Building a Modern Mountain Climbing Tracker: A Developer’s Journey

As an aspiring web developer seeking to expand my technical horizons, I’m excited to share my latest side project and gather some valuable insights from the community.

A Bit of Background

I’ve been involved in web development for several years, primarily working with no-code or low-code platforms such as Squarespace and Webflow. I have a solid foundation in vanilla HTML and CSS, and I’ve dabbled in JavaScript, especially when creating custom plugins. However, I’ve reached a point where I feel my skills have plateaued, and I’m eager to challenge myself with a new project that aligns with my passions.

The Inspiration

Living in Scotland, I’m an avid hill-walker, and one of the traditional pursuits here is “Munro Bagging.” Munros are peaks over 3,000 feet, and enthusiasts aim to summit all 282 of them. Although there are existing tools like munromap.co.uk and munrobagger.scot to help track progress, these platforms feel somewhat outdated and lack modern features.

My goal is to design a sleek, user-friendly single-page application that offers a fresh, premium experience. I want to incorporate social functionalities, allowing users to compare their lists with friends and facilitate trip planning—a feature I find missing from current solutions.

Technical Approach

Here’s the tech stack I plan to use:

• Frontend: Next.js combined with Tailwind CSS for fast, responsive design optimized for SEO through individual Munro info pages.

• Mapping: Mapbox GL for accurate and interactive mapping features.

• Backend & Authentication: Supabase to handle user management, data storage, and authentication.

• Hosting: Vercel for seamless deployment and hosting.

Seeking Feedback

This project represents a significant leap from my current skill set, and I’m aware I have plenty to learn along the way. I’d love to hear if you think this technical plan is on the right track. Are there alternative tools or strategies you recommend? Any tips on best practices for integrating these technologies or designing such an app?

Your insights and suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I embark on this journey to create something both useful and fun for fellow mountain enthusiasts.

Thanks in advance for your advice and support!