News Break - Daniel Woods is a monster!

Apparently Daniel Woods just established the first V16 in the US. Read about it at climbing.com

Ridiculous!

Hueco Tanks Bouldering! - Day 4 North Mountain

For my 3rd day of bouldering I decided to take a commercial tour and go to the East Mountian. Unlike North Mountain the East Mountain, East Spur and West Mountain can only be accessed by a commercial or volunteer tour. I was originally signed up for a different group but decided to join Jordan's tour at the last minute because they were leaving sooner.
In this group I met Jordan, Marco, Pete, John and Chris. We all ended up working out really well as a group.

From left in a clock wise direction, Pete, Jordan, Marco, Chris and John

Everybody was great but I have to give special props to Marco. Marco was a veteran at Hueco and acted as our 2nd unofficial guide. Marco not only knew the area and beta for each climb very well he was very supportive. In hindsight it was probably his beta and supportive and encouraging nature that helped me send so many problems. 

We started the day on the Kid's Stuff wall which is on the other side of Warm Up Roof Wall. The Kid's Stuff wall works better as a warm up area than the Warm Up Roof wall. There are easier climbs and the wall is in the sun, making it ideal as the the first climbing spot in the morning. On this wall I did Tiger Beat V1. Juvenile Offender V0 and Jiffy Lube V0+.

Look at all the Huecos! Juvenile Offender V0

After a bit of warming up we were off to the Blender Boulder. This boulder had 2 set of fun climbs. One was the Ostracizer V2 and Hobbit in a blender V5. Jordan pointed that a hold has broken off in the recent past that made the problem harder than it used to be. After getting some beta pointers from Marco I jumped on it and flashed it!

 Top out on Ostracizer

Now I was eying the classic Hobbit in a Blender. The first move to the hold on the far right is often considered the crux. For me I didn't really think I would stick it on my first attempt but I grabbed a hold of the starting holds and swung my body to reach the hold off to the far right. I stuck it! Once I stuck it I just held on for dear life and refused to let go. And before I knew it I flashed it! My second V5 and I flashed it! The day was off to an awesome start!

On Hobbit in a Blender

Our next destination was right around the corner and we tackled the Warm Up  Roof. They call it the Warm Up Roof but the main problem here is a V4 problem called the Warm Up Roof. I think it's a soft V4 but it is a lot of fun. It still took me few tries to send the problem.

 Warm Up Roof V4, sweet Moves all the way up.

And next was the problem that made me curse out loud in a fit of disbelief. Dragonfly... One time I was so close to sending the problem. I got through all the cruxes and fell off at what is pretty much the last move. The last Crux is a locked off heel hook move. Once you get that heel on it should have been smooth sailing but mine just popped off! I'm usually a fairly calm climber but I couldn't help but to go on a bit of a cursing fit. Oh well, can't win em all all the time. Even if I didn't finish the climb it was a very fun climb. Next time I'll get it for sure.

Dragonfly V5... I'll get you next time my pretty....

After Dragonfly we decided that we wanted to check out East Spur. East Spur is a smaller area than East Mountain but has many cool climbs. We didn't get on too many climbs but we I couldn't help but jump on Vulgarian V2 on the Gunks Boulder.

How cool does that rock look? Vulgarian V2

The Gunks Boulder was named after the Gunks in NY. After seeing how much I liked the Gunks Marco and Pete told me that when I come out to NY they would take me out to the Gunks. I'm pretty excited! I was initially just thinking of bouldering a bit in central park as my NY bouldering but now I'll get some proper bouldering in at NY. Awesome!
I'm so glad I went on the commercial tour. My personal experience with the commercial tour was very positive, especially as a solo traveler. Being in a commercial tour was an easy way for me to meet and connect with people. Also it meant that I could push myself to my limits because I knew I had solid spots. I can't guarantee that everybody's commercial tour will turn out so great but I hope they do turn out as well as mine.

 East Spur

Hueco Tanks/El paso - Rest Day

After 2 days of climbing I decided to take a rest day. Most of my rest day was primarily spent updating my blog. It may seem at times like a waste to spend so much time blogging while traveling but I'm starting to realize that it's time well spent. It's a great way to log and organize your adventures. It's especially great for me since my memory is quite mediocre :o).
My rest day blogging was done at Kinley's House on Kerbey Ave and N. Mesa St.

 The short review is that the place is open earlier than lot of other coffee houses and the food is pretty decent. They were a bit skimpy on the tea leaves for the hot tea but the ice tea was plenty strong. They print you out a little sheet that has a unique log in for the internet that is good for 5 hrs. You need to get a new print out after that 5hr session expires. I would not go out of way to go to this coffee shop but if you are in the area it's a pretty nice place to go.

 Cattleman's Steakhouse

The highlight for my rest day was definitely my dinner. I decided to treat myself to something nice and decided to go to the Cattleman's Steakhouse. It is a restaurant that is consistently voted the best steak house in El Paso. My expectations were pretty high but the restaurant met it with no problems.

