Maestro

I quit reading Outside years ago when I noticed that all the photos of climbers, hikers, backpackers, showed these well-groomed models without a wrinkle or dirty spot in their clothes, shiny clean faces, and not a hair out of place!

They are also very active in Colorado during the winter. Lots of winter 14er ascents going on, including completion of the first winter solo grand slam, by none other than Aron Ralston, who is famous for amputating his own arm to save his life in a canyoneering accident a couple years ago. This has links to some news stories, but they can't seem to spell his name right: http://www.allclimbing.com/archives/2005/03/aaron_ralston_c.html And they even have SNOW down there!

I guess the legendary rattlesnakes at least, are probably stilled denned up. Has anyone seen one yet? Or has one seen you??

And don't forget the Organs, just east of the city.

Forget the wet stuff! I'm ready for some midwinter rock!

It's been a long while, but let a former resident chime in. This might be totally outdated information, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out. I don't know if these guys are even still alive, much less living in Austin, but here goes... I used to work at Whole Earth Provision Company and they know who the best climbers are and how to get in touch with them. Ask if Keith Guillory still works there, and if they know how to get in touch with James Crump. And Enchanted Rock is definietly worth the trip out there. No big multipitch routes, but probably the longest and most interesting you'll find. Great pink granite and killer views of the Hill Country. James Crump wrote the guidebook for it, if it is still in print. Good luck!

From someone fairly new to the game: I gave myself a Sony Cybershot for Christmas and so far it has worked great in the cold. 5 mp resolution with less available if more shots is more important than image quality. It is small, light, easy to use, and the Carl Zeiss lens does an impressive job for a small chunck of glass.