Last Chance
Memorial weekend Climbing Trip
May 25-30, 2022
Hey all, I'm excited to climb with you guys this weekend but want to make sure you're prepared. I've climbed at Last Chance for 9 years and have learned that the worst thing that can happen is to be unprepared for the weather and environment. Last Chance is aptly named with the possibility of harsh weather, and we don’t want it to be your last outdoor climbing trip.
My goal with hosting this trip every year is to enjoy the culture and community of climbing that we all love so dearly. We spend so much time talking about climbing, and it’s about damn time we do it together outside!
For those of you that know me, I am here to rock climb, not to guide, but I understand that I'm inviting you on this trip. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I want you to have a great time, but I'm here to get my own climbing in, if you need help with anything let’s get it taken care of before we leave DFW.
I will be recording some podcasts and taking pictures for my “sends and suffers” podcast while we are out here. If you would like to be a part of the podcast or would rather not be a part of it please just let me know as I come around asking people (?). I am going to ask for your help with photos to make this podcast the best it can be. Below, you will find a link to a google drive folder. Please upload your photos, and I’ll share the folder with everyone.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FYtSp130mA4Bm6gO_1DJsh0qNSGOOGN5?usp=sharing
1. Create a folder with your name on it.
2. Upload photos from the trip. [ Including everything, road trip there, climbing and back home ].
3. All done! Thanks for helping me make my first solo Podcast great.
Details
"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing and methods of transportation." -Ron Swanson
Last Chance Canyon climbing: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105920274/last-chance-canyon
Camping Style:
We are car camping, the only hiking is to the climbing area every day. The link below will give you an idea of what you should pack as far as shelter goes. See the more detailed packing list below for additional information.
https://www.nemoequipment.com/pages/car-camping
RAIN:
Please be sure you are prepared for rain as there are not a lot of big trees or shrubbery to take cover. It is not uncommon for a random shower in the middle of the night.
WIND WIND WIND WIND!:
Please understand that the winds can pick up randomly despite what the forecast calls for. Last Chance has gusts up to 40mph, and it can be brutal.
HOT & COLD:
It is essentially summertime, and we are going into the high alpine desert to climb. It’s going to be hot! Please bring sunscreen and anything you might need to help shade yourself from the sun. The desert sun in the summer is harsh. At the same time, in the shade/at night it's going to get slightly chilly, I've seen some forecasts show temperatures as low as 50° at night. Please be sure you bring a warm jacket even though it is summer.
Crag Etiquette
The things I list below will probably seem self-explanatory, but I'm not going to assume everybody knows everything.
"Inside voices on the ground" Keep it quiet at the Crag, and use inside voices when communicating on the ground. It is imperative that belayers and climbers can communicate, and their communication should be the loudest thing at a Crag. With large groups at the warm-up wall, things can get loud really fast so inside voices when chatting.
"We're climbing, not having a yard sale" - Keep all your personal belongings tidy. This involves not putting your pack directly underneath the climb or the one next to you. Find a place to put your stuff out of the way to keep the climbing area clear and easy for people to traffic.
"No music at the Crag!" There's absolutely no music allowed at the Crag. your boombox and Bluetooth speakers for the campsite. If you need further reason, see rule number 1.
"Keep Your Head Up" Just be aware of your surroundings. There's a lot going on at a crag. People are above you, to the left of you, and to the right of you, there might be a small rodent trying to eat your food. The point is I suggest keeping a diligent eye while out there and helmet on.
"Don't be a dick" this is pretty self-explanatory. We're out in nature, and it's a privilege to be there so don't make a mess. Be kind and courteous to everyone around you, because the goal is to hang out,have fun and learn and grow with each other.we're not there just to talk about climbing like we do when at home. Let’s use our time wisely.
“You bring them, you carry them” Last Chance is not for beginner climbers, hikers and campers. Meaning this place is an absolute ass kicker and if you or your friend that you bring has never truly been exposed to the elements I would recommend doing some homework or reach out to me directly. You were expected to be able to Self sustain yourself out there if you need help people are friendly but no one's going to carry your or your friends weight. So be very mindful of who you invite anyone and everyone is welcome.
“Drink before you thirsty, and eat before you're hungry” I like to call this The Burning Man of rock climbing. and if anybody knows anything about “Burning Man” and being in the desert this is one of the golden rules yes by the time you're hungry and thirsty it's too late. Remember don’t bering anybody to my house party that you wouldn’t invite on your own.
“Come ready to be,pumped tired and scared all the time” climbing is real here so come ready to have your ass handed to you and climb some routes into submission.
“Pick it in and pack EVERYTHING out” This place is a very sensitive environment so everything must go when we leave. I can’t emphasis enough how much you need to have Wag bags ( aka poop bags) and trash bags.
I'm excited to climb with everyone this weekend. Here is the lowdown, and if you feel like I'm missing anything, please let me know.
Duration: May 25-30, 2022
Weekend schedule
May 27-29
7am Friday and Sunday morning: real talk meeting; duration 15-20 mins.
radio communications, introduce emergency protocol, communicate check-in times. Please attend or have a few members of your crew attend.
Climbing and Camping at Last Chance canyon tips.
Saturday night of friends dinner and campfire hangout ( Note: If it is too windy or there is a severe burn ban there will be no campfire)
we will cancel this event)
May 30, 2022
Climbing at Sitting Bull Falls and walk-in desert waterfall.
