El Potrero Chico

El Potrero Chico, "The Little Corral", is a range of limestone mountains in northeast Mexico. The Potrero has amazing climbing from 5.6 to 5.14, there is enough climbing here for a lifetime! This place is praised for its multi-pitch sport routes, but the single pitch routes can compete with those of Southern France and Spain!! Winter is the best time to climb here with temperatures ranging from the 60's to 80's.

Just outside the Corral is the campground of Homero Guttierrez-Villareal. Homero helped develop climbing within Potrero Chico. His campground offers plenty of camp space, showers, and kitchen facilities, this will be our basecamp for the trip. Its just 5mins walk from the campground to the climing!

You should plan to arrive in Monterey on the evening prior to the first day of your trip (or earlier if you desire).

 

El Potrero Chico Itinerary

Day 1: Meet at the hostel in Monterey, Mexico. From the hostel we will take Taxis to Hidalgo Nuevo Leon and Homeros campground. El Potrero Chico is located just outside Hidalgo.

Day 2: Climb at Potrero Chico. We will spend the day at the ‘Mota’ wall which has a total of 43 sport routes. This is a great venue for getting used to climbing on the Potrero limestone.

Day 3: Climb at the ‘Jungle Wall’. The jungle wall has many multi pitch climbs including ‘Space Boys’ a nine pitch classic!  

Day 4: Climb at the ‘Mini Super’. This is a single pitch venue, with the quality of the climbs reflected in its name.

Day 5: Back to the ‘Mota’ wall. The climbing here just doesn’t get any better!

Day 6: The Spires (Agujas). Two very impressive looking spires. Both get very skinny at the top, very close together. One of the most exciting climbs in the corral.
             

Day 7: Depart early by taxi direct to the airport.


DIFFICULTY AND PREREQUISITES

 

Difficulty: The majority of routes follow easy to moderate sport routes with grades 5.7 upwards. The trip is suitable for both beginning and intermediate level climbers. Participants should have previous backpacking experience and be in good physical condition. Some climbing experience is preferred.

 

Costs

Program Cost Inclusions
  -AMGA certified guides.
  -Camping for the trip.
  -Ground transportation to and from El Potrero Chico.
  -Group climbing gear.
  -Food while camping.

Program Cost Exclusions
-Airfare to and from Mexico
-Restaurant food
-Personal equipment
-Airport taxes
-Insurance
-Items of a personal nature

A $350.00 non-refundable deposit (unless we cancel) is required for registration.

Cancellations made after that date will forfeit the course fee. Extreme weather, avalanche conditions, inadequate personal fitness or difficult terrain may make it impossible to achieve our stated objectives. No refunds will be made in anticipation of inclement weather or for not reaching the summit. If, for any reason, VerticalDream Climbing School must cancel the course, a full refund will be made. There is a $20.00 charge for returned checks.

 

EXPEDITION LEADERS – Your trip will be led by one or more of the following guides.

 

Phil Bowker, Ben Rabdall and/or Pete Keane.

For a complete guide background visit verticaldream.com.

 

RATIO

Maximum ratio is 6:1 for group rate and maximum group size is twelve.

 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS / RECOMMENDED IMMUNIZATIONS

Passport - to obtain, you will need a stamped copy of your birth certificate and passport photos. (approximate cost is $40.00). Takes about a month and can be done through the larger post offices. Tourist card issued upon arrival. A visa is not required. There are no required immunizations, however, the following are recommended:

Hepatitis A or immune globulin, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Yellow fever, Tetanus (DPT), Rabies.

A yellow International Certificate of Vaccination card should be carried. Please consult personal physician or immunization clinic for most current information. Some immunizations are given monthly and may require travel to a distant hospital. Be

sure to plan ahead. See your doctor at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for shots to take effect. If it is less than 4 weeks before you leave, you should still see your doctor. It might not be too late to get your shots or medications as well as other information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.

 

 

PERSONAL EQUIPMENT LIST

 

Please work on consolidating your gear enough to fit it in one mule bag. If you need assistance in this effort please let us know. The smaller our packs, the easier it will be to get around.

 Passport and an extra passport photo

 International Certificate of Vaccination

 Copies of all numbers, etc of important documents such as passport, credit cards, licenses, etc., include phone numbers to call if lost or stolen

 Shorts, pants, t shirts, long sleeve shirts as needed for climbing.

 Sneakers

 Toilet kit, personal towel

 Small padlock (TSA approved is high recommended)

 Spanish / American dictionary, phrase book

 Sturdy backpack (large enough for carrying items needed)

 Mule bag for gear storage

 Durable bowl, spoon, pocket knife

 Sleeping bag good to 20 F.

 One wide mouth nalgene water bottle.

 Headlamp with extra batteries and bulbs.

 Iodine or water purifier if you wan’t your own.

