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powpierre
Jan 28, 2006, 4:59 PM
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Hey, I am getting ready for a trip down to El Potrero Chico and am in search for a little beta/ opinion. I have been down before years ago and checked out other threads but am looking for a little more info.
1) Can I climb all/most of the moderate multi pitch with a single 70m cord or do I need to drag/carry a second line to rap with? I did space boys years ago and thought we did it with a single 60m but am not sure.
2) Is the water pretty safe to drink? I drank it when I stayed at rancho Gordo but will be at la posada this time and my partner has a more delicate stomach than I do usually. What has been y'all experience?
3) Have any of you had trouble bringing food on airlines into Mexico? I am thinking of bringing some pre prep foods with me to supplement what I can buy local and stop me from eating at the restaurant every night. Thoughts?
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socalmtb
Jan 28, 2006, 5:37 PM
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Howdy,
I can only answer question #3. I didn't have any problem bringing food via the airlines to Mexico. Though I imagine coming back to the US is a different matter.
Have fun at EPC.
dc
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wetyeti
Jan 28, 2006, 5:46 PM
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1) don't learn spanish
2) drink a few drafties
3) always dryheave when toproping
4) don't worry about the food, a little man will come by and drop off some microwaveable delicacies
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powpierre
Jan 28, 2006, 5:59 PM
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1 I am hopeless at languages so no problemo
2 Drinking Tequila to kill stomach bugs figured they wouold thrive on Cervesa.
3 I figured it was better to dry heave on multi pitch. Polite for parties below or around you, but I will take your suggestion under advisement.
4perfecto
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jakewolf
Jan 28, 2006, 5:59 PM
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I just got back from a feww weeks down there. The water is SAFE. Everyone I knew drank it and nobody got sick.
I don't know about food on the airline, but the market comes to hidalgo two times per week and there are a couple of good grocery stores. Keep an eye out for US produce it will cost a fortune. We made the mistake of buying apples in mexico that were from the USA and they were really expensive. Cooking facilities at Homero's were good, plenty of stoves and two refrigerators.
I think a 70m will get you off of just about everything. We had a sixty and did the standards ( Space boys, Yankee clipper, Snot Girlz, Ect)
Hope this helps- Jake
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powpierre
Jan 28, 2006, 6:05 PM
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Thanks Jake exactly the kind of info I am looking for! I will tempt the fates and take the one rope. I remember the markets on Tuesday and Friday and will use them for staples and that corn snack they sell with loads of butter and cheese and hot sauce. YUM!
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mendou
Jan 28, 2006, 7:08 PM
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In reply to: We made the mistake of buying apples in mexico that were from the USA and they were really expensive. Jake
you kidding, right? first...the apples here are from Mexico not from USA, maybe you bought in the wrong place... trust me i have lived in the USA and the fruit is more expensive there than here...
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wetyeti
Jan 28, 2006, 10:35 PM
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i'm telling you pierre don't worry about the food,a little man will come by and drop it off. then my girlfriend will get mad and split. thank god for that little man.
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lhwang
Jan 29, 2006, 12:39 AM
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Just checked my guidebook and you'll be fine on Space Boyz with a 70m rope. My partner and I were there a few weeks ago and climbed everything we wanted to climb with a 70m rope.
Water: didn't drink the water but know other people who did. One of them claimed the water at Homero's is safe but the tap water in Hidalgo is not. We only ate at one or two restaurants in Hidalgo and they both used purified water to make ice cubes.
Can't answer your question about food as we drove down.
PM if you have other questions. Have fun.
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chill41
Jan 29, 2006, 2:28 AM
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I just got back from Potrero a few weeks ago as well, and I can tell you that everyone I met down there drank the water at Posada's and I didn't hear of anyone getting sick. A 70m will get you down pretty much everything there safely, and you'll be able to link a lot of pitches on the long routes. Hope you have a great time in the Mexican sunshine!
Chill
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yetanotherdave
Jan 29, 2006, 3:53 AM
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not wanting to hijack, but do any of you folkks have beta on 'time wave zero' - the awesome looking 23 pitch sport route?
The look of that route alone has me wishing I was in mexico right now...
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rock_rookie
Jan 29, 2006, 5:14 AM
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For the folks who have recently been to EPC, where did you get the guidebook? Did you purchase it in Hidalgo? I've searched everywhere for it, including climbing shops in Phoenix... no dice. We are leaving on the 13th for two weeks and I was hoping to get ahold of one ahead of time.
Cheers.
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jakewolf
Jan 29, 2006, 5:50 AM
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Mendou- Quite alot of the boths in the market have produce from the USA. I know a few groups that paid a fortune for apples from Washington. Just keep an eye out for the product of USA sticker.
Rockrookie- The guidebook is available at EPC at tami's cafe. I don't think you could find it in the states. It is constantly being updated and I don't think it is published. Best of Luck.
