Mexico

Description 

Mexico is a big country, roughly a quarter the size of the Lower 48 in land area. It includes Baja California, a peninsula extending for nearly 800 miles south of the U.S. border.

Much of Northern Mexico lies within the arid Chihuahuan desert, with geography similar to west Texas and southern New Mexico. El Potrero Chico is located in the north-eastern state of Nuevo León, about 25 miles northwest of the city of Monterrey (population: 3 million). The Potrero is a sport climbing paradise, with limestone similar to Thailand (so I've been told) and routes up to 20 pitches in length.

Mexico is also home to several dozen volcanoes, both extinct and active. At 5,700m (18,701 ft), Pico de Orizaba is the highest peak in the country. Close behind are Popocatépetl "Popo" at 5,452m (17,887 ft) and Iztaccíhuatl "Ixta" at 5,286m (17,342 ft). All three are popular destinations for mountaineers in training for the bigger ranges.

Getting There 

Refer to areas for specific directions.

Featured Route For Mexico

Dead Man Walking 5.9  International : El Potrero Chico : The Dihedrals

Dead Man Walking is the route that makes the walk to the Dihedrals worth it but only if you enjoy great crack climbing in a nice corner! It's a beautiful line following a pair of good cracks up a long dihedral. Start out on lower angle but polished rock following the bolted cracks through a couple of bulges before making a few positive face moves left out of the dihedral to the anchors. There isn't one real crux move, it's just sustained crack ...[more]