Routes as sport in Nuevo León

Climb a ramp to a dihedral with a crack in the back, then step right to the anchors.

A couple bolts continue above the anchor, but the pitch above was never finished.

Starts far left, almost on the back side of the Mini Super wall.

Awkward, off-balance and twisty.

Starts up a dihedral, then pulls over a bulge to a short slab.

Shares last two bolts and anchor with "El Volvo Scorcho".

Climb the broken corner to a high first bolt, and generally climb right of the bolt line on mostly good holds.

Starts left of La Presa with a slab, first hanger missing.

Goes up the yellowish rock, has a name plate.

The rightmost of 3 routes, 10 feet over from Coca Cola.

Starts with a big block and leads into nice quartz pockets.

Starts 10 yards uphill from Empanada and climbs thru A-frame roof.

Left-most route, just outside the cave.

Right most route of the “Smurf Bowl”. Be careful not to jump onto “Chupacabras” on the 3rd bolt, instead keep going right.

Very popular route. Get up early to avoid the crouds. Best climbed on warm days since it is in the shade most of the day. Shares the first two pitches with "Off the couch"

Climbing

1. 5.9 Fun climbing to a ledge. There are a few unnecessary bolts off-route. There is a second anchor off to the right if the main one is occupied.

2. 5.10b short crux off the anchor offers two beta options. Often linked with P1

3. 5.9 Short unexpected crux comes early, then make use of your routefinding skills.

4. 5.10b Jamming, stemming, traversing will make your life easier. Don't be drawn too much into the path of least resistance.

5. 5.10a Fun exposed pitch.

6. 5.10c The crux goes through suspicious overhung flakes. Good foot technique will allow for much easier passage. Great positive holds breaks up the crux sequence.

7. 5.7 Can easily be linked with P6 with a little rope drag management. LOTS of loose rocks. Beware of parties below.

Very nice climb! most of the pitches are a bit hard for the grade. Pitch crux is a very technical slab. 2 ropes necessary.

Can be done with an 8 meter rope, but you will have to bail a biner to be able to rap to one of the anchors and also you will have to use the first anchor of Satori to get to the ground.

P1:This pitch is almost 50 mts long so you need 2 ropes for the rappel. techy climb on slab and vertical. P2: around 30m long P3: it traverses to the left with a spicy finish P4: short and powerfull climbs the roof P5: is like climbing a 30mts long fridge hugging.

for the rappel there is an anchor 8mts left of the 4th anchor. and form ther you can rappel 50mts down to anchor. ther you can move to the anchors of the route.

2 ropes recommended.

30ft left of "Camino de Oro" follow a trail left (sometimes hard to see) until it hits the wall again. Shares last bolts with "Camino de Oro".

Starts above the old mine shaft and trends left to a first high bolt.

Requires a 70m rope.

This route starts on the upper ledge, go up the fixed rope and left along the cliff. The name is written on the wall (faint).

Climbs thin face to large ledge half way up. Tends to have run-outs. 2 x 60m ropes recommended.

Climbs the cleanest, blankest, rock up the center of the central pillar. A climb made famous after Alex Honnold's free solo ascent.

Rapell down, a 70m rope is enough down to the top of pitch 5, then you need 2 50m ropes.

First pitch has 13 bolts and 45m, a 80m rope brings you down to bolt one and you can downclimb.

Passes the tufa on the left and up on the headwall.

This climb starts where the trail meets the rock. Tends to be runout.

Twenty feet right of "Bonum de Carnival". Also tends to be runout.

Just 10ft. right of Gracie's Bosch. Six bolts per pitch. Can be climbed as one pitch then rapped twice.

Jug haul.

1. 6 bolts. Mostly a jug-haul.

2. 4 bolts, couple natural threads available to protect some easy scrambling after the steeper start to the pitch. A bit vegetated.

Climbs through the alcove midway up the route on the white rock.

5ft. to the left of Green Flower Street.

First route you come to when you hike up to the wall. Far right side.

Shares top belay with "Dos Mundos".

Shares top anchor with "Border Dog".

Walk up the trail made of concrete tires leftwards from the tin pavilion until you get to the left-most set of bolts, just before the gulley that is "Tamirindo". The first pitch trends leftwards, avoiding the obvious roof.

Shares start with "Las Chimuelas" and "Warifikis", but goes over the roof at an easier part than Warifikis.

Climb up and over the roof. Then up slab above.

Climb the obvious clean water streak right of the Jungle Boy roof, on the generally left side of the wall. Used to access the "Jungle Bowl".

