Originally Posted by
pdlamb
3. Good barometric altimeter, as long as there's no weather front moving through. I've consistently gotten within 5-10' of the surveyed elevation difference between a gap and a crest on the Blue Ridge Parkway, for instance, with 1,000-3,000' climbs. (I don't know any other route that so consistently has elevation signs for every gap and overlook!)
I've been using a Garmin watch with a barometer for years. Did a ride up Washington Pass with 3,500 feet of vert according to the topographic maps. My altimeter had a total error of 13 feet. I'm with you, this stuff can work amazingly well.