The CragBaby

After my week in Lyon I picked up my rental car and made the four hour drive to Fontainebleau, France. David had introduced me to fellow climber Guillaume who graciously offered me the spare room in his La Vaudoue home and became a dear friend.

Fontainebleau (or simply Bleau) was by far my favorite destination on this trip (expect to see a couple posts about this destination). I didn’t send any new projects, but I loved this area because…

• Climbing was a family event. It was very common to see entire families out picnicking while the climber in the family would do a circuit.
• Climbers were of all ages. Everyone from little kids to 60-year-old+ crushers could be seen on the rock. One day I saw an older lady, I would guess late 50′s to 60′s, by herself and carrying a pad out of the forest. It made me smile and I went out of my way to say “Bonjour”.
• Everyday I met someone from a different  country and culture. Over my time in Bleau I climbed with the French, Germans, Dutch, Belgiums, Finnish, British and two Americans.
• The sloping rock sandstone was unique. Sure HorsePens40 looks similar, but HP40 doesn’t even come close to comparing to the quantity in Bleau.
• The quantity of boulders is mind boggling.
• The scene was perfect, with people simply enjoying the sun and having a good time. I only saw one person, a girl, get upset and throw a wobbler.  It was as if people remembered that climbing is a hobby.
• Paris was only an hour away!

Me using toe hook beta to top out a traverse problem at Le Diplodocus.

Jussi topping out ‘L’auriculaire – Toit aux frelons’ at La Roche aux Sabots.  Every problem on this boulder was excellent and tricky.

Me working into the crux of ‘Le Tiroir’ at La Roche aux Sabots.

Guillaume on an excellent traverse (Rouge 13) at Canche Aux Mercier.  The red circuit at this crag was fabulous.

Tuomo on a three star traverse (Rouge 22) at Franchard Isatis.

Juho trying to grab the crux hold on ‘Surplomb de la Coquille’.  The move looks so easy, but is amazingly tricky as it is necessary to make the move dynamically yet is hard to hold if going dynamically.

Me on classic line ‘La Marie Rose’.  The climb was so enjoyable, whereas the down climb was sheer agony.

Me on the start moves of ‘Druxmanie’ at Bas Cuvier.

One of my British friends on the ‘Cul de Chien Roof’.  This line was extremely excellent including a mono pocket and an extremely high, committing heel hook followed by an extremely long reach.

Emiel trying to catch the crux hold on ‘Jet Set’ at Roche aux Sabots.

Svilen on ‘L’helicoptre’.  I really loved this problem, but the dynamic move, which Svilen is getting ready to do, is high up and often results on the climber flying off spinning.  We padded the landing with 10+ pads in all directions because every climber would fall in a different location.

Me working into the dual underclings on another great sloper problem at Franchard Isatis.

Jussi so incredibly close to sticking Vin Rouge, a 7a dyno.

Guillaume at 91.1.  I was so exhausted by this day, as this was our sixth consecutive day of climbing and my bicep was throbbing, that I just took pictures of Guillaume all day long. =)

Svilen on ‘Holey Moley’ at Bas Cuvier. This was on the Bicep Mou boulder and housed at least 5 good lines.  ‘Holey Moley’ included a long reach, double toe jams (like Svilen is doing), a swing and a heel hook.

Me on ‘Graviton’ at Roche aux Sabot. Another fabulous line with yet another fabulously hard sloping top-out.

Adrian on ‘Dirty Martini’.

Usually guidebooks include a list of area classic, which was the case in the Hueco Tanks guide; however, sometimes my favorites vary from those of the author.  For instance, many of the classics in the Hueco guidebook were high balls, which I don’t really enjoy (in fact usually skipped).  So I have started to compile some of my favorite lines in each area I visit, with the following being my Hueco list.

