We’re getting confused trying to plan some gentle exploration of the expansive climbing near Tucson. We’ve looked online and in two different books, and none of them seem to agree. Ratings, climb names, even area names are often different in each source. At last I give up and just hike in to the very closest…

We look for something close and easy for our first Tucson climbing outing, and settle on the Hidden Jewels area in the near foothills. The approach is nearly a mile of steep trail, which is a bonus for us. The giant saguaro cacti are everywhere! The heat makes us sweat, the air smells delicious, and…

Do we deserve this? Probably not, but it doesn’t prevent us from basking in warm sun once again high on the banks of the Rio Grande at the The Playground. Sean joins us for the ride. We dangle ropes on a couple of enticing climbs, and we’re all used up well before the sun is.…

Despite below-freezing temperatures, we stay optimistic and pile into Kate & Mark’s Prius with our climbing gear. It looks good when we park, but then the sun disappears behind a cloud and a frigid wind starts to blow. Persistent, we drop some topropes anyway, and are rewarded by the return of sunshine and gradually warming…

There are so many different climbing areas around White Rock, we think we may just spend the winter exploring them. Today we discover The Playground, an almost beach-like sandy bench under a cliff with a lot of crack climbing, much of it top-ropeable. There is one other party basking in the warmth today, and we…

We know we’re trying to squeeze a lot into the second day of the Rachmaninoff Festival, but we’re rewarded with a bluebird day that’s almost hot, and we even fortuitously cross paths with Kate, Mark and Sean. We get four routes in before we have to scurry off to clean up for tonight’s concert. I’ll…

We don’t feel like climbing, but go because we planned to. We don’t climb particularly well, I finish by bailing off Upper Kor’s Crack 5.9, which I had hoped would just be a challenging lead. I start tense and stay tense on it until I run out of steam at the crux. Despite all this,…

We’ve met another climber, Brook, interested in easing back into the sport after a hiatus. We manage an early start and reach The Overlook before it’s too hot. I’m curious how we’ll do on some familiar routes, and also how my new Vibram Five Fingers will work on the approach. Over Easy 5.6 Feels harder…

We haven’t been in the climbing groove for a long time. Not entirely sure why, we pack the gear and go to the highest concentration of easy sport routes we know of nearby: The Gallow’s Edge. And, surprise surprise, it’s fun! We’re able to climb the routes here despite our complete lack of conditioning, and…

We’re introduced by our friend Jason to another finely-named after-work White Rock climbing spot. I get to ease back into some trad leading in perfect temperatures. Putterman Cracks 5.9- A very good way to start. Short but continuous, with good pro. Scandanavian Airlines 5.10c Bonus toprope. Arete and face climbing that gets harder with each…