La Sombra del Chamán El Salto’s most legendary multi-pitch finally gets its first free ascent.
- El Salto Team
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
After nearly 25 years, La Sombra del Chamán (also known as El Chamán Loco)—one of the most legendary routes in El Salto, Nuevo León—has finally been freed, becoming the hardest multi-pitch in Mexico.
In December 2025, Guadalajara-based climbers Damián Zepeda and Álvaro Basich completed the first free ascent of this monster line: 14 pitches, 385 meters of sustained climbing ranging from 5.12 to 5.14-.
A route ahead of its time
La Pared del Chamán—an incredible wall over 400 meters tall—was first bolted in 2001 by Alejandro Patiño and Paco Medina, who traced a futuristic line that, for decades, seemed… impossible. The route stood there, dominating the wall, waiting for someone who could unlock its blend of power, endurance, and cold-blooded composure.
In 2015, a team of Italian climbers —Margo Maggioni, Paolo Marazzi, and Simone Pedeferri— returned to expand the original vision and bolted the final three pitches, completing the route as we know it today.
Since then, La Sombra del Chamán became an absolute myth in the world of Mexican multi-pitch climbing: everyone talked about it, but no one had managed to free it.
Notable attempts: the prelude to a historic ascent
For more than two decades, many Mexican and international climbers traveled to El Salto to take a shot at this line. But one of the biggest milestones came in 2024, when Anna Hazelnutt and Connor Rudge managed to free every pitch individually—becoming the first climbers to prove that the route was, in fact, humanly possible.
The first free ascent: 3 days, 14 pitches, and the Shaman finally awakens
Finally, in December 2025, Damián Zepeda and Álvaro Basich accomplished what had been attempted unsuccessfully for years: the first free ascent, done as a team effort—freeing every pitch consecutively and documenting the entire push over three days on the wall.
Route Difficulty
14 pitches, 385 m of sustained vertical climbing
Mostly 5.12 and 5.13 terrain
Two 5.14a cruxes
Steep, technical limestone with long moves, tufas, and mentally taxing sequences
With these characteristics, La Sombra del Chamán now officially stands as the hardest multi-pitch route in Mexico and one of the most demanding lines in North America.
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