 

There it is... 

 and it's gone!

I ordered a 10oz Top Sirloin. All steak orders come with various sides. My sides were the spicy ranch beans, pineapple coleslaw and corn on the cob.  I asked for the steak to be cooked medium rare and the steak was cooked perfectly. The steak had just the right amount of salt and pepper to be delicious without any additional sauce or salt. The spicy ranch beans were o.k. but not spicy! The pineapple coleslaw was surprisingly good. The sweetness of the pineapple went very well with the rest of the coleslaw. The corn on the cob was fairly basic but still tasty. This was a fair amount of food and left me pretty full. Even so I could not resist getting some dessert. 

I got the frozen cream with chocolate wafers. It was my first time having frozen cream and I had no idea what to expect. I think the best way to describe is that it's a thicker richer version of ice cream. I think it was a bit too much for me after that big meal. I think I should have gone for the pecan pie.

My entire meal only cost $19.95 for the food, $5ish for the desert. For the quality of food and the portions I got I think it was a very good deal.

Creepy? I think so.

 But that is not all the Cattleman's Steakhouse has to offer! There is a creepy Zoo in the backyard too! Maybe it's only creepy at nights when you are the only one walking around. But apparently during the day it's a nice place for the family and you can even get tours out to various movie sets.

Over all I would highly recommend the Cattleman's Steakhouse to everybody.

Beautiful sunset viewed from the patio.

Hueco Tanks Bouldering! - Day 2 North Mountain.

Before we talk about all the fun goodies of day 2 of climbing here is some helpful info. Apparently on weekdays it is not too hard to get into North Mountain even without a reservation. All you have to do is come early in the morning, preferably around 8am, and check in. Apparently the reason why it's easy to get in on the weekday is because many locals reserve a North Mountain pass even if they are working that day. It is their, "Just in case I don't go to work..." reservation. So even if you don't have a reservation definitely go check in at the office. Now, on with the show.

the name escapes me at the moment... Let's just call it the fun warm up crack for now...

Day 2 I finally moved up to the upper levels of North Mountain. This area is accessed by climbing up the chains. Once you get up the 2nd set of chains you will see a boulder with a big crack. This boulder is a great warm up spot. It is in the sun so it works great during those chilly mornings.

Animated gif!

Entrance to the Gymnasium. No, seriously.

The next spot I checked out was the Gymnasium. The Gymnasium is accessed by scrambling though a narrow canyon. It is very annoying to get to this place with bulky crash pads but it can be worth it. 

 This place has some fun easy climbs but the top out on many of these problems can be a bit tricky and sketchy. The landing is great though so don't be afraid to just try the problem even if you don't top it out. The Gymnasium does not get much sun so it is a bit chilly but if you climb up the rocks opposite of the gymnasium it's easy to find a warm sunny spot.

Not too far from the gymnasium is a V3 called the 100 Proof Roof. I highly recommend this climb, especially when there are gazillions of pads down as you can see in my picture below.

100 Proof Roof V3

The crux is the top out over the roof. If you have the strength and the stamina you can add 4~5 more moves and do the Mexican Chicken V6. Just remember that you need to save some juice for the last few moves.

Next was the "V2 must" known as the Nobody Here Gets Out Alive. It was a fun climb and a climb probably unique to Hueco Tanks. The holds are fairly juggy and the movements are fun. There are two accepted starts. One is the standard sit start and the other is the "bat hang" start. The bat hang start is easier but definitely more fun. You start with both your feet in the Hueco and do an inverted crunch to start off the climb.

Nobody Here Gets Out Alive V2 - Bat Hang start

Next on the list was the juggy, pumpy, tall, crux at the end V2 climb called Ghetto Simulator. This climb is isolated from most of the other climbs and you do need to do some amount of hiking to access it. If you aren't too crunched for time it is well worth the hike. 

 At the start of the climb...

1/3 of the way...

2/3 of the way...

Just past the crux!

 As you can see the danger factor is slightly lessened by the rock where all the crash pads are placed. As long as you drop your feet first and don't let you hands pop off the holds you should be safe. Let's not even think what would happen if the hands slipped... Also I would highly recommend a crash pad and a spotter towards the top. I'm just glad I got it on the first go because I'd probably be too pumped out to get a 2nd go without a lot of resting in between.

There was one more problem that I tried and was so close to getting... The Adjust Your Attitude V4. I know climbers always seem to have an excuse and I'm no exception. I believe if I did it earlier during the day when I was fresher I think I could have done it. The under cling moves are fun but the top out is as people like to say "spicy". Even though I didn't finish the climb it was a blast working it. Hopefully I'll send the climb before I leave Hueco Tanks. All in all a great day of climbing :o)

Hueco Tanks Bouldering! - Day 1 North Mountain.

