Hueco Tanks
Routes and Problems: Reference & GuideNorth Mountain (phase1 ~30% complete)
Our goal is to provide a comprehensive on-line reference of every known boulder problem and route at Hueco Tanks. For obvious reasons, this will be a never-ending project, so we are providing the raw, incomplete version now, one section at a time.
The guide will be posted in several phases:
1.] Labeled pictures of all routes and problems on North Mountain
2.] Searchable index of all routes and problems on North Mountain
3.] Descriptions, beta, history of all routes and problems on North Mountain
4.] Complete the above three phases for East and West Mountain
5.] Yet-to-be-announced-but-very-cool features
The huecotanks.com guide wouldn't be possible without the Herculean efforts of the authors of the existing three major guidebooks: Dave Head, James Crump, Mike Head, John Sherman and Matt Wilder. Please support Wilder and Sherman by purchasing copies of their books. Our intent is not to plagiarize or replace those works; a web site can never be a substitute for a book that can be carried with you as you wander the park. Instead, we hope to use the medium of the web to include details and features that can't fit in a book, in a format that is quick and easy to use.We are visiting and photographing every problem listed in the guidebooks, but the huecotanks.com on-line guide will not be limited to just those problems. We are comparing the existing descriptions, ratings and critiques. Where within our limited ability, we have climbed the routes and problems and used the experience to (hopefully) enhance the information in the books. However, for most problems, there's no new and original way to explain "grab the big hueco and yard up to the crimps; head right to the knob at the lip", etc.
Although many climbs in Wilder's guide are rated identically in Sherman's, this is not always the case. For problems that appear in both John Sherman's and Matt Wilder's guidebooks, and the V rating is identical, we typically list John Sherman's critique (stars, warnings, etc.) designated by (JS). For problems that appear only in Matt Wilder's guide, his rating and critique is used, designated by (MW). If the problem is in both books, but the V rating differs, both authors' ratings and critique are listed. For those not listed in either guidebook, the huecotanks.com system - a somewhat arbitrary blend of MW, JS and local opinion, designated by (HTC) - will be temporarily used.
New problems are constantly being "discovered" at Hueco. We want to make it easy for your problems to make it into the huecotanks.com guide. If you've put up something that's not in the books and want to see it here, please submit clear digital photos, descriptions, the date of your FRA (First Recorded Ascent), a proposed name and any other relevant information. We'll make it a priority to check it out and if it has not been previously claimed, your problem will quickly appear in the huecotanks.com guide! Please also let us know about any errors or omissions.
Regarding closed climbs:
For completeness, the Huecoanks.com on-line guide lists all known climbs, even those that might be closed at the instant you view the guide. It is your responsibility to check with the Rangers every day for the updated list of closed climbs. Although Huecotanks.com does not advocate violating the closures, we make no effort to maintain an updated list of closed climbs, for many reasons. Most of the closures are unwarranted, such as the Cave Kiva area, 45-degree wall and the Bimbos. We hope that someday in the distant future, a more reasonable TPWD will re-open these classic climbs. In the meantime, we are not going to support unethical and immoral closures by listing them.