Mango Tango – New climb in Black Canyon
On May 4 2017, Much Mayr and I made the first ascent, ground-up and in a single 11 hour push, of a new climb in the Black Canyon, Colorado, USA. Actually it was my second trip to the Black Canyon after I’ve travelled there with Ben Lepesant in spring 2011 where I managed to free climb the historic Hallucinogen Wall (5.13 R) for the first time ever.
The new route is called Mango Tango and climbs a 600m line on the righthand side of the Diagonal Will Buttress between the routes Diagonal Wall and Pathfinder. We graded it 5.11+ R/X and the 18 pitches are characterized of serious trad climbing along logical systems of cracks and corners but also some spicy run-outs on the face climbing pitches like the third one, where falling is no option. We left two pitons and one nut in-situ and even if the Black Canyon is famous for poor rock this new climb offers mostly the opposite.
So if you’re looking for a big and adventurous day out, Mango Tango is exactly what you would think about.
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- The spicy third pitch of Mango Tango. © Hansjörg Auer
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- One of the great features we needed to climb. © Much Mayr
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- This was maybe the most loose section. © Much Mayr
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- As the sun was already setting down. © Hansjörg Auer
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- The last steep pitch. © Elias Holzknecht
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- Climbing above the small roof of pitch 15. © Elias Holzknecht
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- Always a great pleasure to climb with Much. © Elias Holzknecht
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- The End. © Elias Holzknecht