The Split Crack V0

The drive out to Hueco was much shorter than I thought but much wetter too.  As soon as I left Tucson I was driving in rain all the way there. I had reservations for North Mountain for Thursday and I was very worried that I wouldn't be able to climb at all. Luckily for me the rain stopped early morning and there were some rocks that dried out enough to climb.

Place that is not so dry... That's the trail, not a stream...

It was a fairly laid back day of climbing V0- to V2s. In the morning I climbed with a friendly group from New Mexico and towards the afternoon I met up with Matty and "The Dude Man" and climb with them the rest of the day.

At the warm up boulder doing the Thunderbird V1. Top out is definitely the crux.

 It was definitely nice to climb with other folks. The company was great and so was the spots and extra pads. Many of the top outs at Hueco are fairly tall and often seems to be the crux. Although most climbs had fairly good landings but then there are some known for their horrible landings...

 

Melon Patch V0

The Melon Patch is a fairly mellow V0 that is quite fun but it is not for the faint of heart. The climb is pretty tall and the landing is terrible. I would not recommend it for people that aren't climbing V1s comfortably and am fully comfortable climbing outdoors. If it wasn't for Matty and "The Dude Man"'s pad and spotting I probably would not have tried it. It is important to remember that no matter how good a climber you are safety is very important. Nobody wants to get hurt and have to take many weeks off.

Southern Hospitality V2

My favorite climb of the day was a 2 star V2 called Southern Hospitality. I had to work out my beta before I could finish the climb but I had fun figuring it out.  If you try the climb but am struggling a bit try changing your beta to something that might not seems quite as obvious. If you want my beta e-mail me and I'll tell you how I climbed it.
One thing I definitely learned about Hueco is that you don't have to climb really hard climbs to have fun. Even the easier climbs can be a lot of fun. :o)

Hueco Tanks - Guides

Hueco Bouldering Guide

This book is the standard guide to buy if you are planning to boulder at Hueco Tanks. There are maps, good descriptions and photos to guide you to your problems. The book is well organized into sections based on locations. There is even a list of all climbs in a certain rating ordered according to how "classic" the climbs are. Besides acting as a good bouldering guide the book also has many helpful information about camping, rest day activities and food options.
There are some information that does need to be updated. The following are some updated information.

- The ever so beloved mushroom boulder is no longer open for climbing.
- There is a small climbing store inside the "barn" at Hueco Rock Ranch that sells Chalk and guidebooks.
- There is a climbing gear store that operates out of a truck trailer on the way to the ranch. I believe it is only open on the weekends.
- There is WiFi access at the Hueco Rock Ranch.
- The Closest Grocery store is the Montana Vista Grocery. The store has almost anything you need but I do not believe they sell hard liquor. If they do I did not see it.

The book is pretty comprehensive but it still can't beat just asking fellow boulderers when you are stumped.
Also do not buy the cheap $10ish guidebook. It is not worth the money you will save.

Hueco Tanks - Camping

Unfortunately the Hueco Rock Ranch is more of a looker at night.

The drive out to Hueco was much shorter than I thought but much wetter too. As soon as I left Tucson I was driving in rain all the way there. Fortunately after I grabbed a tasty Ribeye Steak Sandwich for lunch at the The Great American Land & Cattle Company the rain cleared up and gave me enough time to drive to the Hueco Rock Ranch just west of Hueco Tanks State Park and set up my tent.
The Hueco Rock Ranch is the most convenient place to stay when visiting Hueco Tanks. There are few camping spots at the park itself but you need reservations in advance and they lock the gates at 6pm meaning once it hits 6pm you can't drive out of the park.
At the Hueco Rock Ranch all you need to do is drive up and find an empty spot and set up your tent. If the "Shop" inside the barn is open you can purchase a camping spot for $5 per person per night. If they aren't open you can go by in the morning to buy the camping spot. For your $5 you get access to a camping site and access to the following amenities. 3 porta potties, a cooking area, a "barn" that contains 1 sink with running water, 1 shower with hot water, a general hangout room with a ping pong table and a foosball table. The barn does have electrical outlets you can use. I believe there is wifi in the campgrounds but I was told the wifi does not really work inside the barn. Since my laptop batteries last less than 30 minutes outside I am taking advantage of my rest day to update my blog from a cafe that has wifi.
The schedules might change but during my stay Thursday night was a movie night and Sat. was a themed party night. Everything at the Ranch is a bit down and dirty. As one of my fellow campers called the place ideal for "dirt bagging", living cheap so you can just focus on bouldering. If you want a more refined living situation you can stay in the house for $30 a night.
During my stay in early Feb. The days were a very comfortable temperatures but I will recommend you bring a jacket for the climbing spots in the shade. At night it does get pretty cold so I would recommend you gear up accordingly. There is a big communal campfire every night at the ranch to warm you up.

Hueco Rock Ranch 

17498 Bettina Avenue

El Paso, TX 79938-8721

Get Directions

(915) 855-0142


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