La Bamba

This route starts on a face below a long, corner crack/left, facing dihedral system between Voyage of the Trash Cat and When You’re Lost in the Wild. 

P1 - 8 bolts, 24m, 5.9
An easy start leads to a steep face littered with cracks and pockets. This pitch should be linked with the second to avoid a hanging belay.

P2 - 7 bolts, 15m, 5.9
Make a couple of tricky moves near the anchor and continue up the face. Follow bolts to a dihedral and  chimney like feature which leads to a good stance and bolted anchor.  

P3 - 6 bolts, 24 m, 5.9
A short but enjoyable face leads to a ledge followed by an another face. Move up to a large ledge and bolted anchor. 

P4 - 11 bolts, 38m, 5.7
Climb up semi water polished rock and follow bolts up a fun ramp. Belay at a small but comfortable ledge. A surprisingly pleasant pitch. 

P5 - 13 bolts, 30m, 5.9
To start this pitch you can either step left into the corner and stem your way up before moving right or move right immediately off the belay through slightly more cryptic climbing. The angle kicks back before transitioning left to the corner. Follow the corner crack to a good stance and belay. 

P6 - 11 bolts, 25m, 5.10a
Stem and lay back you way up the stunning corner. Move left at the last bolt aiming for a nice pod on the face and belay. A superb pitch. 

P7 - 15 bolts, 33m, 5.10b
Move up and slightly right on smooth rock. Follow bolts that take you back into the corner. A thuggy bit of crack climbing leads to a section of lie backing. Pull on top of a large, semi detached flake and belay.

P8 -11 bolts, 28m, 5.10b

This pitch offers fantastic climbing through the continuing corner crack system. Belay on top of a small pedestal. This is probably the best pitch on the entire route.

P9 - 16 bolts, 35m, 5.10c

Continue up the aesthetic final pitch which will position you at the top of the corner with a broad view of the Potrero, Hidalgo and Monterrey. This pitch is quite sustained and requires good crack climbing skills.

Descent: 

Rappel the route. It would be wise to saddlebag your rope. Pitch 9 is 35 meters long so you will need a full 70 m rope to get to the pitch 8 anchor. Pitch 4 is about 38 meters long so a substation has been added to allow for safe descent to the next rappel station. It is also possible to rap past the p3 anchor and descend to the p2 station with about 2 meters of rope to spare. The rope probably pulls better from this station. From the top of pitch 2 it is possible to make it to the ground in one rappel with an 80 meter rope otherwise you will have to use the rap station on pitch 1.  

Notes: 

*Like a lot of the long multis in Potrero this one has a few sections with loose rock or blocks that may look suspect. Be careful on anything that looks bad and do some assessing before pulling on anything that does not look solid. A lot of rock was removed from this route to make it climbable and safer but some blocks/pieces were left in place for a variety of reasons. Everything that is on route has been checked as thoroughly as possible. Message me or post a comment here if you notice something that is in need of attention. 

*This would make a great moderate multi pitch climb by simply stopping at the top of pitch 6. The climbing becomes significantly more sustained and challenging after pitch 6. 

*The route is about 250 meters long and offers a nice variety of climbing in a beautiful and quiet setting. 

*Pitches 6 through 9 involve a good amount of crack climbing and without those requisite skills the climbing could feel stiff for the grade. Crack gloves are recommended, especially for pitch 8 and 9.

*Some may have noticed that this climb was previously documented on mountain project as "Unfinished Project". This entry has since been deleted. 

The history of the route! 

In February 2023 Cooper Varney and Harry Kinnard spotted the line, bolted and climbed to a high point 9 pitches off the deck. They began the cleaning process with the intention to open the route but the project was abandoned shortly thereafter and lay dormant for 2 years. I first heard about the route last year when a couple of friends had accidentally got on it mistaking it for When You're Lost in The Wild. I had noticed the first couple of pitches and thought that the route appeared to have potential. In December of 2024 after speaking to Ben Kahn I found out some of the history and sent Cooper a message inquiring what his intentions were for the route. I asked if he would mind if I took over development and he agreed. Ben and I quested up in early January of 2025. We climbed the first 5 pitches and then rapped down doing a quick clean as we rappelled.  I fixed a rope from pitch 2 to the ground and then in the weeks that followed started the cleaning process. After removing tons of loose rock and prickly plants that were in the way of the climbing on the first 5 pitches I was confident it would be a good route when finished and decided to invest the time required to bring it to completion. Mike Wright joined me to move the fixed lines up another two pitches from 5 to 7 in mid January and then Martin Ho gunned the rope up the last two pitches to the high point established by the original fa team. The final 15 meters on the last pitch veered off to the right out of the corner and ended at an uncomfortable stance. I decided to change the finish of the route by having it continue straight up the corner rather ending at a good sized ledge that would make a nice belay. After fixing ropes from the top I was able to slowly chip away, cleaning all the pitches from top to bottom, adding bolts and anchors on the way down. In February of 2025 the route was finally completed and ready to open after Nick Brown, Bryan McQuiston and I climbed the route ground up. 

Many people have contributed to the development of this route and should be thanked for their time and effort: Cooper Varney, Harry Kinard, Ben Kahn, Mike Wright, Francois Vitale, Shawn Bethune, Denise Hamel, Zoe Desjardins, Marin Ho, Nick Brown and Bryan McQuiston. 

Take the approach trail toward Plutonia Cave and then continue on toward Wild Wall. You will pass the Trash Cat side trail on your left. Continue walking up the canyon for about another 5 -10 minutes past Trash Cat. The route starts on a steep face about 40 meters below When You Are Lost in the Wild.

Bolts