V0

• Small Potatoes area includes a whole handful of fabulous v0 – v2 climbs. (Small Potatoes, North Mountain)

V1

• Orifice Affair – (Lunch Rock area, North Mountain) 

V2

• Name? – (Small Potatoes, North Mountain) There is a prow climb in the small potatos area.  I can’t remember the name now (and I am sans guidebook as I am sitting in France) but remember this line being real fun.

V3

• La Delicate – (New Meadow, North Mountain) Technical slab climb.
• Ostersizer – (Backountry) This fun line is located in the backcountry next to Hobbit in a Blender.  However, I learned after I left that a huge chunk of it came off during the Rock Rodeo, splicing a brand new pad in half.
• Sign of the Cross – (Sign of the Cross, North Mountain) Tricky!  If you can’t reach the starting holds, get a boost.  Do-able, just takes a little time to figure out (at least for me).

V4

• Girls of Juarez – (Upper Lost Boulder, North Mountain)
• Moonshine Roof – (Backcountry) This roof includes a big first move that traverses into an intriguing surfboard feature, with a consistent finish.
• Warmup Roof – (Backcountry)
• T-Bone Shuffle – (North Mountain)

 V5

• Lobster Claw – (New Meadow, North Mountain) Fabulous line with many beta variations.
• Jigsaw Puzzle – (Backcountry)
• DragonFly – (Backcountry)

V6

• King Cobra – (New Meadow, North Mountain) Powerful! The finish looks so straightforward, but watch out as that heel hook likes to spit that heel right out.
• See Spot – (Big Time Boulder, North Moutain) Quite a tall problem that I did not send and probably never will. =)
• Baby Martini – (Martini Cave, North Mountain)

V7

• Big Iron on His Hip – (Martini Cave, North Mountain) This might have been my all time favorite climb at Hueco.  The sit start is popular line Dirty Martini, but if you are like me and can’t climb v9 right now this is a perfect alternative that includes all the enjoyable moves. =)  In order to send I had to use a bicycle, heel-toe cam and this great campus cross move.  SO FUN!
• Roughage – (Lunch Rocks, North Mountain)
• Speedbump – (New Meadow, North Mountain) This is a great line because it is so easy with the right beta and so hard otherwise.  The key move is a weird heel hook that seems impossible, but completely unocks the problem.
• Guns of Navarone – (North Moutain) A new line not in the book, located near Baby Face and Daily Dick Dose.  I actually never got the chance to try it, but it looks superb. Real long and crimpy, with the crimps supposedly becoming more positive the further you climb.

 V8

• Chris’s Arete – (North Mountain) The climb is said to be soft for the grade, and to be honest I agree with that assessment.  Regardless if it is a v7 or v8, try it… it is fun!
• Something Different –  (Backcountry) Only worked on this climb one day, but the moves (especially the beginning moves if you are shorter like myself) were intriguing.
• Sex after Death – (Backcountry) Hello crimps!

V9

• Dirty Martini – (Martini Cave, North Mountain) This is the only v9 that I hopped on.  The climb felt ok except for the shut down first move.  If you can pull this incredibly hard first move, the rest will be a cake walk.        

Hueco Tanks at sunset.  Photo by the beautiful Suzy Q.

Hueco Tanks is a premier bouldering destination located in El Paso, Texas with 1700+ boulder problems. (Please note that I had a house to stay in with friends while in Hueco, so much of this write-up is information I gathered from other climbers.)

Best Time to Visit

Hueco Tanks is a winter destination with the climbing season being from November to March, with the prime season being December to February. Expect it to still be quite warm during these months as the average temperature during my stay, from January 15 – February 15, was mid-60′s.

Length of Stay

The climbing is so numerous that a many month trip might still not be sufficient. I stayed for exactly a month and felt like I had just scratched the surface on the bouldering, and had yet to check out a single route.

How to Get There

Hueco Tanks is quite straightforward to locate. While in El Paso, navigate your way to Montana Avenue (also known as US-180 / US-62). Follow this road East until you see Hueco Tanks / Ranch Road. Make a left turn and follow this road to the visitor center of the park.

