Hueco Tanks Bowling!

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As I mentioned in the previous post I took a half day of climbing and decided to join Val and crew bowling. The draw besides the bowling was the Cheap drinks!
The skinny on the Bowling Alley is that they have an arcade and even a roller coaster! The roller coaster was not in operations while I was there but I can't imagine it would be that much fun. The ball selection is pretty bad but the lanes seem to be in good condition.
As far as I can tell they have a special bowling deal everyday besides Wed. I think the most important ones to remember is $1 mini beer all day Monday and $1 mini Tecate after 7pm Tuesday.
I was all loopy from being so tired from all the climbing so adding some $1 beer to the equation certainly did not help my game but it still was tons of fun. Good folks, good bowling, and cheap beers = win! Check out the bowling alley if you need something fun to do on your rest day.

Hueco Tanks Bouldering! - Day 6 North Mountain

 The warm up, the name escapes me at the moment...

 After 2 days of awesome climbing I was dead tired and my muscles were pretty sore. Ideally I would have just used the day as a rest day but it was my last day in Hueco Tanks! All my climbing crew was taking a rest day so I ventured into the park solo. My goal was not necessarily to send any hard problems but check out some of the classic problems I have yet to see. There are so many quality problems that a weeks worth of time is not enough to climb everything you want. People say there is a lifetime worth of problems at Hueco.
The first noteworthy problem I tried was a V4 called the Bloody Flapper. I assume it was named that because of the very sharp "tooth" you need to start off on. Or it could be the real course sand paper like hold a few moves up. Either way I couldn't send it! It seemed like an o.k. climb but I wasn't too thrilled about it. It is not on my "must do next trip" list I started assembling. Next stop was the Martini Roof!

Baby Martini V6

The Martini Roof is the host of an awesomely fun climb called the Baby Martini V6. The climb consist of big juggy huecos that you climb completely upside down. I worked out and through many of the moves but I still could not get past through one of the cruxes. The whole climb might be a V6 but parts of the climb can range from V1 to V6. So I recommend everybody visiting Hueco Tanks to check it out. It's a lot of fun even if you don't complete it. A pure classic climb :o)

The next climb I checked out was The Lobster Claw.

The unofficial marker to the entrance of the Lobster Claw.

To access the Lobster Claw you need to go up the chains, make a right and follow the rocks till you see the "MOUSIE AdAME" Graffiti. Enter through the cave right of it and be prepared to do some squeezing through.

Lobster Claw V5

The Lobster Claw is a pretty cool V5. It is also known as the problem with the infinite betas. There are so many ways to climb the problem everybody seems to have different betas. While I was there I climbed with few fellow boulderers and we all had different Beta. I had to do the climb many times before I worked out the lower portion of the climb and then "stole" another persons beta for the upper portion of the climb. The upper portion of the climb was easier for me when I did it in a dynamic throw rather than the static controlled reach. I could do the climb in segments but had no juice to string the moves all together. The Lobster Claw is definitely making my "must do next trip" list.
I was so tired I did not climb all day. I took a half day and went to meet up with Val and crew to go bowling! All in all a no send day but it was a fun day for sure. I'll get some of those climbs next time!

Hueco Tanks Bouldering! - Day 5 North Mountain

The day started off with a cell phone lost scare, a false scare and a cracked windshield... So I was hoping my climbing day would go much better than how my morning started.

Oh hai~! I be a chip in your windshield!

I met up with the posse at the warm up Boulder. Not too surprisingly there were a good amount of people gathered to climb there. I only really did one new climb at the wall, The Butter Dish V2. When you go up for the right hand you will understand why that name is so suitable. The hold is a super polished. At the Warm Up Boulder we met Val, a student from Australia. She joined us for the rest of the day. 

  

T-Bone Shuffle V4

We next moved on to the T-Bone Shuffle V4. This was a fun climb with a crazy beta. The crux which is the far reach to the Hueco. This can be done as a dyno or it can be done the way you can see in the photo. You get your left foot out far out and do a drop knee. Crank the down knee real hard, as Marco said it best "Beyond what you think you can". It's a pretty cool climb.

 

Asylum Crack V3

The next climb we tried was Asylum Crack V3. The problem is a long sustained crack. One of the harder move especially if you are tall is trying to not dab on the rock behind you. I personally didn't have too much trouble getting past the rock behind me but still could not finish the climb. I even lost a good chunk of skin when my right hand popped out. None of our crew finished the climb but there was a girl from France, a super strong climber that flashed it! She even shook her hands out on some crappy holds. It was pretty impressive. 

Chris taking a break from the Gums.

On our way to the "main event", Sign of the Cross, we passed by a crimpy slabby problem called the Gums V2. This was a cool climb but it had a bit of a funky landing issue. Since there was a rock slab behind us we ended up hanging 2 sets of crash pads behind the climber. I luckily flashed the problem and did not have to test out the pads. Chris had to put his foot on the other rock when he needed a break. Good thing he's tall or he might be going the splits!

Me starting at Sign of the Cross V3

Finally we made it to the Sign of the Cross V3. Most people consider it a stiff V3. I did manage to flash it but it wasn't easy. I had to do one of those climbing by will power of not letting go once I touched the hold. I would highly recommend this climb to anybody who wants to climb the upper limits of a V3. And although I don't have a photo of it Pete had an awesome send at the very last moment! It was pretty sweet.

 

Val attempting Sign of the Cross

 

 Marco and John looking all Zen

Since we had some extra time we decided to go checkout one of Val's Favorites. I believe she was a fan of the See Sharp V6 but I tried the climb right next to it called the Be Flat V4. The holds are pretty small and crimpy but they are actually very good when you stick them. I'm glad I tried it. It was fun and I added another V4 flash into my climbing records!

Be Flat V4

After Be Flat, we didn't have that much time left but we couldn't help ourselves from trying this one move wonder dyno. I still can't figure out what the climb is called and what it is rated but it was a fun dyno that wasn't as ridiculous as some of the other dynos I've seen. It was definitely a fun climb to end the day.

Sticking the Dyno!
It was without a doubt an awesome day of climbing.

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 - 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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