CLIMBS
The rock is varied -- steep pitch limestone pockets, cracks, dihedrals,
roofs, slabs, vertical, overhanging -- you name it! Protection
is almost exclusively expansion bolts, usually placed sparsely.
Because of the distance between bolts, the height and the lack
of an established rescue team, they call this "Adventure Sport
climbing." On the positive side, bolts are name-branded and much
more trustworthy than others I've seen (and ripped out) in Mexico.
There are still some routes with dodgy looking rusted bolts and
angle-iron hangers, so be sensible and inspect all anchors as
you climb.
If multi-pitch clip-and-go sport-climbing is your thang, there
are dozens of classics from Yankee Clipper (15 pitches of 5.8-5.10+),
to El Sendero Luminoso -- The Shining Path (22 pitches of 5.12+).
My personal favourite multi-pitch is Snot Girlz, a 7-pitch classic
on the Lower Sense of Religion Wall. Two first pitches at 5.10+
are followed by some of the best grade 5.9 pitches I've ever
had the pleasure to climb. Not overly technical, but still has
you thinking as you encounter deep jugs, lay-off cracks, aretes
and a fantastic and extremely photogenic 4m traverse at the
start of the 5th pitch. There is plenty of exposure to keep
your adrenaline pumping right to the top.
If single-pitch sport climbing is your preference, they cater
for that too, with a plethora of climbs in all ranges.
Try Ripped Wall, way up the Virgin Gully. This wall is characterised
by diagonal cracks separated by four meters of thin moves up
a 30 meter face. There are three three-star classics here --
Strokin' the Bishop (5.11), which climbs the left of the wall
up to a tufa, and Baiji's Boulevard (5.11-), and Ripped Wall
(5.11), both of which have you alternatively relaxing in the
cracks, then screaming in sheer terror on the tiny pockets and
technical moves between them. Unforgettable moves. Unforgettable
climbing.
One of the best features of the Potrero, however, is the Deposito
Biliaro, not five minutes walk out of the climbing area on the
way back to camp. They offer very cold beer and free billiards.
That is if you get there before being accosted by drunk barbecuing
locals in pick-ups offering beer to you the second you rap off
your route down into the main carpark.
DANGERS AND ANNOYANCES
But it's not all roses and black coffee. Some climbs have loose
rock (my genital area is still sore from a house-brick sized
boulder incident a few days ago) and they are all a bitch to
rap off. Expect to get your rope caught in the cacti every time.
Tying separate knots in each end of your rope and throwing them
down one at a time also minimises tangling. As mentioned before,
most of the bolts look good, but it's not uncommon to have them
at 4 meter intervals.
WHAT TO BRING
A 60 meter rope is essential as is at least 15 drawers, a helmet,
comfortable shoes on multi-pitch stuff and tight shoes for the
hard-man stuff. If you have a second 60 meter rope the rappels
can be made with much more ease and less hassle.
There are no climbing equipment shops within easy reach of
Potrero Chico. I have heard there are a couple in Monterrey,
but no one knows exactly where - Monterrey's tourist bureau
hadn't even heard of Potrero Chico!
FOOD & ACCOMMODATION
There are 3 or 4 privately owned ranchos within a 20 minute walk
of the Potrero. They're not cheap -- AUD$7-10/night, but they
offer cooking and refrigeration facilities, swimming pools (some
with water), woodies (BYO crashmat), beer (in the Nov-Jan high-season)
and HOT SHOWERS!!! No excuse for the camper's tan, boys and girls!
All up, it is possible to live comfortably on a budget of less
than USD$8/day all included.
HIDALGO
The town of Hidalgo (not to be confused with the state
that shares the same name) is an hour north of Nuevo Leon state's
capital city, Monterrey, and a 10-minute drive / 1-hour walk from
the ranchos. Supermercados such as "Mano de Dios" ("Hand of God"
... go figure) offer all food and basic provisions required for
a happy healthy climbing holiday. It's easy to get a hitch from
passing motorists. Most of the time it's not even necessary to
stick out your thumb!
The town's main industry is not tourism, but mining and processing
the raw materials they blast and dig from the Potrero. Non-Mexicans
are an oddity, especially in low season, but are warmly welcomed
and hardly ever ripped off, so long as you're not an obnoxious
git and you try speaking a little Spanish.
Market days are Wednesday and Friday, where fresh fruits and
vegetables, meat and cheeses are on offer amongst the rip-off
Nike shirts and shoes.
GETTING THERE
Coming from the USA, Monterrey
is about 6-8 hours south of Houston or Austin, Texas, by car or
bus (AUD$100 each way) or an hour by plane (AUD$400 each way).
Coming from Mexico City, Monterrey is about 12 hours by bus (AUD$100
each way). Buses run from Monterrey to Hidalgo (1-1.5 hour trip)
every 30 minutes or so and cost USD$2 each way. A taxi from Hidalgo
town centre to the ranchos is about USD$8 or you can walk or hitch,
following the signs and heading in the direction of those big
mountainy things out the back of town.
REST DAYS
With a car, rest days can become more than sitting around listening
to music and reading a crappy paperback. There are local springs,
a museum at the next town with a fossilized mammoth, and many
other crags within five hours. Carless, there are still busses
to the main towns, but don't expect too much. Monterrey is just
another city, with its fair share of American consumer products
and shopping malls. It has a few internet cafes and a big brewery
with everyone's favourite beer (FREE!!!) open every day except
Mondays. There are also museums and a part of the city has been
restored to its original colonial state for tourists to gawk at
if that's your thing.
My favourite non-climbing activity was the Lucha Libre --
Wrestling, Mexican Style. With face painted, mask wearing tag
team members named "Ku Klux Klan", "Willy Wong" and "Anibal
Vampiro", you can't go wrong. As the bouts move into the night,
they get more violent, with less and less wrestling happening
in the ring. Wrestlers beat each other with metal chairs, throw
each other against concrete walls and bleed real fake blood!
A special moment for me was when I saw one young mother ramming
her toddler's pram into an "unconscious" wrestler sprawled amongst
overturned chairs and empty beer cans in the crowd.
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