apAdventures

Well isn’t this one a beauty?! Best of the Best, V9 on Hueco’s West Mountain.

posted by ARR

posted by ARR

Cheers to Paul’s send of a Hueco climb whose beta and rating doesn’t seem to exist anywhere on the internet. Heck yeah – sending it old school!

posted by ARR

Paul and I are what some might call “risk takers” when it comes to rain in the weather forecast when we want to climb. Our rule is pretty simple. Unless the forecast says 100% chance of rain, we go. We drive to the boulders. This rule has worked really well for us over the years. I can’t actually think of one instance where chance of rain has totally grounded us. Worst case, we’ll get a couple climbs in before the skies open up and dump or sprinkle. And for us, a couple climbs is always worth it.

Well, this weekend we got busted. We woke Saturday morning and drove Ivan to gymnastics, came home to pack so that we could leave by 11:30am sharp to make it to the Hueco park office by 5pm before they close for campsite checkin. I checked the forecast, not for rain but for temperature so that I could appropriately pick out a cute sending outfit to wear. 40% chance of rain on Sunday, and not until 10am. Alright. Worst case the family gives me priority and I get my two hours to warm up and send Serious Legends and then we head home. We proceed with the packing and the picking up of Ivan from gymnastics and the five and a half hour drive to Hueco.

We check in, do our campground walk to loosen up from the drive and make dinner. I read another chapter of Little House on the Prairie to the boys and we’re all tucked into the coziest accommodations on the planet (our sleeping bags) by 8pm. Right before bed I decide to check the forecast: 60% chance starting at 10am. Alright. Mama gets priority it is then.

6am the alarm goes off and I hear Paul spurt out “F@#*!” He must have been weary about the Mama-priority plan and checked the weather: 100% chance of rain in 30 minutes. And well, yep. Now the forecast was finally accurate and as we sipped our coffee it started to rain. No climbing today.

Back now in Tucson around 1pm, we all decide to rally and salvage the weekend. The kids do some house projects to barter for some video game time while Paul and I attempt to have a “similar to but not quite Hueco” climbing session on the woody. Our buddy John shows up and he and Paul head out on a stellar sunset trail run. And I have the best…woody…session…EVER.

Weekend salvaged. 👍

posted by ARR

posted by ARR

posted by ARR

posted by ARR

We finished off our holiday travels with some quality snow time in Park City, Utah with my sister and brother-in-law. For Christmas we got the kids “one day of skiing or snowboarding at a big fancy ski resort in the Wasatch Mountains.” ….and they both totally crushed learning a new sport in a matter of, oh…one day. Meanwhile, Paul and I haven’t strapped a snowboard on in about 15 years. Pleased to report it was ‘just like riding a bike’ as they say.

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And the holiday travels continue. Feeling very thankful that we can be bouldering in Massachusetts one day, and then waist deep in perfect Utah snow the next! Cheers to a STELLAR 2022!!!!

posted by ARR

Photo summary below of holiday travels thus far.

Stay tuned. Our holiday travels are not over yet!

posted by ARR