Cerro Picachos, various new routes. This granite area off Hwy 85, 50 miles north of Monterrey, is as beautiful as it is wild. I will not even attempt to give directions. Go to Sombreretillo and ask the locals. Three- to four-hour walk in. The climbing is concentrated on the south and central peaks.

Jimmy Carse and I established several new routes, the longest being Lila (5.11cR/X), which climbs the 800' east face of the south peak in six pitches. Start on the slabs, climb the right-facing dihedral to the summit block (5.10) and follow a very thin seam out right. Where the seam ends, climb straight up to a belay 11c/d R/X. (A few knifeblades would take the danger out of this pitch.) Traverse back left to a crack that leads to the summit (5. 10d). Thin to medium rack. There is an old ladder system that descends the south ridge and east face.

[Catlin and Carse also climbed four-pitch new routes on the northwest buttress and west dihedral of the south peak. On the central peak the pair climbed three new four-pitch routes, and Carse and Ralph Vega added another—Ed.]

Alex Catlin