Espíritu Fuego: a new sport multi-pitch route in El Salto

Diego Canavati on the 5th Pitch of Espíritu Fuego / Photo: Eric Rudolph

El Salto, Nuevo León, continues to prove why it is one of Mexico’s premier climbing destinations. A brand-new line is now pushing the limits of what’s possible in the area: Spirit Fire, a sport multi-pitch route located in El Cañón de El Álamo, a nearly untouched canyon that previously held only four scattered sport climbs.

Eric Rudolph on Pitch 8 of "Espiritu Fuego"

A hidden canyon in El Salto

Unlike El Salto’s well-known sectors, El Cañón de El Álamo had remained largely unexplored. Massive walls, deep orange limestone, and wild formations made it a place full of unanswered questions—and huge potential.

From their first visit, Diego Canavati and Eric Rudolph knew this canyon deserved serious attention. The original goal was simple: scout the canyon and find a major wall.

Eric Rudolph on the 7th pitch of Espíritu Fuego

The crash that changed everything

While scouting with a drone, things went sideways—the drone slammed straight into a wall. Retrieving it meant approaching the face directly.

That recovery led them to what would become Espíritu Fuego:a 250-meter overhanging wall, stacked with tufas, roofs, and glowing orange rock that looked almost extraterrestrial.

Equipping Espíritu Fuego

Fully committed, Diego and Eric spent nine days equipping the route ground-up, carving a direct line straight up the center of the wall. The route weaves through multiple roofs and delivers sustained, powerful climbing from bottom to top.

The final result is a nine-pitch sport route, estimated around 5.13c, though the grade is still tentative.

Sending the route.

Alvaro Basich on Pitch 6 of "Espiritu Fuego"

On January 15th, Diego Canavati, Eric Rudolph and Álvaro Basich returned during a brief weather window between two cold fronts.The route greeted them with brutally physical climbing on pitch two, which Álvaro sent on his second attempt. Diego sent pitch three after two tries, and they continued upward.

Eric Rudolph on Pitch 2 of "Espiritu Fuego"

Álvaro onsighted every remaining pitch up to pitch six — the roof — an extremely technical, bouldery testpiece with 150 meters of air beneath his feet.After three attempts, some of them already in the dark, he decided to rest and spent the night on a portaledge.

The next morning, with only a few hours before the next cold front arrived, he sent pitch six (5.13c) on his first try.Together with Eric Rudolph, the remaining pitches were freed, completing the first free ascent of Espíritu Fuego on January 17th, 2026.

What this means for El Salto climbing

More than just a single route, Spirit Fire represents a new frontier for El Salto climbing. El Cañón de El Álamo proves that world-class walls are still waiting to be discovered, and that the area’s potential is far from tapped out.

This new multi-pitch doesn’t just add difficulty and height—it expands the vision of El Salto, inspiring future exploration and development in one of Mexico’s most iconic climbing regions.