We're enjoying a great season in the Potrero. Catch up on the news, photos, rogues gallery etc. here

Awesome, good to see some photos of my climbing partner from the UK crop up among your shots!

Anyone know what to bring to Potrero Chico as far as a slimmed down trad rack. I want to bring some chocks and nuts maybe a few cams. Looking for a good average size for pro. I dont have a guide book yet and MP doesnt have beta on trad gear.

Also I'm looking for climbing partners for Feb 9th to the 20th.

Happy trails Paddy

No need for the trad rack man. Unless you are planning on doing something really specific. I've had mine down here for the last two and a half months and only used it once yesterday. Feel free to shoot me an email with your specific goals and I can hopefully get you some beta about what trad gear to bring. Kevin@nicastro.us

To answer your other question. I would love to climb with you. By the time you make your way down to the coffee shop to meet up with me, you will probably have plans to climb with three other people (aka, it's super easy to find climbing partners here).

Bring leather gloves for the multi-pitch rappels.

I miss that place! Soooooooooooo many awesome climbs. Go to the Plumb Wall, Paparazzi Arete' BEST 5.11 there!

Is there much multi pitch 5.9 and less?

Right on, exactly what I am looking for! Easy multi pitch. Looking to toprope some easy 11's. And bolted crack routes to practice gear placement. Im really getting into trad and have never taken a fall on a piece of gear so this sounds like a perfect opportunity to gain some confidence plus not to into runouts. Who am I kidding, I know how it goes, will prob never use trad gear. Haha!

Bad news for the Hidalgo/Potrero community...

"Nuevo Leon state police stand guard on a dirt road leading to a ranch near the town of Mina, northern Mexico, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. At least eight bodies were found in a well near this ranch on Sunday near the site where 20 people went missing late last week, including members of a Colombian-style band, according to a state forensic official. Officials could not confirm whether the bodies belonged to 16 members of the band Kombo Kolombia and their crew, who were reported missing late last week after playing a private show in a bar in the neighboring town of Hidalgo north of Monterrey. "

www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/29/mexicos-new-president-mo>>>

This was from a friend that just moved down there:

"Some crazy shit went down here the other night across from posada and next to homeros when 20 people went missing from this ranch party and then this weekend were all found dead in a well 39 km away. It was pretty crazy the state police and federales swarmed hidalgo and potrero and then the military rolled in really deep for like 3 days."

Yeah. Never going.

I may or may not have gone to a party there with a group of climbers while I was visiting Potrero a few weeks ago. The owner/locals were welcoming (mostly) but this certainty makes me rethink that decision. I would definitely go back to Hidalgo but I will probably avoid raging parties held by potential cartel affiliates. Just to be safe.

Edit: Based on footage from news stories, I don't think this happened at the same place I went (not the building directly across from Posada down a driveway.) Sounds very close by though, I'll have to keep an eye out for it next time.

not good

That news is terrible. Maybe a month ago when I was there, friends and I went on a beer run to Chon's during the afternoon on a rainy day. A half dozen cop cars, marked and un-marked plus a forensic truck rolled down to Homero's. It was weird at the time and even more so now given the news. I still plan to go back next year but shit. You gotta be careful down there.

That is awful news...way too common in Mexico these days.

Kind of eerie looking back on Magic Ed's last blog post on Jan. 17th:
"it is good to see climbers are realizing that the media and State Dept. reports are overblown and everything here is tranquilo."

here is the R&I write up:

R&I portrero chico bodies

Totally terrible - I love the place, hope I can return sometime in my lifetime when this narco war ends (if it ever does).

www.borderlandbeat.com/

Thanks for the accurate info Scott. The R&I write up falsely states the bodies were found in Homeros well.

They were kidnapped at Quinta La Carreta and killed 30 miles north; motive unknown at this time.

Sad news altogether. Condolences to the familys. Homeros doesn't need a nasty rumor too.

As the facts come in it seems this terrible news has less and less to do with climbers and climbing in EPC.

After climbing down there for a couple weeks this year and seeing a little bit of Hidalgo, I'm fairly certain the place where the band was kidnapped wasn't very close to the park at all.

Its terrible drug violence is keeping people from enjoying the awesome experience that is climbing in El Potrero. I never felt unsafe down there. If you use common sense and have a little luck its perfectly safe.

Wear a helmet.
Don't buy drugs down there.
Don''t associate with people that sell drugs down there.

Interesting to see how MagicEd is going to put his usual spin on this one...

^^^^Hater. Stay positive, Ed. 'S what ya gotta do in a warzone.

Not hating... Just pointing out that he always seems to try to put a spin on the violence in Mexico.

Wow.

@ Stephen and Camhead. The Bar (Quinta La Carreta) where the abductions occurred is about 200m from the entrance of La Posada, the main place where people stay at EPC. Homero's is directly across the street from this bar. I was in EPC to Jan 10 and was staying in the Casita closest to this place (80m away - checked with Google Earth) . The party's held at this place scared the crap out of me.

Direct link to the borderland beats writeup...

www.borderlandbeat.com/2013/01/kombo-kolombia-band-tortured->>>