Winter of 25/26 was abysmal in New Mexico, at least in terms of snow fall. However, as I like to say, when the skiing is bad, the climbing is great here. This was the first winter where I got out climbing more days than I went skiing. The season culminated in a three day trip to El Potrero Chico, a premier international climbing destination near Monterrey, (Old) Mexico.
My friend, Jess, had invited me to join her on the EPC trip, along with Emily and Paul, who I got to know at the Indian Creek trip a few months prior. The day I booked my flight, Jess told me she had to bail… With short notice, I asked around for a partner. Just three weeks before the trip, my buddy, Nate, booked his flight to get a piece of the Mexican multipitch fun! We did a few local multipitch routes beforehand to get our systems and partnership dialed.
14 March 2026
The four of us caught an early flight out of Albuquerque. We noticed a few other climbers on the connecting flight to Monterrey, and several more on the airport when we landed. Our people.
EPC is a 90 minute drive from Monterrey. We had arranged a ride through the host at our accommodations in Hidalgo. Emily is fluent in Spanish, which was immensely helpful for communicating with the driver. Nate, Paul, and I crammed in the back seat of the small sedan with packs on our laps. The discomfort was overcome by thrill as the towering cliffs of EPC came into view.
Mexico is chocked full of prominent limestone mountains. El Potrero Chico is one such mountain chain, but it formed with towering walls of rock. The walls were uplifted by a salt dome, lower density rock that was thrust upwards a few millimeters per year over a period of a hundred million years or so. This turned horizontal layers of limestone into the near vertical slabs we see today. Looking at EPC from above, it’s easy to see the oval shape of mountains left by the salt dome which created the “little pasture”. The salt eroded away over time and water cut a narrow passage through the limestone. This is the entrance to the park and the place where most of the climbable rock resides.
After checking in and getting groceries at the little market in town, our host, Eduardo, drove us to the climbing area to show us around. Nate and I brought climbing gear in the car. Even though we were quite tired from our early start and the temperature was in the low 90s, we just had to go climb once we saw the walls up close.
We hiked up roots and rubble into Lobo Canyon. The steep climbers trail was dotted with slick spots of polished limestone on every obvious foot placement. That is my one complaint about limestone – once it’s polished, the rock is effectively ruined… This is the price we pay for world class climbing.
Nate and I found our route, The Anvil, a gentle 5.8 warm up and introduction to EPC. I took the first lead, and while the climbing wasn’t notable, it was nice to finally be clipping bolts here in Mexico after so much anticipation. Nate cleaned on TR, then we climbed Wolf of the Deserts, 5.10a, before sunset compelled us to retreat.
We happened to book our trip during a Mexican holiday, Benito Juarez Day. The whole time we were climbing, cars were gathering in the parking lots below. Tons of locals was tailgating in the parking lots, each car blasting their own music turned up to 11, creating a silly cacophony of accordion, brass, and passionate Spanish singing. I would normally be annoyed by such disruptive noise in the mountains, but something about the absurdity and novelty made me smile at this celebration.
Darkness fell over El Potrero as Nate and I walked back to the hostel, and hunger struck. We stumbled into the first place that looked like a restaurant, Leo’s Tacos Grill. They were serving food, but calling it a restaurant would be a stretch. A couple of guys were cooking on a griddle in the main room. We paid and walked down the line as they scooped rice, beans, and chicken onto our plates.
We seated ourselves at one of two long tables. It felt more like we were hanging at someone’s house, enjoying a little community cookout. A pair of climbers from California sat next to us. They had just climbed Voyage of the Trash Cat and gave it glowing reviews. That route was on my radar, but after talking to these guess we were convinced we ought to get on it.
It had been a low key travel day, but we were stoked to get a couple pitches in, find a sweet little restaurant, and finally be in EPC.
15 March 2026
More hot weather was in deck this day. Nate and I agreed to wake up early and stick to single pitch climbing, rather than committing to a big climb in these conditions. Emily and Paul were on board to rise early so they could do some recon on Time Wave Zero, the longest sport route in the world.
The four of us were packed up and hiking towards the mountain at 6:30 AM. El Toro was looking incredible in the morning light, but to be fair, it pretty much always looks amazing.
Nate and I peeled off at Virgin Canyon, a well shaded and easily accessible area. We were the first climbers at the base of the wall. Nate and I sampled more of the highly rated 5.10s and 11s. I led one 10b to start, but Nate carried the team and hung the rope for me on a pair of 10d’s. Nate also got a solid onsight of an 11c! More folks started trickling in around 8-9 AM, but the temperature was already pushing the upper 80s. Satisfied with a few pitches, we retreated back to the hostel for a long siesta during the hottest part of the day.
We lounged for as long as we could, setting off for Lobo Canyon around 4 PM. The temperature was still a bit oppressive, but we hoped that by the time we started climbing, it would be tolerable in the shade. Nate and I got on Will the Wolf Survive, a 4 pitch 10a. I took the first lead, cruising up the moderate intro pitch. Nate followed and led pitch 2, which included some fun jamming and lie backing.
I followed P2, but when I got to the anchor, Nate admitted he wasn’t feeling great with the heat. I made one move off the anchor and said, “Last chance to bail…” Nate responded, “Yeah man, sorry, let’s go down.” I wasn’t disappointed. Even though the sun was behind the mountain, the conditions definitely weren’t ideal. We were forcing it a little. Nate and I rappelled down and walked through the chaotic holiday celebration along the road through EPC.
