BitLost
The map gets you to the boulder.
The topo gets you to the climb.
A map and private logbook for Swiss bouldering, built to find the area, sector and right block without forty minutes confidently approaching the wrong rock.
I developed the concept, features, UX, UI, branding and information structure, then used AI-assisted coding to build the native iOS app.
My role
Concept and features · UX and UI · Branding · Information and data structure · AI-assisted development · Testing
Independently designed and built: physical-product thinking, translated into a native iOS app.
01 / The boundary
A map. Deliberately not a topo.
BitLost gets you to the area, sector and right boulder. A blue dot cannot replace the guidebook, local knowledge or the person who spent years putting up the climb.
That boundary was the central product decision from the beginning. Finding the rock should be easier. Climbing it still requires you.
Bring the topo. Buy the topo. Respect the topo.
02 / HOW IT WORKS
THE MAP STAYS.
THE REST SLIDES UP.
Choose an area, understand the terrain, find the block, then put the phone away before it becomes another piece of climbing equipment with a charging problem.
01 / 06
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01
CHOOSE YOUR AREA
Pick the place you are heading to. No account required. No ceremonial onboarding ritual.
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02
READ THE TERRAIN
Browse sectors and blocks on official swisstopo maps. Switch between topo and aerial imagery when the approach begins to look suspiciously optimistic.
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03
SEARCH OR BROWSE
Find climbs by name, grade, sector or block. Or browse until something looks suitably unreasonable.
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04
FIND THE BLOCK
BitLost takes you to the boulder, not the exact line. The distinction is deliberate.
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05
LOG THE SEND
Record style, attempts, date and notes. Private, local and free from inspirational captions.
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06
KEEP THE USEFUL BITS
Save favourites, revisit projects and keep a quiet record of what happened.
03 / Under the surface
The boring part that makes it useful.
Native iOS, official swisstopo mapping and a bundled local dataset with field-surveyed block positions. Favourites and ascent logs stay on the phone; cached map tiles remain useful without a signal.
No backend. No analytics. No ads. Nothing quietly watching you walk in circles around a forest.
The architecture, privacy model and block-level approach are intentional product decisions.
04 / The logbook
A logbook with no audience.
Keep sends, attempts, dates, notes and favourites on the device. No account, feed or leaderboard. No pressure to turn a 6B into a personal branding exercise.
Just the climbs you did, the climbs you nearly did, and the ones that briefly suggested indoor climbing might be enough.