Ascents in Mexico by Justin Case

Absolutely, positively, outstanding route. It's like every route I try here is better than the previous one. I got lucky and hit everything right on this one and got one of my best OS's! Very sweet sequences through the roof cruxes XD

A mega proud onsight! Since there were no draws on this, route-finding was a pump factor for sure, on this maze of stalactites and tufas! Very pumpy and bouldery at spots, but the holds are all good! Last send of the Mexico 2013/2014 trip? Felt awesome! Great rests...

Only did the first pitch. Very enjoyable climbing with fun moves for a slab. As usual, technical on the feet, typical of limestone!

Excellent line that starts with a small traverse to a roof with compression on a big tufa, super cool tea-drinking rest, after which comes a megaclassic traverse on good holds. Reminded me of QLD climbing, not because of the style, but because of the hot weather! Long time since I wore shorts on a climb for sure. El Chonta was insectville this weekend.

Tensiony movement on good crimps and edges. Pumpy but beautiful and fun. Going past the trees and seeing the beautiful sunset with light drops of rain falling on us was amazing! Satisfied with the OS.

Great, chilly, pumpy climbing at altitude, happy about this OS

Excellent climbing through the tufas. First Chonta climb this trip! A great way to start! Sure beats the left of the cave, that's for sure. This became Maria's, Kimberley's, Jin's, and Steve's working project while there.

After trying Team Hilti, Opi recommended us to try this route, and a good recommendation it was! After some bulgy-mantly climbing you get to a clean, gently overhanging pocketed face with excellent pumpy cross over and matching moves all the way to the anchor. Proud OS for sure! Guide says 10d, but feels more like a hard 21, so probably 11a as it says here.

You know what? This here is my favorite climb EVER so far. The movement is just so fun, it's about the only climb I enjoyed a lot repeating, even though I typically never do.

Non-trivial movement near the start, as the left hand is on sidepulls and your right is pulling the wrong way on a crack. Incites pensiveness. Then the second half are straightforward moves on really good holds through the overhang. Really fun!

The day before, tried doing a climb in zero temps and a cloud over Potrero! Everything was wet and cold, on the wrong wall and I went to some anchors to clean via three different climbs, scary! We bailed and Maria arrived after then we went to El Buho and then to Monterrey to get some very nice Norteno BBQ and shopping. Later that night Jin and Kimberley arrived Next day it cleared up and we went here, and this tricky, thin-in the feet slab was our warm-up, felt like a good OS to me

They told me this was a 5.10... Didn't feel like it at all! Really fun, hard with all the humidity.

Great solid cobbly crimpness! Awesome climbs and views

Great scary start climbing on quality limestone! First climb in el Chonta!!!

Only did the first two pitches today, Steve's first multi-pitch! Party was Maria, Steve, and myself. Very enjoyable first pitch which was lead by Maria and I lead the second, which felt scary, thin, runout and hard! Definitely feels like more than 10b (guide says 5.10?), and by the end, we all were feeling a bit wrecked, Steve's feet hurt, Maria had a migraine, and I felt like I was coming down with something... All in all, pretty good!

Cleaning the route for Esau and Alex. Pretty average route on not that great rock, but fun outing!

Great warm-up for other routes. Felt like 5.11- because of endurance, but maybe I have none.

Easy techy climb.

Good I guess...

Meh...

Great, great climbing, in a great, great location, with phenomenal views

Lead pitches 1, 3, 5, 6. A really EPIC journey that started at 11 am and finished at about 8-9 pm! Froze 'cause I decided it was going to be a quickie in the sun and did it all shirtless... On the first belay station Webb was kind enough to embrace me between his legs, thus also solving the space issue for those anchors! VERY run out, so if you're doing this, you should be confident enough at the grade that you could be soloing it! I fell asleep at the top of pitch 6, really really EPIC!!!!