 1 pr. polypropylene or wool long underwear

 2 pr. wool or equivalent socks

 Goretex pants or equivalent

 Pile Jacket or heavy wool sweater

 Goretex jacket or equivalent

 Wool cap

 Visored ball cap

 underwear as needed

 Sit Harness ** Provided but may use own.

 Climbing rucksack with hydration pack

 Sunscreen (20+ SPF rating) and lip sun screen

 UV Sunglasses.

 Medications as prescribed for trip with prescription papers / Small personal first aid kit

 Trekking pole(s) optional

 Camera and film, Personal journal

 Handiwipes

TRIP RISKS

A trip to the mountains of  Mexico presents numerous objective risks and hazards. As in any mountaineering situation, even flawless technique supported by good decision-making cannot guarantee group and individual safety. Discussing each potential hazard would necessitate several volumes which, even when seemingly complete, would probably represent only a fraction of the potential risks.

Consequently, I have included information on medical and travel concerns – two areas that I consider to be of primary concern to the trip.

 

1. Medical Concerns

One should not think of climbing or trekking in Mexico without a pretty good idea of the health hazards and how to prevent and handle them. It's a whole different world out there and a lot of things we never consider in the ultra - safe, ultra - civilized world can at best spoil your trip, and at worst, can kill you. Consider a fact presented by Dr.Charles Houston: No one has counted how many people on trekking or climbing trips have had diarrhea, but I'd guess it is close to 100%. And for many of the victims it will spoil the trip. Perhaps 25% will come home with an intestinal infection like amoebiasis or giardiasis.

 

Gastrointestinal Infection & Diarrhea:

The most likely causes of GI problems will be food and water. As for food, stay with food that has been peeled or boiled.Water needs to be filtered and/or purified. You should consult with your personal physician to decide what antibiotic medications you should have to treat GI related problems. Suggested non prescription medications include Pepto Bismol and Immodium. These are available in Mexico, a number of prescription medications may be used to prevent and treat GI problems.

 

2. Traveling Concerns

During our time in Mexico we will be traveling by public and private transport. Mexicos highways are not maintained with the diligence given to roads in the U.S. It is common to find boulders, debris, etc. in the middle of the highway and drivers pass each other with seeming abandon. Accidents and breakdowns are common and you should be aware of such risks. Theft and robbery are also a potential concern as they are in most areas nowadays. We recommend taking every

precaution to minimize such risks.

 

RISK SUMMARY

Enjoying the outdoors necessitates a certain degree of risk-taking. You are participating in this trip and entering a third world country and a mountain environment at your own risk. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to minimize various hazards through the application of good judgment gained from a foundation of education and experience. Please be sure that you are fully aware of such risks. Self-reliance in the face of adversity is expected on the part of the wilderness traveler. Communication should not be relied upon in an emergency. While most risks cannot be completely eliminated, it is our

goal to interpret the environmental, situational and group variables and to make educated decisions to minimize dangers to you while at the same time providing an enjoyable and memorable experience.

While on the mountains rockfall and weather will present the most objective hazards. In

these situations, no list of rules or policies can be substituted for good mountain sense and good judgment. The leader's decision is final while on these mountains or traveling to and from. Any decision to discontinue a climb, to turn an individual or small group around is ultimately up to the leader and his/her designee(s). Each member will be given

every opportunity to climb.

While in Hidalgo and villages participants will be free to sightsee, dine, shop, etc. on their own. However, it is assumed that each participant will act in such a way as to not disturb or delay other group members or the trip schedule. Acting in such

a manner will be grounds for dismissal from the trip.

VerticalDream Climbing School

 

PHYSICIAN'S APPROVAL FOR  MOUNTAINEERING TRIP

 

Climbing is a unique sport that requires both physical and mental strength. Participants of the Rock Climbing Expedition should be in reasonably good physical condition to enable them to climb and hike for extended periods of time (with adequate rest stops). Leg and arm strength is particularly important in climbing. In addition, exposure to a new environment, food and water are likely to cause some general medical problems including gastro-intestinal upsets, diarrhea, and possibly various infections.

As a physician, please examine the expedition member and conduct any tests that you feel are warranted to determine the fitness of the expedition member.

 

I, ____________________ (physician) have examined ____________________ (expedition member) and found him/her to be in satisfactory physical condition to participate in this program.

 

Date _______________________________

 

Print Physician’s Name & Address _______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

 

PERSONAL MEDICATION PRESCRIPTION INFORMATION

 

I have prescribed the following medications for use as needed while on the expedition:

dose quantity dose quantity.

 

Septra ____ ____                    Cipro ____ ____

Diamox ____ ____                  Decadron ____ ____

Erythromycin ____ ____          Tetracyline ____ ____ .

Other_________ ____ ____   Other _________ ____ ____

 

The above medications are in addition to those immunizations for travel. Also, additional medications are included in expedition medical kit.

Please return to:

 

VerticalDream Climbing School

355 Georgia Street

Bend, Oregon, 97701

Tel: (207)-669-2598