Natalie Rooker: Texas Lady Crusher's Member Spotlight

Name: Natalie Rooker

Origin: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Current Location: Austin, Texas

Natalie first got into climbing in 2015 when she randomly decided she wanted to try something new. She debated between woodworking and rock climbing for a while before finally settling on climbing. She fell in love with it after taking an intro class at North Austin Rock Gym.

Natalie loves sport climbing and bouldering, and two of her favorite places to climb are Reimers Ranch and Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. Visiting Horseshoe Canyon Ranch for the first time is her fondest climbing memory because she was new to climbing outside and was amazed at the number and quality of the routes. She also went with a great group of people and had a blast hanging out with them during the trip.

Natalie is not great at packing snacks and food on climbing outings. On the rare occasion that she prepares, she prefers raw nuts and bananas. A friend once shared half an avocado sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning, and that was the best crag snack Natalie has had yet.

Climbing has given Natalie friendships with wonderful people she is thankful to know and has given her a great reason to spend a lot of time outdoors. When she is not climbing, she also enjoys hiking and camping, especially at Big Bend, her favorite national park. She has camped there a few times and is hoping to backpack there soon.

If you're interested in trying rock climbing, Natalie's advice is to sign up for a membership at

your local gym and to be open to meeting new people there. Also, watch good climbers! You

can learn a lot by observing their technique.

Natalie's proudest climbing accomplishment is that she can now do pull-ups! It took a very, very long time, but the turning point came after a friend gave her an over-the-door pull-up bar.

Fun fact: Natalie is currently trying to learn the guitar (one of several attempts over the past 14 years). She just might master it this time! Natalie has a beautiful dog named Florence, pictured below. She said that the photo of the dog was optional, but we couldn't resist her sweet face.