Driving back from the club at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas at 5:00am after dancing all night, I turned to Chris.  

“I think we have more fun than 99% of the population.”  

He laughed and responded, “I’ll bet you’re right.”

Chris and I drove to Las Vegas to spend Christmas this past year.  We thought we’d be in town about two weeks or so, but two MONTHS later here we are back in Boulder.  

It was just so hard to leave, and we were not alone in our thinking.  We had a constant stream of climbing friends visiting us during this time, as it is probably the best place to climb in the country mid-winter.  It was so much fun to reconnect with my family and friends, both from climbing and my old workplace.

Our good friend, Jonathan Siegrist (he’s basically family), understands how amazing the Las Vegas lifestyle can be.  This pro-climber could be anywhere in the world and he is actually living in Las Vegas for the next few months.  It was awesome having him around.  He is filled with energy and is always highly motivated to climb, train, and go dancing.

                                                                         
                                                                        Words of wisdom at Club Tread from JStar!

So with Jonathan being our event-coordinator, we had a few really big nights out.  These nights are ones Chris and I will remember forever- the kind of night where you can’t stop laughing and your belly actually hurts from it, your calves are sore from jumping up and down, and you just feel more alive than ever imaginable.  

                                                                             
                                                                               New Year’s Eve at our home

Contrast this night with many more days of world-class rock climbing in a tank top in January and if this isn’t a little bit of paradise I don’t know what is.   

 

 
Chris’ self made harness after forgetting it at home. Still had a wicked climbing day!

 
Light load bouldering at Kraft

 
Slice and Dice, V9

Las Vegas, as eccentric and odd as it is, will always be home to me.  I love the brilliant colors and harsh landscape of Red Rocks contrasting with the gaudy casinos and racy billboards.  There is nowhere else in the world I can think of where you can feel so alone and filled with adventure in the desert canyons by day, and so crowded with blinking lights and clanking jackpots by night.

We’re back in Boulder for a few weeks but we’ll be back in Vegas for the Red Rock Rendezvous April 5-7.  Can’t wait!