Organs over New Years?

Hey MP,
I'm visiting my GF's family in Las Cruces and we'd hoped to get out to climb in the organs for a day. However, from photos, trip reports, etc. it looks like snow is a serious possibility (and, presumably, prohibitively cold temps are as well).

If it's going to be a gamble we'll probably just go to  hueco instead. Are the organs even worth the trouble with hueco in such close proximity (and in prime season)? I've never been to either so it's all new to me.

Cheers,
Matt

I've been up in the Organs in February. We climbed one pitch of fabulous granite and scurried home. Figure loosing 10-degrees F per 1000 feet of elevation gain compared to in-town temperatures, and it's windier up on the mountain, too.

Dona Anna Mountains is lower than Organs. Closer than Hueco. Found some cool bouldering there.  https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105800591/dona-ana-mountains

City of Rocks State Park is lower than Organs. Same distance as Hueco. Different climbing. Less documented.  https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106077527/city-of-rocks

Hueco is a bit of a regulatory nightmare, BUT there is good reason why before 1998 (year of new regs) Hueco was THE winter bouldering destination for the US and the rest of the world. 

Go. To. Hueco.

George Perkins wrote: The Tooth has a decent chance of being in reasonable climbing conditions. (I've climbed it 4 times in the winter.)  It'll likely be in the sun by the time you've done the approach (~2 hrs, uphill hiking, but at least it has a trail).  I have no experience with the other Organ routes you list.

I'd imagine you can't get reservations at Hueco for Christmas break on this short notice, so go early to wait at the gate if you choose to do that.  Still, it's probably the better option for someone with your ticklist.

Awesome, thanks! Any thoughts on the sport around southern NM? I'm pretty equally happy climbing sport, trad and bouldering (despite my bouldering-only ticklist). Are the Box or the Bat Cave worthy/a better winter option?

I knew Hueco would be a crapshoot given the lack of reservation planning (not to mention finding a pad). Perhaps if I can scrounge up a pad (or a few) we'll head there and give it a try. I'll be there in March for a week anyway so it could be good to sample some other areas.

The Tunnel, sunny side for sport. 

Southern comfort is the best bet in the organs for winter climbing.  Gertch and tooth are still in shape.  Middle rabbit ear is probably ok on the west face but cold.

+1 on Dona Ana being worth consideration - lower in elevation, and some pretty decent, moderate multipitch up to ~8 pitches on Checkerboard Wall.

Definitely check out the bouldering at City of Rocks State Park in NM as mentioned above; the guidebook is sold on Amazon, and they used to have a copy to lend out at the park office.  Lowell Stevenson, who wrote the guide book, runs the Hueco Mountain Hut, a good base if you decide to go to Hueco Tanks (check it out at crux.com).  Lowell is a cool guy and can give you beta on lots of lesser known bouldering in West Texas and New Mexico.

climber pat wrote: Southern comfort is the best bet in the organs for winter climbing.  Gertch and tooth are still in shape.  Middle rabbit ear is probably ok on the west face but cold.

Thanks for the advice. Due to logistics I'm not going to have a pad but did bring my full rack. My GF really likes long mellow trad so I'm looking to do some long (4+ pitches) easier (5.9 or under) routes. Is anything worthy in the organs outside the SoCo wall going to be climbable/enjoyable? The citadel/lambda? For this sort of stuff in late December is the checkerboard wall the best bet? 

MattH wrote:

Thanks for the advice. Due to logistics I'm not going to have a pad but did bring my full rack. My GF really likes long mellow trad so I'm looking to do some long (4+ pitches) easier (5.9 or under) routes. Is anything worthy in the organs outside the SoCo wall going to be climbable/enjoyable? The citadel/lambda? For this sort of stuff in late December is the checkerboard wall the best bet? 

Lambda should be good.  Yellow brick road is south facing.  West face would be in the sun later in the day.  NW ridge of citadel was ok but cold last week.  It is in the shade for most of the day. If the weather is warmish when you are here it could be ok.  Gertch should be ok too. Gertch is west facing but a longer walk so it will be in the sun not too long after you arrive.  

Several routes on checkerboard might be good for you too.

The approaches in the Organs are non-trivial.  Unless you have some good beta, you could eat up a lot of your precious daylight hours wandering in the wilderness. When I climbed at the Lambda Wall, the approach was 1.5 hours with a local who had the approach wired.   Do you have any local connections lined up to help with this?  Southern Comfort approach is about an hour.

The winds can get pretty wild up there too, the full extent of the problems not always evident when you start the approach.

That being said, Yellow Brick Road fits the profile of climb you are looking for well.  The Southern Comfort climbs are shorter, but you have the possibility of setting top ropes on Margaritaville and Black Velvet, which might be out of your comfort zone for a trad lead.

The Checkerboard is a much more accessible option, with, as has been noted, several routes that would be suitable for you.

Lambda Wall approach isn’t that bad if you pay good attention to the MP directions, I think there are even some pics of the best place to turn off the main trail.  Disclaimer: I was already dialed in on trail to Rabbit Ears Canyon before I went to Lambda.

Citadel can be super windy; the west ridge of citadel is an awesome moderate but expect it to be considerably colder than other areas if the wind is blowing from the west.