Glenda Reyes-Ortiz: Texas Lady Crusher's Member Spotlight

Name: Glenda Reyes-Ortiz

Current Location: Dripping Springs, Texas

Favorite Type of Climbing: Sport and Ice.

About 8 years ago, Glenda was looking for something fun that her family could do together and found a Groupon for a climbing gym. Her husband didn’t want to go at the time, but as luck would have it, one of her friends had just started going to Summit Rock Gym. She invited Glenda along and Glenda was hooked after the first climb.

Today, Glenda’s favorite places to climb are Kolob Canyon in Zion National Park, Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, and Ouray Ice Park. Her fondest climbing memory is belaying her son on his first outdoor lead climb at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch when he was about 10 years old.

Glenda is especially grateful for the people she has met from climbing especially her "NPN (No Permit Needed) Family," as they like to refer to themselves. When she first started climbing, she met a fellow climber who had been climbing for a while and was also married with two kids. Their daughters would play while they climbed at the gym. One day, he invited Glenda’s family to climb outdoors and introduced them to other families that enjoyed climbing and participating in outdoor activities. The families then became super close. For the last 8 years, the families explore a National Park together during the summer, camping and climbing for 7-10 days and generally unplugging. These are more than just climbing friends, they are a family. Glenda is forever grateful that this sport put these people in her family’s lives.

Glenda believes that wherever you are in your climbing journey, it is important to just embrace it and not compare your journey with others. When she first started climbing, she used to wish that she found climbing earlier, before marriage and kids, so that she could climb as much as she wanted to and go anywhere. She also used to wish that she started climbing when she was younger, because she thought she would be a stronger climber. Luckily, she learned to move fast those limiting statements and just enjoy climbing whenever she could get it in. She sent her first 12a (Yertle) back in March when she never thought she would be able to do a 12.

Outside of climbing, Glenda loves anything outdoors; hiking, biking, or even just sitting outside. Glenda has been to 15 national parks and loves all of them for different reasons, but her top 3 are Zion, Grand Teton and Yosemite. She loves all of these parks so much that it’s hard to pick just one.

Glenda can also play piano by ear, and has part time jobs when not climbing. Glenda works at Crux, is a photographer, a guide with Outpost Wilderness Adventure, and just got onboard with Explore Austin as a trip leader. She is also the assistant to a real estate team and is working on becoming an agent herself.

Glenda and her husband also host Airbnbs in her neighborhood, which is just 10 minutes away from Reimers. If anyone wants to go to Reimers for weekend but doesn’t want to camp, hit her up!