(Dane's book describes this as run-out, and pitch 3 is listed as 5.9R in Ed's book -- but it has been re-bolted and is no more run-out than normal for EPC.)

1. 5.9+ Getting to the first bolt is not a cruise. The crux hides near the end, guarded by a single polished foothold.

2. 5.9 Mostly positive holds with a slight crux.

3. 5.9 More of the same.

4. 5.10a Technical traverse into sustained climbing until you've pulled the bulge.

Starts just left of the tree climbing close to the aqueduct. Climbs the black streak through the large roof right of "Space Boyz".

1. 5.9 20m, 4 bolts. Climb easy slab to a high bolt, with maybe one 5.9 move.

2. 5.10b 25m, 9 bolts. Solid at the grade, with lots of good climbing.

3. 5.6 15m, 3 bolts. A bit run-out, but short.

4. 3rd class. Follow the fixed rope.

5. 5.9 37m, 9 bolts. Climb easy ramp to high first bolt, then up broken and hollow flakes to fine crimping up a black streak.

6. 5.10d 16 bolt. Face to a big roof.

7. 5.10b

8. 5.10b

9. 5.9

This Potrero classic was bolted entirely on the weekends. Starts just north of the pavilion. Loose rock. Helmet recommended. Please be careful of the partying Mexicans below. This route has been climbed in 2 1/2 hours, car to car. Take 20 draws if you combine pitches, works well for 1&2, 3&4 and on top. You have to rap from the dedicated rap station below the bulge (belay station 3 after pitch 4) if you have a 60m rope.

The summit register is at the end of pitch 13, most people skip the last two pitches, and, especially, the last pitch. Bring a 70m rope and 24 draws if linking pitches. Fixed draws on P7 for rappelling the traversing pitch.

This route starts on the large left-angling third class ramp by the orange pole on the aqueduct. This route is the first set of bolts up the ramp.

Climb up narrow slab section to high first bolt (shared with "Upside Down Cracker", then follow bolts leftward.

Shares anchor with "Blood Meridian".

This route starts on the large left-angling third class ramp by the orange pole on the aqueduct.

Starts same as "Golden Puff" (shares first 2 bolts), then follows bolts across the middle of the wall to the anchors for "Slip of the Tongue". Traverse is difficult to clean on lower/rappel.

Long and sustained. Don't confuse the anchors for "Mr. P. Mosh" as part of the climb -- though they can be very useful for rappel to get down with a single rope. Can safely be descended in one pitch using an 80m rope.

Old Bolts recently (between 2004 and 2012) replaced.

Up then curves left towards bulge and more up-left to share anchors with "Something Old, Something New".

Sometimes done as a single pitch.

This route has been eliminated due to a dangerous loose block.

This route starts on the large left-angling third class ramp by the orange pole on the aqueduct.

Shares first 2 bolts with "Blood Meridian", but then continues up.

First pitch is 5.10 if you stay out of the corner and on the face to the right.

Can be combined in one pitch with 18 draws.

Starts on the slab right of the palm tree and goes up right to the first anchor. From there follow the airy arrete to the top. Each pitch 6 bolts.

A Potrero Chico classic.

Bolt line up the face of the down-hill spire. Use the anchor of Peek-a-Boo Jesus to rap down if your rope is too short.

Starts downhill and to the left on the taller spire. Look for the chimney system that goes up -- the climb starts in/up this chimney.

This is not your usual EPC 5.9; it is solid in the grade, not closely bolted, and a lot of crack work, rather than face climbing. Having some gear to supplement the missing bolt and the old iron pitons is a good idea unless you are completely solid at 5.9.

1. 5.7: Climb up blocky/vegetated ledges passed a few bolts to the anchor. Slightly runout but well protected where it counts.

2. 5.9: Follow the crack making use of jamming/chimney/dihedral technique passing a few bolts and old Mexican irons. At one of the Mexican irons, look out right for a bolt, you should come out of the crack and make your way up a bolted slab to the anchor. Continuing in the crack will lead you to unprotectable (without trad gear) moves that are slightly harder than 5.9.

3. 5.10-: A quick boulder problem allowing you to stand on top of the pillar. Uncomforatble belay.

There is a short 3rd pitch to the top of the pillar on one bolt and old iron rings (or gear). It is short, but steep. There is a new anchor at the top with two hangers, there is also a rappel down the south side from the top.

Descend by rappelling down "Getting Wood". With twin 70m ropes you can make it down in a single rappel. 60m would also probably work but this is untested at the moment.