In one word: SCARY! Very runout and overgrown on the first pitch (easy), and very off-widthy and also very runout on the second. We wanted to get to the top of the spires, but we had to bail after I got to the top of the second (lead both), as it was getting dark and Maria had the pack on which would've made the offwidth pretty hard for her. Lots of plantlife with lots of thorns, and a tricky rap down. One to come back to go to the top!

Techfest. These routes all feel harder than 5.9, but they're hella enjoyable.

Another sandbag, but an enjoyable one.

Aaand another sandbag.

Man, it's not great to sandbag the easiest routes in this sector, especially considering there are so many people bringing beginners with no technique here!

Tough for 5.9! Easiest if done without resting at all, as there is no stance that won't eventually tire you. Interesting movement through good holds and a sloping crack.

Very very nice hueco features! Also, some funky body positioning makes for very enjoyable climbing. A must-do of this wall

Very nice, sometimes runout climbing. Better as a warm-up for a climber for whom 5.8 is not that hard, otherwise psychological! Lots of "faithy" reaches and steps on not-that-great footholds

Set this for my cousin. Nice flowy climbing on good holds!

Pretty straightforward, well-protected climb on positive terrain and good holds. Good for a beginning leader!

On our second day on, in the first dedicated bouldering weekend in Bernal, was feeling kinda stiff and a bit tired from the day before. This fit my style perfectly: strengthy yet techy moves on slopers. Happy for the flash

It's very tempting to cheat on this one. One hard move, then steep jug haul.

Pretty soft for V5, probably more like V4. Just long, tensiony moves.

Maria's pretty close to getting this one. Similar in style to Cyborg, but more delicate, I found. Another flash, awesome

Not that much of a V4. One powerful move to a crimp then easy. Meh!

I kinda loved the sequence on this one, complex and technical for sure, yet strong in the core. 3 techy moves, then easy slab. Happy days!

Excellent techy traverse on rooflet. Can't remember the exact date. Easy finish. Nice n' low.

A couple of powerful crimpy moves and then it's a steep jug haul. Fun for sure

Started more to the left than the original start. Doesn't add a grade, just makes it more solid. Nice traverse on slopers, really fun

A decent techy problem. Not much else to say!

Not even V0. If it was 20m long maybe a 13-15? Good for downclimbing.

Easier than V0. More of a downclimb from the boulder.

Aw, YISS!!! Tried it for 3 days over 2 months or so. Crimpy and remarkably trickery-free, kinda pure that way. Fell at the top a few times, including one where I fell right on the tree, scraping my leg kinda badly but my pants were strangely not torn. Top is not hard, you just can't see what you're doing. Fourth V7! I think I'll start trying Fusion (V8) now.

Very special send for me. To send your hardest boulder in front of your parents and one of your best friends growing up is the stuff of dreams. Add to that a perfectly clear day with the volcanoes, the beautiful Pumas stadium and Ajusco right behind you, and you have yourself a perfect day. Three days on this beast, two of which were with my little brother. A very special send. The name means "The Edges", and rightfully so, very small holds!

Done! Second day on, got flash pumped for the first time in my life, did not know what that felt like! After my first two tries, the pump did not subside in like an hour- ridiculous! Anyway, glad I got it done

Significantly harder than the other V5's around here, more beautiful as well. Powerful, precise, heady and all-around awesome. Felt like a great ending to a great day

Sit start on two crimpers with a bad slopey right foot, 4 moves on a 60-70 degree overhang. Short and low but good. Gotta engage the crimps!

Mega classic. Sit start on big sloping rail, traverse right on crimps using slopey heel hooks, and then do three big moves that require some body tension. The end part is no gimmie, pumps you and can spit you even if you have the end jug. First time I fall after doing the redpoint crux, felt weird for sure, totally uncharacteristic. Managed to send, though!

Was spraying beta to Maria and Juan, then when I got on it for the flash attempt it spit me and my beta out HARD. Tried a high foot beta and went without a hiccup. Very nice line.