Author:
Larry Earley
Participants:
Larry Earley and Don Taylor
'Tunnel'
Overview Photo: click
here.
Don and I stopped for a couple of
sport climbs at
The Tunnel sport climbing area near Alamogordo, New Mexico. This
is a limestone sport climbing area with mostly hard climbs. There
are climbs on the "Sunny Side" and the "Shady Side". This is a very
interesting geological site. The sign says the limestone has gypsum
in it. We later found out that the gypsum causes a climbing
phenomena known as slopers. Slippery sloper holds are the norm. This
limestone is not like Jacks Canyon, Palomas Peak, Shelf Road or the
Homestead. There are not buckets, no edges and no holds. We only
climbed the easiest ones so I can only imagine what the hard climbs
are like.
The approach is 5 minutes but you
climb right next to NM state highway 82 so its noisy. We climbed in
shade and started on the easiest climb
Side Straddle Hop (5.8). Mountain Project says that this climb
will be challenging for even the hardiest veteran. It was hard for a
5.8. Then we finished on
Warm Up (5.9); Don lead this one. Mountain Project says 'Warm
Up' is a nice 5.9 with a V1 boulder start. It was pretty tough to
get started on this warm up but the overhanging finish will test you
especially if you are short.
I would say that any tough climbers
out there should try this slippery sloppy limestone on your next
trip to southern NM.
