Pico Candela, new routes. [Located north of Monterrey off Highway 1 and split by the border between Coahuila and Nuevo León, but accessed from Coahuila, this obvious 1,000' granite spire has received numerous shorter routes recently, bringing the total to more than 25. Alex Catlin, who has established most of the routes, reports on two longer routes.]

On the south face in April, Ralph Vega, Rick Rivera, and I put up Where There Is A Whip There Is A Way, six pitches, all 100' (5.8, 5.6, 5.10b, 5.10a, 5.8, 5.9). Start at the clean black hand crack. The second pitch is better started on the left. The 3rd pitch has an awkward offwidth move. Then climb right, to the crack in the roof. Belay in the chimney. Pitch 4 takes the right crack to a large ledge. Pitch 5 goes to the top of the next buttress. Pitch 6 goes straight up.

In November, also on the south face, Rick Rivera and I established Fortune Favors the Stupid (5.10a, 5.12a, 5.11b, 5.12b, 5.9, 5.9). Start in a deep gully. Chimney up and left past five bolts and a set of anchors to a better belay. Climb the steep left-leaning dihedral past four bolts until you can cut back right (bolt) and then straight up past three more bolts. Climb up and left past a single bolt to the clean orange dihedral. Climb the corner past three bolts and thin stoppers to an obvious ledge on top of the pillar. Climb left past bolts (tricky stopper placement after first bolt), then work back right out the roof. Clip over the lip and continue straight up to anchors. Pitch 5 wanders up the face past two bolts to a huge ledge. Pitch 6 passes a bolt and continues to a ledge with trees. From the highest ledge rap the east crack to Dog Food Coffee (a 135' 5.10c up an obvious black streak).

Alex Catlin