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Mexico in Flames

5.11c, Sport, 200 ft (61 m), 2 pitches,  Avg: 3.5 from 212 votes
FA: Jeff Jackson
International > N America > Mexico > Nuevo Leon > El Potrero Chico > Virgin Canyon > Lower Virgin

Description

Beautiful climbing on a clean face. The crux comes on last half of first pitch.

Protection

Bolts

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Photo by David Fay
[Hide Photo] Photo by David Fay
Flames!
[Hide Photo] Flames!
Jeff getting the onsight on Mexico in Flames.
[Hide Photo] Jeff getting the onsight on Mexico in Flames.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Pablo-Roberts
Prescott, AZ
  5.12a
[Hide Comment] This route description must be old. I climbed it december 2014 and the bolts are good to go! Jan 3, 2015
Mauricio Herrera Cuadra
North Vancouver, BC
  5.11b/c
[Hide Comment] All bolts have been replaced. Did the 1st pitch only (crux) but never felt it harder than 5.11c Jan 8, 2015
Jon Jones
Penticton, B.C.
[Hide Comment] The badly corroded bolts were replaced with SS bolts in February 2014. 12a grade is for staying right over the bolts at the crux. Easier (11c) if you use the right hand edge of the face at this point (7th bolt). 10 bolts to anchor. Feb 4, 2017
Paul Hutton
Nephi, UT
 
[Hide Comment] I agree with 11c on the first pitch. Felt about the same as an 11c onsight I snatched on Arizona limestone. Mar 22, 2017
Jay Morse
Hooksett, New Hampshire
 
[Hide Comment] Excellent technical face climbing over new and very safely spaced bolts. Jan 19, 2018
Brennan VanDyke
Edmond, OK
[Hide Comment] Fun, and my first of that style of the grade. Starts out easy and then gets progressively harder until a pretty defined crux sequence. Then, if you choose to use the arete (If you don't, I think it's contrived), the route really tapers off. Fun! Dec 16, 2019
Jan Tarculas
Riverside, Ca
  5.11c
[Hide Comment] Worth doing for the area. Starts getting difficult after 3rd bolt. All holds are there, it’s the small feet that makes it hard Feb 20, 2020
bmdhacks
Bellingham, WA
[Hide Comment] If it's crowded and you clip the first bolt of Mugre, make sure you talk to anyone who wants to get on it and let them unclip it for you once you're higher. Otherwise you're taking up two routes for no reason just so you can have extra rope drag. Feb 26, 2023
Alex S
Denver, CO
[Hide Comment] Anybody have any insight on the intended/typical beta on use of the arete?

If you bail to the arete at the first opportunity, it felt to me maybe an easier 11a?
But, if I ignored the arete (which resulted in much punting and did not come close to doing clean), it felt maybe 11d/12a?ish? Or maybe I'm just weak applesauce. Dec 2, 2023
MilesC
 
[Hide Comment] The book describes a second pitch but we found a profusion of confusing, corroded bolts and dirty, sharp holds. Seems to be a lot less classic than pitch 1, or at least a lot less popular Jan 21, 2024
Simon Kent
Pittsburgh
[Hide Comment] Where is the second pitch to this thing? Tried to quest up the bolts above the belay in the right facing corner and got pretty shut down, seems featureless— stout AF! Feb 1, 2024