Holly Hughes: Texas Lady Crusher's Member Spotlight

Name: Holly Hughes

Current Location: Austin, Texas

Favorite State or National Park: El Potrero Chico in Monterrey Mexico. EPC is a world class climbing destination with outstanding multi-pitch climbing. Holly says climbing in the mountains with people from all over the world and finishing a long day with margaritas in the canyon is a truly magical feeling.

Holly moved to Austin from New York City the same weekend that Crux opened 4 years ago. She had done some basic “cruise-ship climbing” before, but attending the opening weekend party solidified her curiosity, and she caught the bug. Soon enough, she was climbing outdoors at the Greenbelt and Reimers Ranch. Early on, Holly had the opportunity to visit Moab, Utah and experience multi-pitch climbing on sandstone in some of the most incredible landscapes. She then traveled to Mexico and EPC, as she grew her love of climbing and combined with her love of travel and camping.

For Holly, climbing is the perfect way to spend a day outside. Connecting with nature and yourself and your breath are some of the most simple, yet important, gifts. As Holly sees it, at the end of climbing a mountain, you get the feeling that you can absolutely do anything. This taste of feeling is so small within the grandeur of nature, but it's also so big, capable, and strong at once - it is what keeps her coming back.

Holly lives in South Austin with her dog Olive and cat Athena. She is also huge fan of Black Swan Yoga. When she isn’t climbing, Holly is also a local Realtor with Realty Austin. She loves helping people find their own little piece of Austin to call home. An added bonus you won't find with any other realtor is that she can tell you exactly how far it is to the nearest climbing destination.

Holly also recently became a mentor with Explore Austin. Their 6- year program empowers youth through mentoring, leadership, and outdoor adventures. They start working with kids when they are 12 and continue the mentorship until they are 18. Through the mentorship, the kids learn skills from paddle-boarding, to mountaineering, backpacking, and of course, rock climbing. She is so excited to share her love of the outdoors with the next generation and really believes that nature can not only change your life, but also change you.

Holly’s advice to new climbers is to put yourself out there and climb with your tribe. She loves that the sport requires partnership and collaboration. She recommends finding a partner who you want to hang out with, and making sure it is someone who knows how to push and motivate you. It is important to look for someone who will encourage you to show up - because even if you don’t want to go, you will not regret a day of climbing. She finds other climbers to generally be thoughtful and self-reliant types with some really good stories and loves meeting new folks at the crag.