Drive back to Dallas at noon-ish
Sidebar: Some of us will be heading down on the 25th. If you would like to come down with us to get some extra climb time you're more than welcome but the responsibility falls on you to reach out to me or to whoever that person is.
Gear & Tools
Mountain project app. Download New Mexico, other southern areas, and all the pictures for the area as this will be a great reference point. https://www.mountainproject.com/mobileApps
Climbing Gear list
UIAA/CE approved climbing helmet
UIAA/CE approved climbing harness with the belay loop
Standard “lead climbing rack” such as 12 to 24 quickdraws
Stick clip
PAS - personal anchor system (CONNECT ADJUST or DUAL CONNECT ADJUST*)
4 locking large carabiners
2 Non- locking carabiners
ATC and Grigri - (large pear-shaped beaner for each device).
2 Prussic loops (short, long) Sterling Hollow block
One 60m "single" rope (9.5-10.5mm)
Camping list
· Sleeping bag (with optional liner)
· Pillow
· Multi-tool or knife
· Headlamp (with strong beam) (with extra batteries)
Camping shovel (fire pit, pooping, securing your tent, etc. we are camping primitive)
Tent Stakes ( If you don't have this is a good chance your tent will blow away these are a must have for this trip )
Clothing: Hey guys if you use the code “alwaysready” get 10% off on all www.beyondclothing.com
· Long-sleeve shirts (for sun, bugs)
· Boots or shoes suited to terrain Womens Mens
· Socks (synthetic or wool)
· Sleepwear
· Insulated or wind breaking pants
· Gloves or mittens
Camp Kitchen/Pantry
Matches or lighter
Camp stove and fuel with cooking utensils
!!!!!!!!!!5 to 7 gallons of water per person for the weekend!!!!!!!!! (cooking, cleaning, drink, bathing)
· Water bottles (enough to hold 4 liters)
· Utensils
Personal Items
Headlight / headlamp (bring extra batteries)
· Lip balm
· Hand sanitizer
· Spare eyeglasses/contact lenses
· Prescription medications
· Mobile battery
· e-Books
· Notebook and pen/pencil
· walkie talkie (one or two per-group)
Locations
Sitting Bull Falls
Description
Few crowds and prevalent shade. This area can be super cold in the Winter. Watch for the killer bee hive between in the Brit Route and Fire Water. 5$ per car day use fee.
Getting There
From Carlsbad, 8 miles out of town to the west on 285, take 137 South for about 25-30 miles. The turn off of 137 for Sitting Bull is not as far as the signs indicate, the turn off is just before MM31 and after MM32 if coming from HWY 285.
Park Conditions at Sitting Bull falls Lincoln National Forest Conditions
Getting to Last Chance Canyon
Road Conditions I'm getting a lot of mixed reviews here, but the overall vibe is that the main road to the camp area is not very hospitable to low clearance vehicles. Meaning if you drive a sedan or smaller you have a very hard time getting to the campsite and will bottom out your car a few times. These roads are not hard but is very challenging to navigate, high clearance vehicles or vehicles designed for off-road terrain such as Subarus, SUVs, Trucks are severely recommended.
Queen is roughly a 60-90 min drive from Carlsbad, and from here, four miles of heinous forest roads those four miles would normally take us 30-50 minutes.
Description
Last Chance Canyon is home to some of the best sport climbing in New Mexico. The limestone in the canyon is of variable quality, but the bulk of the existing routes are on top-shelf stone that would rival that of famous European crags. There are two distinct styles of climbs: technical, near-vertical faces on thin edges and excellent pockets, and steep jug-hauls up enormous sweeping roofs of layered shelves. The canyon currently hosts ~120 bolted routes, ranging in difficulty from 5.4 to 5.13+. There is potential for many more excellent lines, but a bolting ban has been imposed by Lincoln National Forest (see access note for more information).
There are around 15 distinct crags in the canyon, facing all directions. In the winter, sun-seekers can climb at the Violence Wall, Tornado Alley, or the Breakfast Wall in the morning. Crags that get afternoon sun are The Sunporch, Santa Fe Wall, Tombstone Wall, The Beer Garden, and Tsunami Wall. In the warmer months head straight to the Mad Cow Wall, and Hueco Cave, two of the canyon's best cliffs.
Free camping is available on Lincoln National Forest adjacent to the parking area. A few trees offer shelter a few yards east of the parking lot. The altitude at the campground & parking lot is ~6,000 feet, so it will be significantly cooler than the temps in Carlsbad. The canyon bed is about 1,000 feet lower. In times of heavy rains, some crag bases will be submerged, and the access road can get extremely muddy.
Getting There
From US 285, ~8 miles N of Carlsbad, head West on Highway 137 to Queen(~38 miles). On the far end of Queen, just after Mile Marker 18, turn right onto Forest Road 525 (signed). There are numerous spur roads, just follow the main track. You will encounter 2 cattle guards and two gates. After ~3 miles, make a hard left onto 525A, and continue 1 more mile to the parking lot overlooking the canyon, passing an old shack.
The camping area is on the right side of the road, 100 yds before the parking lot.
( 32.2336, -104.7537 ) The GPS coordinates are to the parking area.
Itinerary
Will be discussed on Saturday morning.