Skip to Content

Routes : North America : Mexico : Nuevo León : El Potrero Chico : Time Wave Zero : Time Wave Zero (IV/ V 5.12a)

Time Wave Zero (IV/ V 5.12a) - 5.12a popular

Average Rating = 4.88/5 Average Rating : 4.88 out of 5
Route sequence (left to right): 1
Route Summary | Ascent Notes (24)
Premier Sponsor:
Rock (Sport)
PG13
23
Sport
2300
Consensus Ratings
  Difficulty 5.11d
  Safety Rating G
  Exposure 4.23/5
  Rock Quality 4.31/5
  Scenery 4.85/5
  Fun Factor 4.85/5

Description:

Walk up past the Agujas and cross over to the left, aiming for the surf bowl. Just before you get to the bottom of the surf bowl, take a short trail right to the start. Slab steepens as you get to a high bolt on easy ground. Follow the bolt line to the top. Fixed line to 4th class summit at the end. The 5.12a pitch can be easily aided. You can bivy on pitch 12 if you want to do the route over two days. A 70m rope is reccomended.

Descent Options:

On the way up, note the fixed draws for rapping diagonally on two pitches or you will be screwed. We used a 70m to avoid getting close to the ends but it can be done w/60m.

Submitted by: troley on 2008-01-16
Last Modified: 2011-01-31
Views: 6648
Route ID: 50278

Most Recent Photos

24 Ascents Recorded

GoRecord an ascent
GoRead all 24 ascent notes

Ratings
  Difficulty
  Safety Rating G
Second Second ascent by: Pacoaxis on 2014-01-02 (View Climbing Log)

5 out of 5 stars Ascent note

No comment

Added: 2014-01-02

Ratings
  Difficulty
  Safety Rating G
  Exposure
  Rock Quality
  Scenery
  Fun Factor
Onsight Onsight ascent by: Rudmin on 2008-12-09 (View Climbing Log)

5 out of 5 stars Fast Transitions

We did this about 6 hours up, 3 hours down (stuck ropes, waiting for other parties). Neither I, nor my partner were really strong climbers. My hardest climb was probably Don Quixote at 5.11d, my partner had only started leading a few weeks ago but was in the 5.10s, but we moved way faster than every other group that day.

There was a team of 5.12/5.13 climbers that we knew would be going up, and we agreed to start after them at 6:30 am. Well they didn't show, so we figured we would get a head start, and hopefully let them pass us at one of the ledges.

Anyways, we started out moving fast to not get in anyones way and ended up moving fast through the whole day, and never saw them until we were rappelling down. Basically we would link pitches and each climb 4 pitches at a time, with about 20 seconds to transfer gear at the belay. Our anchors were prerigged and took a few clips to set up, and then the second would haul ass and switch to leading. We spent maybe 10 minutes for lunch at the bivy ledge, then kept going. It wasn't particularly sunny, and 1.5 L of water each was more than enough. I can imagine more would be nice if it was scorching. I found a really easy way through the 2nd pitch 5.11 by jamming my fist into a pocket somewhere out left at the hard overhang. It held most of my weight and made it more like a 5.10

The 5.12 pitch I hang dogged up. But it is bolted pretty closely together, making it easy to pull a hard move and then clip the next draw and hang.

The pitch after that seemed to be getting a lot of people into trouble. One guy got off route, fell and broke his finger the day before. Make sure you scope out the line before going up.

Added: 2010-05-11

Ratings
  Difficulty
  Safety Rating G
Hang Dog Hang Dog ascent by: doze on 2010-05-06 (View Climbing Log)

5 out of 5 stars best route ever created

13 hours.
fucked up 2nd 5.11a pitch and was too tired to even try to climb 12a. Want to return back for it.

Added: 2010-05-06

Ratings
  Difficulty 5.11a
  Safety Rating G
  Exposure
  Rock Quality
  Scenery
  Fun Factor
Onsight Onsight ascent by: Bag11s on 2009-11-05 (View Climbing Log)

5 out of 5 stars French free at the crux 12a pitch, else all free

absolutely wonderful outing!

Added: 2010-04-16

Ratings
  Difficulty 5.11d
  Safety Rating PG13
  Exposure
  Rock Quality
  Scenery
  Fun Factor
Hang Dog Hang Dog ascent by: USnavy on 2009-10-21 (View Climbing Log)

5 out of 5 stars Supurb route!

TWZ is a great route. It is very long and offers a lot of climbing in the 5.10- range. The pitch by pitch grades listed in both guidebooks available for EPC are inaccurate in my opinion. The 5.11a/b on pitch two felt more like 10d, the first 10a pitch was more like 10c, many of the 5.9 pitches felt more like 10a. The last 10d pitch (pitch 20) before the crux felt like 11-. Pitch 22 (5.8) was more like mid 5.10. The 5.12a pitch was fairly accurately graded.

The 5.12 pitch can be aided. There are some moves you must to do to get to the next bolt but once you hit the actual 5.12 section the bolts are close enough to french free through (about 3-5 feet a part). However you do need to be able to climb at least 5.11- to get through that pitch on lead. I would not worry too much about that pitch if you cant lead 5.12. I would be more concerned with the sandbagged 5.10d before the 5.12 pitch (pitch 20). Pitch 20 is highly sustained at the 11- level and the bolts are 10 feet apart so you do have to be able to lead at the 11- / 10+ level to get through that pitch.

The bolt spacing on the route is reasonable but its not as close as one would expect to find on a single pitch route so do not attempt this route with the mentality that the entire thing is "sport". There will be times where you will be doing 5.9 / 10- moves 10 - 15 feet past the last bolt and 5.7 moves 20 - 25 feet past the last bolt. Many of the "5.9" pitches have 6 - 8 bolts for 100 feet. All in all the route is bolted well enough to throw out the possibility of an R rating or any serious injury but there will be times where you simply MUST not fall. I suggest climbing Snott Girlz before this route. The bolt spacing on that route is similar and it will give you an idea of what to expect on TWZ.

Added: 2009-10-21

... Read all 24 ascent notes