Located a stone’s throw away from the neon lights and half empty condominium complexes of Las Vegas, NV, lies the amazing Aztec sandstone cliffs of Red Rock Recreation Area. On my first climbing road trip I spent Christmas of 1986 in Red Rocks. At that time the lack of a comprehensive guidebook, long routes and seemingly unending labyrinth of canyons were very intimidating and I barely scratched the surface of the climbing potential of the region. Nearly 25 years later and after dozens of return visits, Red Rocks no longer seems like a daunting place, in fact it is one of the climbing destination I feel most comfortable. I spent the month of November guiding a NOLS semester group here and was treated to a wide range of weather conditions which provided the climatic conditions for images such as this.
