Mandy Mendez: Texas Lady Crusher's Member Spotlight

Name: Mandy Mendez

Current Location: Austin, Texas

Favorite Type of Climbing: Sport is Mandy's first love, but this year’s Hueco Rock Rodeo moved bouldering up to a very close second.

In November 2017, a friend invited Mandy to climb with her at Austin Bouldering Project (ABP). She knew it would be an exciting way to spend the evening but also assumed it would be a one-time trip. She ended up signing up for a membership that same evening. A year and a half later, she touched real rock at Reimers Ranch and the Greenbelt. She was hooked.

It’s been less than a year since Mandy started climbing outside, but it has already taken her to places she never thought she would visit, with some of the best people she’s met. Mandy says that once you’re out of college, it’s tough to meet new people outside of work, but climbing has made her feel like she’s part of a community again. Being introduced to the Texas Lady Crushers in particular was a game changer. She feels lucky to have this group of strong, adventurous, and supportive womxn to climb with on a regular basis.

Mandy considers El Potrero Chico (EPC) her first real climbing trip, and EPC has been one of her favorite places to climb yet. She had no idea what to expect. What she got was climbing that tested her mental and physical limits, views unlike anything she had ever seen, and laughs with locals and climbers from all over the world.

While EPC will always hold a special place in Mandy's heart, her fondest memories come from recurring (almost) weekly trips to Reimers. Music during the early morning drive, the mandatory bathroom/snack/coffee final pitstop at Whole Foods, and meeting up with the usual climbing friends—it’s all part of the comforting routine that helps her celebrate the end of a week or move past a lousy one.

Mandy says she has a tendency to be impatient and way too hard on herself, but climbing, the humbling sport that it is, has pushed her to become more resilient and try to overcome the fear of failure so she can become a better climber. Overall, almost every great thing that has happened in her life since that first trip to ABP has in some way been related to climbing. Mandy’s advice is to always pack a PB&J, send beer, and Chapstick, especially if you’re going to climb seven pitches in very cold wind. Ouch.

In addition to climbing, Mandy loves running and riding her bike around Town Lake (it will always be Town Lake to her), camping, and hiking with the chicas at the Women Who Explore Austin meetups. She will also never say no to a trip to Deep Eddy Pool or a Central Texas swimming hole. Mandy considers herself an OG Austinite, having lived there since 2004. She attended The University of Texas at Austin and has worked there since just after graduation. She’s a Longhorn through and through. She’s also a huge Star Wars nerd, New York Yankees fan, and personal assistant to her tortie cat, Maeby.