Trip Report: Time Wave Zero by RMF Director Codey Foster

Trip Report: Time Wave Zero by Codey Foster

On February 23rd we traveled to Mexico with a single objective:

Time Wave Zero (TWZ) 5.12a III, 23 pitches of pure concentrated sport climbing in El Potrero Chico.

Although I met Peer no more than a year ago, I feel like I’ve known him for ten. As anyone who has traded belays--and caught big whips--could attest, we became fast buds. Peer is certainly a sport climber while I’m driven by adventure climbing and the art of placing gear.

TWZ was the perfect collab piece.

Together, we obsessed over the fine points for months:

What gear to bring. How much water. And especially the intimidating 23 rappels…

To simul climb? No.

Simul rappel? Tempting, but probably not.

Link pitches? Yes, some.

When game day came, we felt ready. At noon, we walked slowly to the base of the route, quaffing as much water as we could hold before leaving the ground. I was nervous but well-hydrated.

When we started climbing at 1pm, any feeling of apprehension quickly resolved.

The beauty alone…the rock in El Potrero is improbably featured and detailed offering an enticing spread of pockets, huecos, handles, and a grit with a penchant for sticky rubber. It will also demolish your tips. Each pitch as varied and interesting as the next, sometimes even alluding to quartz conglomerate and other times to traprock. The movement is impeccable.

Not to mention, this is a magnificent ecosystem: cacti perched in the smallest nook and cranny, succulents that whistle in the breeze, and snails and agave inhabiting each hueco.

We’d read accounts of rattlesnakes along this line—and I’d hoped to see one from a safe distance but they were hiding away in what I imagined must be a complex network of limestone dens beneath the route.

I couldn’t help but spot what would have been some very pretty cam placements along the way.

After much discussion leading up to the trip, ultimately, we’d decided on a planned bivy atop pitch 12, a somewhat atypical tactic, with most parties opting for a single push.

We were equipped with basic sleeping gear: light sleeping pads, sleeping bag liners (no real sleeping bags) and puffer jackets. Lots of snacks.

When we arrived at the ledge around 5pm, we were warm, but progressively added layers, and then rain gear, until about midnight when we ran out of clothes to pile on.

We’d each brought a pair of hand warmers which turned out to be totally key. After 1am or so though, temps dipped into the low 40s and we were chilled to the bone. Around 3am it started to rain. By headlamp, Peer constructed us a primitive rain shelter using quickdraws to suspend a mylar emergency blanket from the trees, which was futile but warranted a critical morale boost. It drizzled for 4 hours.

Despite all this, I’d highly recommend the bivy. To sleep on the wall at 1200 feet and be part of the ecosystem is nothing short of surreal.

By 8am the rock was dry enough for our 5.8 start and we pushed upward with light packs, having left everything but the essentials on the bivy ledge below.

We were warm again and joyfully progressed through the meat and potatoes: a 5.10d, 3 pitches of 5.9+, another 5.10d.

The 10d pitches may have been the prettiest of all: steep, featured, generously sprinkled with jugs and rest stances.

Ultimately, we arrived at the crux pitch: P21—its base marked with ornate black on white limestone hieroglyphs as if almost to say “you are now headed into the business” or “the real exposure starts here”.

Peer would lead and I would follow.

And what a beautiful pitch..but cryptic, a touch polished, and hard.

Soon it was time for me to climb.

After cruxing out in the roof, I was very content to pull through on draws which was surprisingly efficient.

After that, Pitch 22 was an admittedly very exciting section of 5.8 climbing. Perhaps fatigue was setting in.

Finally, the summit was guarded by a dubious 4th class fixed-line traverse which is equipped with a sun-bleached static rope showing off several cross sections of core. This pitch is surely worthy of great care. We moved slowly and summited right around noon.

From the summit, we could see the pool at our hotel, La Posada, and even get on Wi-Fi. We hugged and snapped some pics but agreed to postpone any meaningful celebration ultil we were on the ground.

The 23 rappels went smoothly. 2.5 hours to the ground. We’d rehearsed our systems Nickel and Dime and the extra preparation paid off. Knot the ends. Trade the quad. Partner check. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so focused.

We celebrated at la Posada with tacos and cervezas as I prepared to present Peer with a calculated sales pitch on dreams of Canadian granite.

The afterglow is a fleeting prize.