Welcome to Texas Lady Crushers!
Our mission is simple yet powerful: to cultivate an inclusive, educational and supportive space for women and non-gender conforming individuals who share a passion for climbing. Whether you have been “crushing” (climber-slang for “climbing hard”) since day one or you want to try a new activity, you are welcome at any of our meet-ups.
Photo by: Eliza Earle
Meet the Team
Emilie Hernandez (she/her)
Founder
Emilie Hernandez founded Texas Lady Crushers in January 2017. She is a certified Single Pitch Instructor with the American Mountain Guides Association, is Wilderness First Aid Certified, a Personal Chef by trade, bilingual in Spanish and English, and a classically trained violinist. She grew up San Antonio, Texas and currently lives with her husband, son, and two dogs in the Austin hill country.
Photo by: Savannah Cummins
Darline de la Vega (she/her)
Dallas Fort Worth Executive Leader
Darline is based out of the North Texas area and leads the DFW region for TxLC. Darline is an avid sport climber, beginner trad mama, and recent outdoor enthusiast. She loves to educate herself on the endless amounts of climbing knowledge so that she can eventually become an AMGA certified guide. As a transplant from the Bay Area, Darline is grateful for the community and friendships she has found in her new home through climbing. Outside of climbing, Darline can be found playing Pickleball with her husband or at home with her new cat.
TxLC Leaders: What got you interested in climbing?
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Alayna Hillard (she/her)
I always thought that climbing would be the ideal physical, mental, and even social challenge!
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Jessica Gunzinger (she/her)
I got hooked on climbing because I love being outdoors + catching a sweet view at the chains, and the flow of moving through a route makes my soul happy!
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Mauria Atzil (she/her)
My older brother got me interested in climbing over a decade ago. He took me climbing, I got hooked, then we roped (pun intended) our younger sister into climbing and it remains a family activity to this day.
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Sarah Knapp (she/her)
My friend took me climbing one weekend and I thought it was such a fun way to stay active physically and mentally