Hueco Tanks 

Here is a small selection of videos shot at Hueco in the early 90's..... yeah it's dated... but it's FREE! Check them out and you can laugh at my JRat clothes!

fishproducts.com/home_movies/home_movies.html

The Geographic Coordinates provided above are incorrect. Here are some better coordinates, in case someone with Admin privileges wants to update things:

Hueco Tanks: -106.0429 x 31.9169

North Mountain: -106.0445 x 31.9225
East mountain: -106.0391 x 31.9171
East Spur: -106.0372 x 31.9108
West Mountain: -106.0456 x 31.9129

Some N Mtn areas:

110 Proof Roof: -106.0436 x 31.9222
The Grenade: -106.0438 x 31.9221
Indecent Exposure Buttress: -106.0483 x 31.9215
Martini Roof Area (Upper Lost Boulders): -106.0425 x 31.9217
Mushroom Boulder: -106.0487 x 31.9219
The New Meadow: -106.0437 x 31.9232
Sign of the Cross: -106.0433 x 31.9246
Small Potatoes: -106.0433 x 31.9224
Trac II: -106.0456 x 31.9217
Warm Up Boulder: -106.0449 x 31.9260

The book: "Hueco Tanks, a climber's and boulderer's guide", by John Sherman, Mike Head, James Crump, and Dave Head, gives this for first ascent information:

"The history of lead climbing at Hueco Tanks can be summed up in one name - Mike Head. Mike ascended over two thirds of the lead climbs in this guide, usually in very bold style. Imagine leading Window Pain or Head Fox with only two bolts apiece as Mike first did. Or free soloing the first ascent of Sea of Holes, before the loose rock had been cleaned off.

Mike placed the majority of retrobolts (sic)in Hueco Tanks, changing his routes from sporty climbs to sportclimbs (sic)."

The history of climbing bolt legalization at Hueco Tanks is found in an article titled: "Retrobolting At Hueco" by Laurel Lacher (Rock & Ice Magazine, #36, March/April 1990).

Thanks Ken.

Does anyone know the official bolt replacement policy at Hueco these days? Or do you just wait for a "drillers moon" and make it happen?

Russ, thanks for all the great Hueco beta and photos (and the mussy hooks in the Owens too)!

I did ask a park staff member if I could help replace old bolts. The answer was that "Austin is working on it still." It being some kind of policy.

I had thoughts of the old Drilling Moon methods too, but it might get climbing banned. The scope of what really needs doing is too huge.

Sorry to all for hogging up so much page space with a lengthy condition report. Looking forward to a day in the future the conditions are simply "Phat new bolts on one of America's best crags."

"Austin is working on it" uh-oh. That is kinda scary.

Here is slide show from our trip in '07. You can see some of the old bolts in the show. It is a fairly large QT Movie, so be patient and let it load. There is like 100 images. You can do a mouseover on the little "i" in the upper right hand corner for captions on each photo. If you put your mouse over the bottom middle, forward, reverse and pause will show up.

here is the link: fishproducts.com/movies/hueco_10_07.mov

there is a small mexican grocery on the right of the main road a couple miles out heading out from el paso towards hueco...best tortillas in the world. we subsisted off the damn things for almost a week and bought as many as we could before we headed home...dirt cheap and damn good for a tight budget.

I need to get to Hueco from Springfield, MO on the weekend of the 10th of April. I can meet you somewhere other than Springfield if i need to and my dates can change a little as well.

Nate