16 March 2026
A miraculous parcel of cool air was blowing in from the north. At last we had the weather to commit to a bigger climb. Paul and Emily seized the opportunity as well, getting an alpine start to climb Time Wave Zero. Nate and I slept in til a more humane hour to wait for shade on the north side. We set our eyes on Satori/Off the Couch, a pair of classic routes that share two pitches.
By 10 AM, we were on another steep approach trail. This approach actually had a little bit of scrambling with a permanent handline. With a heavy pack, I’ll admit I had to use the handline a few times. We got to the base and found another party on the first pitches. They were going to climb Satori, so that made it an easy decision to climb Off the Couch, 10d.
Once the first two pitches were clear, Nate blasted off, full of psych. The first pitch is straightforward 5.9, then pitch two is 5.10b with smaller holds and finer movement. This was a great warm up for the rest of the route. I led the next two 5.8 pitches, which were low quality, but worth it to access the face above. Nate led the next two pitches, 10a and 10b, where the climbing only got better – more sequenced and technical, but quite manageable on the moderate angle slab.
It was my turn to lead the last pitch, 10d. I had successfully top roped some easier 5.11s, but this would be my hardest lead to date. I set off, following a series of chalked up nubs on an otherwise blank face. The climbing was techy and delicate, feeling similar to my home crag in New Mexico. I was in the zone when I saw the third bolt way out left and closer to foot level. It would have been impossible for me to clip in this position! Nate encouraged me to skip the bolt, pointing out that it was a clean fall. I locked in and ran it out to the next bolt – and wow was that exciting! I flowed through the rest of the pitch, reaching the anchor with a proud onsight.
The route tops out on a knife edge looking down to Virgin Canyon. A cool breeze and epic views in every direction made it hard to leave that wonderful position. After a number of pics, we rappelled back to the base, hiked out, and got some super tasty piratas for dinner near the entrance station.
Nate and I wandered around the backside to check out more of the walls. We spotted Time Wave buttress and thought of Paul and Emily on their massive 23 pitch adventure. They returned to the cabaña later that night after spending ~20 hours climbing and rappelling the route.
17 March 2026
For our last full day, Nate and I took the advice of the Californians to climb Voyage of the Trash Cat, 5.9. While I was in the hostel kitchen, a local trash cat paid me a visit, hopping up on my shoulders as I ate breakfast. Nate came in a few minutes later and the kitten did the same to him! It was a good omen for the day.
The approach was a little longer and more arduous than previous days, heading up a scree filled gully. We accidentally hiked past Trash Cat since the start of the climb was somewhat hidden in an alcove between the walls. I found some cool fossils, or casts rather, on our brief detour.
There is an approach pitch of scrambling, or 5.7 on water polished rock, to access the heart of the route. We took the scramble, then found ourselves on the massive ledge to start pitch 2. Nate took the first lead, ascending a ramp in the layers of rock, linking p2-3. Once he climbed a full rope length, the scale of the route became apparent – we had a lot of climbing ahead of us!
I led p4-5, which included some fun face climbing followed by a low angle rambling pitch. I’m glad the route developers kept going past this part, since the best climbing starts at pitch 6.
So far, the routes we had climbed were on the north face of the limestone slabs. Trash Cat is on the east face of the alcove, perpendicular to the layers in these upturned slabs. Between these layers there are hundreds of feet of cracks. Many climbers would probably protest sport bolting this much crack which is protectable with trad gear. However, EPC is a sport climbing destination without much in the way of ethics or regulations around bolting, as far as I can tell. If you read my last post about crack climbing in Utah, then it should come as no surprise that I was psyched to see so much crack above me with shiny new bolts.
Nate led the next two pitches, effortlessly swimming up the hand cracks. These were definitely the money pitches! I had a blast following up, enjoying the mix of hand jams and face holds. A few sections have perfect double cracks, one for each hand. I wouldn’t say they were splitter though. The texture inside the cracks was quite variable, and often with sharp protrusions. I was very happy to be wearing my crack gloves with thick rubber backing.
I led pitches 8-9, which started off fairly steep, but the angle consistently eased off as I got to the next ledge. Nate followed up, cruising up the moderate face. The route continues up another pillar, but the comments were mixed on the rock quality for the last few pitches. It was 3 PM and we had a lot of rappelling to do. Nate and I snapped a few pics then started the descent.
We got into a good rhythm going down, zipping down, rethreading, and pulling the rope eight times. We each used “saddle bags” for the first time on the lower angle pitch, a technique where you coil both ends of the rope and drape them over a sling on your harness. This worked quite well where we couldn’t just throw the rope. It took us nearly two hours to rappel to the base.
After a brisk hike back to the cabaña and a quick shower, Emily, Paul, Nate, and I all walked to La Posada for dinner. We had been on different schedules, so it was nice to sit down and talk about our respective adventures. This was the last night for me and Nate, while Emily and Paul stayed for the rest of the week. They climbed Trash Cat the next day and had more of a Type I fun day compared to Time Wave Zero!
I had heard legends about EPC a few years ago. It was such an incredible experience to finally visit and climb there! Going with such an awesome crew was a real treat as well. The combination of building my own climbing ability over the winter and having a rope gun for a partner made everything feel fun and effortless. While it was a quick trip, I think we made the most of it having climbed 23 pitches in 3.5 days. I just hope I get the opportunity to return to EPC and explore more of those magnificent walls!