reach a bolt.
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you → hit → bolt
As soon as you get to that bolt, you need to traverse hard left, passing a pin to reach an anchor on the face.”
In the past, said Pearman, that kind of practical information came only in the form of cryptic, decades-old typewritten notes from other climbers.
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kind → get → climbers
Miles Abesdris, who was in a group of experienced climbers asked to test the app, said it can take some of the scary unknowns out of trad climbing.
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it → ask → climbing
Trad — or traditional climbing — involves the lead climber placing temporary, removable gear into the rock.
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climber → involve → rock
They then clip in a rope to catch a fall.
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They → clip → fall
The second climber comes up behind and removes the devices, leaving nothing behind.
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climber → come → nothing
“The first little while, (trad climbing) is somewhat horrifying, but you kind of become very comfortable there after a while,” said Abesdris, 38.
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Abesdris → become → while
“Your hands and feet are great, but you’ve got to know where to go, right?
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you → get → ?
And you kind of follow the weaknesses and you kind of get a Spidey sense of where to go over the years — but sometimes you can be wrong.”
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you → follow → years
Pearman intends to make his app publicly available.
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app → intend → ?
He hopes other climbers will follow suit by detailing data on other popular North American routes from B.C. to Nevada, making the sport safer.
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sport → hop → Nevada
“I know a bunch of people who have had to be rescued by helicopter,” he said.
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he → know → helicopter
“Everyone I know has gotten off route at some time.”
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I → know → time
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