Guidebook

The guidebook is called Hueco Tanks and is authored by Matt Wilder and published by Wolverine. It is a phenomenal guidebook, making each area and problem easy to locate due to the inclusion of its 300+ color photos.

Climbing in Hueco

Hueco Tanks has a handful of rules and regulations. Basically there are 4 climbing area: North Mountain (the main area) and West Mountain, East Mountain and the East Spur (all 3 of referred to as the backcountry). North Mountain allows 70 climbers per day, 60 by reservation and 10 walk ins, with a cost of $5 per person. To make a reservation, call Texas Parks and Wildlife at 512-389-8900. The earlier you make a reservation the better, with people making reservations a year in advance.

To access the backcountry, you must have a guide. I believe there are 3 ways to line up a guide: commercial tours, volunteer tours and personal guide (meaning you personally know someone who is a guide and willing to take you out). Commercial tours are (I believe) ran out of the Rock Ranch and consist of groups of 10 people, $20 per person. The volunteer tours are free but it sounds like you are at the mercy of the crowd. My facts on these two types of tours could be a little off as I only went on tours with friends. If I were to do it again, I would strive to hop on more volunteer tours.

Classic Climbs

There are so many must do problems in Hueco, I am going to make this point its own blog post.

Camping

• Hueco Tanks Park – there is camping in the park, ranging from $12 – 16 per night. The upside of this camping is you are located right in the park. The cons include no dogs and gates shut at 6pm (meaning you can not drive in or out after 6pm.  Boo!).
• Rock Ranch – the Rock Ranch is located within a mile of the Park. The cost to camp is $5 a night, but discounted to $4 per night if staying for longer than 14 days. This is the main climber hang out and dogs are welcome.
• BLM Land – there is free camping on BLM land. I don’t know where it is located exactly (but could find out if one of you readers are interested). I just heard it was a little sketchy for the lone woman traveler, which I am.

Wi-fi

There is wifi in the park and at the ranger station. I think you are supposed to use this wifi only if you are a paid camper, but I believe most climbers would just walk over from the Rock Ranch.

Rest Day Activities

I usually worked on my rest days while in Texas, so don’t have too much advice in this area. Below are a few suggestions.

• White Sands National Park – I did take CB to this National Park and it was one of my favorite stops on my trip. The brilliant white sand looks like mountains covered in powder, including a handful of tourists sledding down the billows.  It is definitely worth the mere couple hour drive.
• El Paso – El Paso does have a lot to offer including a handful of museums and theaters.
• Carlsbad Caverns – I did not visit the caverns, located within a couple hour drive, but hear it is a worthy destination.
• Juarez, Mexico - Juarez is a mere 30 minute drive. In the past it was common for climbers to cross over the border to explore the neighboring country.  However, when I was visiting there was a lot of unrest and violence, especially in Juarez.  I only knew of one climber who made the trek on a rest day.
• Petroglyph tour – Hueco provides art tours of the many petroglyphs within the park.  I hear the tours are fabulous, but did not go on one.

Other

• Dogs – no dogs are allowed in the park (including the campground), nor can you keep them in your car due to the heat. The Rock Ranch does allow dogs to roam free on the lot, but this alternative didn’t quite work for me as I would have been nervous leaving CB (a chihuahua) to fend for herself.
• The Scene – the scene in Hueco is intense! Whew! Expect your visit to include fabulous climb after fabulous climb, but also expect to hear name dropping and lots of discussion of 8a cards. Expect to daily see v12′s crushed and don’t be surprised at all the photographers and their mass of gear. The climbing still makes it worth the trip, but the scene was by far my least favorite out of all the destinations I visited. I even heard a guy comment that he couldn’t send his project because of his shoelaces. Really?! Come on.

If you have any additional beta, please feel free to comment or email me.