EPC 2.2

Header Photo

Go back to EPC 2.1.
Go back to El Potrero Chico Again.

Super Nova
Super Nova.
I have to say that although the climbing was fun, we enjoyed the Posada atmosphere much more back in November of 2011 when the 20 or so climbers felt like a little community. Not so this time – seems the numbers have been climbing (no exodus) and EPC was crawling with climbers. Can’t imagine this place back in its heyday – we probably would not have liked it. Despite that, we will go back of course.

P.S. As a plan B, we had a Southwest reservation for Vegas…thinking we’d get some safe climbing in at Red Rocks instead. Oddly the first story we saw when we got back to the US was that of a shootout on The Strip with multiple deaths. Shit really does happen.

Photos

Excalibur
El Sendero Luminoso pillar (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley on the hike up to the Excalibur route on El Torro. The clean flat pillar above is home to the 15-pitch El Sendero Luminoso route (5.hard; Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Some fun looking flora of El Potrero Chico (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley on the approach hike to the Excalibur route – a new, 6-pitch 5.10c addition to the front side of El Torro (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley leading pitch 1 (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Views from low on the route (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Pitch 2 of Excalibur (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley enjoying the bolted crack (crossing myself here…may we be forgiven for enjoying this blasphemy ? on pitch 2 of Excalibur (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley starting up pitch 3 of Excalibur (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley higher on pitch 3 (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Some ahole following pitch 3 of Excalibur (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Starting up the crux (#4) pitch of Excalibur – I think I cut the pitch too short by belaying at the large palm tree above but the position was kind of cool (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Pitch 4 perhaps (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley topping out on the 4th pitch of Excalibur – though we might’ve cut the pitch too short (rap anchor?). The palm tree stance belay was too cool to pass up however (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley leading pitch 5 (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Views from the top of the route (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley nearing the top of the route (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Shirley topping out on Excalibur…this is our pitch 6. El Bobo is below as is the main road leading into the Potrero (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Happy Shirley hiking out after Excalibur (Feb. 2013).

Excalibur
Las Estrellas ridges as seen from near the base of Excalibur route on El Torro (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
Timewave Zero “formation” (a sub-summit of El Torro) with the Outrage wall (yellow, overhanging rock near the base).

El Potrero Chico
Jungle Wall – the pointy gendarme at the center is the topout point of Space Boyz route (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
Climbers high on the Space Boyz route of the Jungle Wall (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
El Potrero Chico (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
Heading to La Posada for some margaritas (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
El Potrero Chico – the impressive front side is in the background (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
El Potrero Chico on the morning of our final day. We woke up to drizzle and a socked in formations. Things eventually cleared up later on and we climbed some (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Hiking in late on our last day (after it stopped drizzling; Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
The base of Super Nova is socked in a fog/cloud (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Starting up the first and crux pitch of Super Nova – harder than it looked from below (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Almost there on pitch 1 (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Shirley on pitch 1 (5.11a) of Super Nova – this is the grade-setting pitch of the route (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Shirley topping out on the first and crux pitch of Super Nova (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Looking up into Virgin Canyon from low on Super Nova route (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Shirley leading pitch 2 of Super Nova – a well-polished 5.8 (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Leading one of the upper pitches – still in the runnel (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Somewhere low on Super Nova (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
More views from Super Nova (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Super Nova (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Pitch 6 perhaps (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
El Toro massif from high on Super Nova route (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
I think this is pitch 7 (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Shirley topping out on pitch 7 (Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Arriving at the top (pitch 8; Feb. 2013).

Super Nova
Shirley hiking down after our climb of Super Nova – the line is directly above Shirley and there’s party on midway up it (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
Interesting desert plants of El Potrero Chico (Feb. 2013).

El Potrero Chico
Hiking out after our last climb of the trip – canines, Cartas, and cliffs (Feb. 2013).

Go back to El Potrero Chico Again.