El Rito is home to a prime rock-climbing site even if there is no sign to prove it.
About three miles up Forest Road 44 from El Rito, cars, trucks and SUVs parked along the side of the road July 18 provided evidence of the area’s popularity for rock climbers, despite there being no sign to indicate that this is a hotspot for climbing.
Nevertheless, the El Rito Crags sport climbing area draws climbers from all across the United States.
A nearby trail climbs to the sports climbing area, where 69 routes have been laid out along 11 walls, according to a climber’s guide provided by Gary Clark of the Los Alamos Mountaineers.
Sports climbing relies on permanent bolts that have been placed along specific routes along portions of the cliffs. The permanent bolts free up the climber from having to place their own bolts into the rock surface and allows them to concentrate on the climb itself.
Climbers had been coming to El Rito prior to the development of the Crags area to climb a nearby area known as the Trad, where traditional climbing techniques are used. Traditional climbing requires climbers to place their own bolts and anchors.
The El Rito area was developed in 1998 because the Trad area did not offer challenging climbs, according to Clark.
The newer area draws climbers from afar. Despite threatening weather July 18, a group of climbers from Amarillo, Texas, attempted to climb the Wall-to-Wall Waltz, up a near vertical cliff face.
Casey Eales made the first attempt, with companion Jeremy Bouman tending the rope. Eales made his way to the first bolt and attached a quickdraw to it, which allowed the rope to run freely back to Bouman. Quickdraws are attached to each bolt during the climb and protect the climber from falling.
Eales made the climb and at the top ran the rope through a permanently installed chain anchor before rappelling down. He estimated the climb’s height at 70 feet, and rated it a 5.3, using the Yosemite Decimal System. A 5.0 climb is considered easy, while a 5.15 climb is consider exceedingly difficult.
“There’s not many cliffs in Amarillo,” he said.
A group of interns from Outside Magazine in Santa Fe were doing a different climb the same day at the El Rito site. Dave Costello, originally from Duluth, Minn., attempted a short but difficult climb on a rock called the Thimble. The climb was called El Dorito and was rated a 5.9.
Costello took a break midway through the climb after nearly losing his balance. Holding the rope for him was Turin Hill, originally of Portland, Ore.
“I’m glad you didn’t (fall), you’d have jerked me off my feet,” Hill said.
Eales said he had heard about the Crags from his boss and he was impressed with El Dorito.
“I’ll definitely be out here next week,” he said.