-Jake
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wearyourtruth
Jan 29, 2006, 8:49 PM
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1- 70m is fine, 60 will even work for probably 70% of the stuff there.
2- the water is fine at posada, i've stayed there before, it's fine at homero's too... don't know about in town...
3- i bus it.
the beta for timewave zero is BE CAREFUL. it's got lots of pitches with loose rocks. when i was there last year my buddies pulled off a chunk on pitch five that was about the size of a folded crashpad. luckily no one was hurt. it's not supposed to be a stellar route, just the longest one there (not to discourage you)
and agreed on tami's being the only place to get a guide book. i have another book called "mexico rock" or something but it's not very extensive on potrero.
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mendou
Jan 30, 2006, 5:27 AM
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In reply to: the beta for timewave zero is BE CAREFUL. it's not supposed to be a stellar route, just the longest one there.
is not that enough? :twisted:
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8flood8
Jan 30, 2006, 6:32 AM
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70m is my choice of length to down there, 1 rope will suffice, unless rockfall rains on your parade,
water is safe, food is safe,
not sure about the airlines, have a good time!!!!!
oh and don't buy the jeff jackson book, its weak
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powpierre
Jan 30, 2006, 3:29 PM
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I already have the Jackson, picked it up back in 2000 before my first trip. It isn't a great guide now but it was enough to get started. I will pick up the latest and greatest from Tami or Ed. I remember seeing a post on this site that they were talking about offering it on line I assume ala supertopo but have not seen anything yet.
Thanks to everyone who has posted response to my original post.
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camhead
Jan 30, 2006, 4:02 PM
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In reply to: the beta for timewave zero is BE CAREFUL. it's not supposed to be a stellar route, just the longest one there.
[office] yeah... I'm going to go ahead and... disagree with you there[/office]
The rock on Timewave Zero was pitch for pitch more quality than Space Boys, Yankee Clipper, or any but the first pitch of Snot Girls. By Potrero standards it is not that loose, either.
As for further beta on it for the original poster, you can link EVERY pitch with a seventy meter rope, thereby turning it into a 12-pitch climb. There is one pitch of 5.12a that is bolted so that you can just yard through it by pulling on draws. Take headlamps for the rap, and consider not doing the final ridge pitch, as it can knock stuff down onto craggers 2500 feeet below in Virgin Canyon.
Oh, and watch for critters. Last year I had a rattlesnake fall on my head when I pulled a rope on Timewave Zero.
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8flood8
Jan 30, 2006, 4:15 PM
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rattlesnakes are not in season right now give it 2 months hehe
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yetanotherdave
Jan 30, 2006, 5:39 PM
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In reply to: Last year I had a rattlesnake fall on my head when I pulled a rope on Timewave Zero.
let me be the first to say:
:shock: :shock: :shock:
And, um, thanks for the beta...
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kitakat
Mar 9, 2006, 4:26 PM
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Just an FYI about Potrero Chico in spring and summer...It's not really that hot!
I'm from Austin, TX and so many people think it's too hot in the summer in Potrero - they're nuts. We don't hesitate to get out climbing to Reimer's Ranch, the Austin Greenbelt, or Enchanted Rock when it's blazing up here in Austin, but think about these little tidbits for climbing in the Potrero during warmer months of the year. It could provide you a relatively close "exotic" weekend getaway this summer...
1. The "Parque Recreativo De Potrero Chico" Pool Complex opens on the first day of spring. That's March 20th this year. The pool complex is open daily and has 8 pools that are filled each monday with natural spring water from the spring that feeds the whole town of Hidalgo. Entry fee is only $10 Pesos (about a dollar) The water is cool and fresh and usually has light traffic on weekdays.
2. Stadium lights are up in the park now, lighting several popular walls for cool night time climbing without even the need for a headlamp. If you're not into night climbing, it's also very cool to watch the other climbers on the walls at night...just grab yourself a Caguama and get the perfect place to sit and you're there!
3. The brand spanking newly bolted "Wonder Wall" inside the pool complex has at least 10 new routes that are lighted AND inside the Pool Complex, so you can enjoy all the cool benefits of climbing there in the summer, whether it's night or day.
4. Even if you choose to climb in mid-day summer heat and outside of the pool complex, there are always shaded walls that offer cool decks for relatively sweat-free (I did say relatively) climbing. The key is simply to follow the shade.
Look for more info like this in the upcoming Potrero Chico guidebook by Dane Bass, due out on November 1, 2006. You'll find some great information sooner than that in the Supertopo by Dane in the April edition of Rock & Ice.
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wsclimber
Mar 9, 2006, 9:47 PM
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Just got back from 10 days down there, did not get on TWzero, but everyone I talked to who had been on says it IS stellar. You can yard the 12a, but there is mid 5.11 climbing between bolts up there that you can NOT aid through (so they say). Folks who are solid on 5.11 and climb fast tended to crank it out in 5 - 8 hrs up, a few more down (I recommend simul-rapping). Have Fun
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