Altus Guide Paul McSorley just returned from a great session down in the Mexican Big Wall mecca of El Gran Trono Blanco last week. The team consisted of ace photographer Andrew Burr and young rock masters Will Stanhope and Alex Honnold. Our crew managed three ascents of the highly featured granite monolith with Will and Alex freeing the Pan Am and El Giraffe routes at V 5.12+ and V 5.13 respectively. Alex and Paul threw a speedy lap (ca. 5 hours 30 minutes) up the Pan Am route and added a more direct two pitch finish of spicy 5.10 and 5.11 that avoids the regrettably vegetated via normal. Though only a few hours from the US border, this place has a really remote and isolated feel that makes climbing here a real plaisir.
[caption id="attachment_1284" align="alignleft" width="584" caption="Bigwall Banditos: Stanhope, Honnold and Burr throwin' gunz"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1283" align="alignleft" width="584" caption="Sunrise on the Sierra de Juarez"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1288" align="alignleft" width="584" caption="Will Rappin' the Giraffe"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1290" align="alignleft" width="584" caption="Burr on the Giraffe Roof"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1285" align="alignleft" width="584" caption="Honnold topping out the Pan Am"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1286" align="alignleft" width="584" caption="Pitch one of the Giraffe Libre Willy tacking 5.11 cornerwork"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1289" align="alignleft" width="584" caption="Climbers at left on the Giraffe, the Pan Am is the obvious system on the right"][/caption]