Blue Lizard Climbing and Yoga, LLC

Excellent guide and tour! Steve really took the time to get to know our climbing experience and abilities to provide a very individualized tour for our entire group. After inquiring about our favorite climbing styles he not only took us to perfect, classic problems but even came up with a list of recommendations for us for the rest of our time (self-guided) in North Mountain. He was extremely attentive and respectful of the park, very knowledgeable abut the area, its history, and culture, and was just a fun/cool guy to spend the day with. Beyond that, his pad placement was impeccable and every problem we tried felt very well protected despite what would otherwise be sketchy landing areas. His ability to fluidly shift between spotting and taking pictures and pointing out beta was pretty remarkable. He is willing to share microbeta or keep it to himself depending on what your group wants, but he helped half of us break into a new v-grade on our tour (a v5 and a v7)! Lastly, the pictures he took and shared turned out pretty phenomenal. Definitely plan to hang out with him again on our next trip!

There's only one reason to guide in the backcountry without Steve and Blue Lizard - he's already booked. And even then, I may change the dates of my trip instead. We've toured the backcountry three of the last four years with Blue Lizard. Steve is simply the best. His communication is fabulous, he is always punctual, and he is incredibly knowledgeable. Are you looking for crimpy V6s? He will give you a catalog of climbs and suggest a circuit - from memory. Want to climb Hueco's classic roofs? He can recite them all and knows the beta too (if desired). Saw some obscure boulder on Instagram? Describe a few details and he will likely guess the boulder on his first try. Steve knows the backcountry through and through.

Every tour starts with three rules: Protect the history, protect nature, and protect yourself. Steve shows incredible respect for the park's history and loves to share its context and traditions with guests. He shares stories, and points out pottery, pictographs, and grinding holes while on tour. He ensures that his clients stay on trails and strongly discourages climbing after rain. These steps are vital to protect the rock, nature, and climbing access. When you climb with Steve, he brings many crash pads and spots attentively to keep climbers safe. He even takes professional photos that he shares with his clients. Some guides will drop climbers at a boulder then spend an hour on their phone. Steve, on the other hand, is incredibly engaged and ensures that his climbers are having the experience of their lives.

When we see Steve interact with park staff and rangers, it seems clear that they love him. I'm sure the respect he shows the park and loads of volunteering have gone a long way to build that relationship. Steve is a fantastic guide and a great role model. We will continue to bring our kids to Hueco to climb with Blue Lizard, in hope that his character wears off on them too. Thanks Steve!

Steve guided us at Hueco tanks for 2 days with a combination of spots on east and west mountain. He was incredibly knowledgeable and has the utmost respect for the land and history of Hueco. By the middle of the day he had a good idea of our styles and limits and recommended great boulders for us to try. Definitely recommend him as a guide!

Steve was an amazing guide!
Really knowledgeable on best routes around the park and made planning the days out much easier. I wasn’t expecting professional photos of us climbing, which was a huge bonus. Also made safety, preservation, and fun a top priority. Highly recommend using Blue Lizard for a guide service if you plan on visiting Hueco!

Some friends and I hired Steve to take us bouldering at Hueco. We drove right past the red tape and rangers and Steve directed us on a killer tour of classic boulders. Great guy, extremely knowledgeable, and reasonably priced. Plus, he took pictures. Highly recommended.