Bolted tufa left of the Bronco Bowls fixed rope. Get here by climbing Steel Pulse and the traversing all the way to the left anchors.

Starts on the dark grey slab. Use the right anchor with chains.

Shares first 2 bolts with No Excuses.

Go up the fixed rope and belay from there.

Excellent climb with lots of variation in technique, in the shade most of the day.

As of Feb-2020 there is now a direct rap line from the sixth pitch into "Afro-Juan" (thanks to Ulric Rousseau). Ulric Rousseau also added 20+ fixed steel draws for the descent, which needs to be back clipped in order to stay close to the wall during the overhanging rappels.

Fantastic climb!!!! Careful on the raps, knot end of ropes to be sure!

The 5.12a can be french freed.

[dagibbs edit note, 2012] Neither Dane's guide (The Whole Enchilada, 2007) nor Ed's book (Climb El Potrero Chico, 17th ed 2012) mention this route, or anything similar to this route in this area. But, there is a topo for the Outrage Wall in the back of Ed's book that diagrams "Jambo Bwana (TWZ)" beside the Surf Bowl. So, this pretty clearly is the first few pitches of TWZ (until the first garden). Maybe TWZ was only bolted part way when this was first posted? Or the climber thought the 3rd class was the end? [/edit note]

The approach is long, follow the spire path and keep going, the route is on the far left [edit: actually far right] of the Surf bowl. Still very chaucy rock, needs more ascents to clean the route. The crux pitch is made harder in part due to the crimper holds crumpeling while most inconvinient. There is a fixed rope at the top, to rap the top pitch.

-z- you are correct, JumboBwano was the original route, and Timewave was added from the 3rd class ledge. It is in my 2001 guide ... Timewave was added in 2003 I think. Ed and I tried for the 2nd ascent, but were overtaken by a simul climbing Mexican team. They were not going to let us take the 2nd! We only made it to the eighteenth pitch, and they past us on the way down before we got done!

P1: 4 Bolts (4 bolt anchor) P2: 9 Bolts (4 bolt anchor) P3: 8 Bolts (3 bolt anchor) P4: 7 Bolts (4 bolt anchor) P5: 8 Bolts (4 bolt anchor) P6: 9 Bolts (3 bolt anchor) Traverse pitch P7: 3 Bolts (3 bolt anchor) P8: 4th class P9: 10 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P10: 9 bolts (4 bolt anchor) traverse P11: 8 bolts (3 bolt anchor) P12: Ledge for overnight bivy P13: 6 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P14: 6 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P15: 9 bolts (3 bolt anchor) P16: 9 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P17: 7 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P18: 8 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P19: 6 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P20: 7 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P21: 10 bolts (4 bolt anchor) P22: 7 bolts (2 bolt anchor) P23: 6 bolts (1 bolt anchor) ridge traverse

Tufas! Blucifer Variation starts on "Surfer Rosa" for 5 bolts, then move left to finish on "Blue Fin".

Perma draws.

Rightmost route, starts on the dark rock with a high first bolt. The action starts after the obvious ledge. Permadraws except for first 3.

The first two pitches can be linked. After that I wouldn't recommend due to rope drag over loose rock and vegetation. The fourth pitch is the 10a. On the sixth pitch you rappel down to a notch and climb the last two. On the descent you rappel down to the notch again and use the anchors right on your face (or chest if you are tall) to rappel (walk) down to another anchor which takes you straight down to the ground with a single 70m rope (this new anchor was added recently).

Es la de la izquierda del monolito que esta a la izquierda de la cueva principal

Es la ruta que esta en el centro del monolito, a la izquierda de la cueva principal.

Es la de la derecha del monolito que esta a la izquierda de la cueva central

Esta ruta es la de los clavos oxidados viejos por atrás a la derecha del monolito

V8 to second bolt on snake shaped tufa, dyno midway on route. The variation is a 5.14a (FA: Rodman)

Hard climbing to halfway then more hard climbing to the top

3 meters right of 'Unknown'. Climb the clean face up and trend right to chain anchor under small cactus. Sharing anchors with 'Cat Gut'.

5 meters right of 'Hechicera'. Climb the clean gray rock straight up the anchor on 'Hechicera'. (sharing anchor)

3 meters right of 'Cat Gut'. Follow obvious black water streak to cold shut anchor. The climb starts with a slab and quickly turns into a vertical face climb. Clipping the 3rd bolt is a little sketchy because the fall is directly over the slab start. There is an intermediate anchor for rapping down.

Esta ruta es de 40 metros, escalen con cuerda de 70 mts y pongan nudos en las puntas!