I had the privilege of traveling to Cuba to spend New Year’s Eve 2016-2017 in Havana, followed by 5 days in Viñales for rock climbing and to help the Cuban climbing community. It was an amazing experience which I had the joy of sharing with my two daughters. The climbing is fantastic, but what really …
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Here’s some ideas of areas to climb with kids at Red Rock Canyon, just outside of Las Vegas, NV. On a recent trip to Red Rocks, I thought about the most popular areas with many moderates and how accessible they are to children.
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In honor of Easter weekend, I went to the Near Trapps to climb the appropriately named “Easter Time Too” and “Good Friday Climb“. They are both excellent climbs, sharing a bolt anchor at the top.
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Here’s another two climbs next to each other where there’s an easier lead that allows you to top rope a harder classic, Triangle (5.9-) and Never Never Land (5.10a).
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Here’s one of the easier routes we can climb to set up harder top ropes, near the beginning of the Trapps cliff in the Gunks. Double Chin is only 5.5, and you can set up top ropes from there to some much harder and pumpy 5.9 and 5.10 climbers.
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Restaurants in New Paltz There are lots and lots of restaurants in New Paltz, catering to just about everyone’s taste. I’ve divided them up by type of food, and provided maps to show which are in which areas of New Paltz. There are many more restaurants than I’ve listed, but I only felt I should …
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Experiencing Fear, But Safely… In 2012, my younger daughter expressed the desire to learn to lead climb (trad). She was always a very cautious child, so of course, it surprised and thrilled me. First step was to get her used to following multi-pitch and seeing how to use trad lead climbing gear and how to …
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Fond Memories of Potrero Chico, Mexico. Soaring limestone cliffs over 2,000 feet tall. Warm pleasant temperatures in February. A laid-back international climbing community ready to make new friends. Generous and friendly locals happy to see us year after year. Delicious homemade burritors barbacoa at Checo’s place. Stray dogs that follow you to the cliff and …
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Where to Eat (and Drink) Near the Gunks The main climbing areas of the Gunks are in the town of Gardiner, which has a small number of restaurants. Most of the “nightlife” is in the town of New Paltz, a fun and funky college town, home of the State University of New York (SUNY) at …
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Gunks Lovers – Romancing the Stone I recall someone at a Mohonk Preserve event mentioning how Gunks climbers evolve over time. In the beginning they try to cheat and get around the ranger so they don’t have to pay for a day pass. Later they understand the need to help pay to maintain the preserve …
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