La Huasteca
Encyclopedia
La Huasteca is the first climbing area
in Monterrey
, Mexico, only 15 minutes from the city. With nearly 200 bolt
ed routes with grades from 5.8 to 5.13C, it is the favorite place for weekend climbers. It is also known for the slippery type of limestone
from which it is comprised, and which makes climbing seem more difficult than at other areas, such as Potrero Chico
. There are no entrance fees for most of the climbing areas.
In 1954 Federico, also known as "Lico", climbed the first summit of La Huasteca. Today that summit is known as "Pico Licos" in his honour. Pico Licos is nearly 70 metres high.
In 1957 the most famous peak in La Husteca was conquered by a group called Pirineos.
In 1960 the West Face was first climbed: Alberto Perez from Pirineos climbed almost all the route except the last 60 metres, then a couple of friends threw him a rope from above to complete the climb. The first person to climb the West Face without any assistance was Juan de Dios De Leon Camero. Others followed, conquering more summits and bolting some routes.
It the late 1980s and 1990s, sport climbing
began with Francisco Medina and Andres Medina, two brothers and students of Juan de Dios climbing school.
They bolted and climbed the hardest routes in La Huasteca, Veneno and El Sueño que de Niño, both 5.13C.
In the 2000s climbing became more popular, when the Universidad de Monterrey
and the ITESM, two well-recognized universities, started giving climbing courses at La Huasteca.
By 2010 UDEM suspend the climbing courses because of Mexico's recession and the increase in violence in the city during the ongoing "War on Drugs"
During Hurricane Alex, La Huasteca was severely impacted, damaging several routes and also lowering the level of the ground by down to 1 meter, making the beginning of some routes unclimbable.
.
During 2004 the government tried to solve this problem by charging families 10 pesos
to enter some parts of the park, while leaving the climbing areas free to enter. This has not been successful, as families simply stopped entering the paid-access areas and instead went to the free climbing areas, especially "Navajas" and "Cazuelas".
From late 2004 to late 2005 a new campaign called "Limpiemos la Huasteca" was conducted, with the objective of cleaning all the garbage from La Huasteca. Private and public schools, members of the climbing community, members of the cycling community, and anyone else wanting to help were encouraged to clean up this area. To aid in the removal of garbage, the government supplied trucks to transport waste.
Although La Huasteca was improved, much work remained to be done, as the waste was being generated faster than it was being removed.
All visitors to la Huasteca are encouraged to bring a bag and remove some waste.
route; this controversial route was built over an old classic route El Infierno y las Espinas, rendering the old route useless as most of the new people climbing the route use the Ferrata and don't have the necessary climbing experience.
This route has seen the death of at least one person acting as a guide when he did not have the credentials required, and the rescue of another overweight excursionist who couldn't continue and got stuck in the middle of a Tyrolean traverse
of 100 metres.
Additionally, the mysterious death of two climbers occurred when they fell while rappelling from a multi-pitch route. A non-climbing-related death of a camper occurred by gunfire during a robbery attempt, and another person drowned in the river under the influence of alcohol.
The climbing community is planning to address the recent deaths by reviewing the credentials of those who act as climbing guides and teachers.
Climbing area
A climbing area is a small geographical region with a concentration of opportunities for climbing. The term is most commonly used of rock climbing areas, but there are also ice climbing areas that have the right combination of steepness and water to result in climbable ice during the winter.While...
in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Mexico, only 15 minutes from the city. With nearly 200 bolt
Bolt (climbing)
In rock climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin....
ed routes with grades from 5.8 to 5.13C, it is the favorite place for weekend climbers. It is also known for the slippery type of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from which it is comprised, and which makes climbing seem more difficult than at other areas, such as Potrero Chico
Potrero Chico
El Potrero Chico is an internationally renowned rock climbing area in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, 3 km outside the town of Hidalgo. Long a destination for rock-climbers from around the world, Climbers from Austin, Texas, notably, Jeff Jackson, Kevin Gallahger, and Alex Catlin, along with...
. There are no entrance fees for most of the climbing areas.
History
In 1957 the most famous peak in La Husteca was conquered by a group called Pirineos.
In 1960 the West Face was first climbed: Alberto Perez from Pirineos climbed almost all the route except the last 60 metres, then a couple of friends threw him a rope from above to complete the climb. The first person to climb the West Face without any assistance was Juan de Dios De Leon Camero. Others followed, conquering more summits and bolting some routes.
It the late 1980s and 1990s, sport climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
began with Francisco Medina and Andres Medina, two brothers and students of Juan de Dios climbing school.
They bolted and climbed the hardest routes in La Huasteca, Veneno and El Sueño que de Niño, both 5.13C.
In the 2000s climbing became more popular, when the Universidad de Monterrey
Universidad de Monterrey
The University of Monterrey is a Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located in Monterrey, Mexico....
and the ITESM, two well-recognized universities, started giving climbing courses at La Huasteca.
By 2010 UDEM suspend the climbing courses because of Mexico's recession and the increase in violence in the city during the ongoing "War on Drugs"
During Hurricane Alex, La Huasteca was severely impacted, damaging several routes and also lowering the level of the ground by down to 1 meter, making the beginning of some routes unclimbable.
Environmental issues
Since the 1990s, La Huasteca has become a popular weekend destination for families. People number in the hundreds every day, and more in the rare occasions when the river is swollen from heavy rains. Because of the large number of visitors, La Huasteca is suffering from a greater amount of litterLitter
Litter consists of waste products such as containers, papers, wrappers or faeces which have been disposed of without consent. Litter can also be used as a verb...
.
During 2004 the government tried to solve this problem by charging families 10 pesos
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
to enter some parts of the park, while leaving the climbing areas free to enter. This has not been successful, as families simply stopped entering the paid-access areas and instead went to the free climbing areas, especially "Navajas" and "Cazuelas".
From late 2004 to late 2005 a new campaign called "Limpiemos la Huasteca" was conducted, with the objective of cleaning all the garbage from La Huasteca. Private and public schools, members of the climbing community, members of the cycling community, and anyone else wanting to help were encouraged to clean up this area. To aid in the removal of garbage, the government supplied trucks to transport waste.
Although La Huasteca was improved, much work remained to be done, as the waste was being generated faster than it was being removed.
All visitors to la Huasteca are encouraged to bring a bag and remove some waste.
Recent deaths
In recent years la Huasteca has seen an increase in accidents involving climbers and campers. Local authorities had associated this with the opening of a Via FerrataVia ferrata
A via ferrata or klettersteig is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities...
route; this controversial route was built over an old classic route El Infierno y las Espinas, rendering the old route useless as most of the new people climbing the route use the Ferrata and don't have the necessary climbing experience.
This route has seen the death of at least one person acting as a guide when he did not have the credentials required, and the rescue of another overweight excursionist who couldn't continue and got stuck in the middle of a Tyrolean traverse
Tyrolean traverse
A Tyrolean traverse is a method of crossing through free space between two high points on a rope without a hanging cart or cart equivalent. This is used in a range of mountaineering activities: rock climbing, technical tree climbing, caving and water crossings. A zip-line is in essence a Tyrolean...
of 100 metres.
Additionally, the mysterious death of two climbers occurred when they fell while rappelling from a multi-pitch route. A non-climbing-related death of a camper occurred by gunfire during a robbery attempt, and another person drowned in the river under the influence of alcohol.
The climbing community is planning to address the recent deaths by reviewing the credentials of those who act as climbing guides and teachers.