Summertime living in Las Vegas is not necessarily a climber's dream. Consistent 100+ degree temperatures and a scorching sun beating down on your back aren't exactly inviting conditions. The beautiful Aztec sandstone of Red Rock Canyon is pretty much all out of the picture, unless you're climbing at night during a full moon. Luckily, some other options do exist. Probably the best local alternative is to take a 45 minute drive Northwest up to Mt. Charleston for what some co

The following article was written for Climbing Magazine and can be found in issue #317 and online here. I was barely halfway through a 90-foot route when I used the last of my breath to wheeze “Take!” Blood from my skinned elbows leaked through my shirt, and sweat dripped into my eyes when I realized I simply couldn’t climb anymore. The route was the classic 5.9 offwidth Chrysler Crack in Red Rock, Nevada, and I was stuck. I wasn’t lacking strength, or even persistence—it was

Back in mid December I took a trip over to Indian Creek and the Moab area to get crushed by as many offwidths as my body and mind could simultaneously handle. When I arrived in the land of endless cracks my perma-psych was at an all time high and I was eager to get out and climb! But unexpectedly my psych was at a level that sleeping seemed next to impossible despite being exhausted from the day's drive. So in preparation for tomorrow's offwidthing we stayed up till 4am drink