Sierra Juárez, El Gran Trono Blanco, East Face. Through the eastern escarpment of Baja’s Sierra Juárez runs Cañon Tajo, largest of all the Juárez canyons. In Tajo’s upper reaches is a granite wall known as El Gran Trono Blanco, a 1600-foot high block set between the north and south forks of the canyon. Starting on January 23, 1972, Karl Karl-strom, Scott Baxter, and I ascended a fine, natural, non-direct route on this wall which went nearly all free. The right side of the east face is slashed by several right-leaning fractures, contrasting to this are several less pronounced crack systems leaning left. Our route starts up a ramp rising from the central base and ending high on the north buttress. Several hundred feet of easy rock on this ramp leads to an obvious bush-topped slab (halfway up the wall) from which climbing begins in earnest. From the slab-top we ascended the left of two parallel cracks (A3) ending as a niche which gives access to a ledge running left. From the end of the ledge, many fine pitches of free climbing lead along a left-trending crack system which leads to the top. This is a tremendous route with less than 200 feet of direct aid. Protection was with nuts, the only exception occurring on the aid pitch where a few pitons were used also. NCCS IV or V, F9, A3.

LEE DEXTER, Unaffiliated