Well, thankfully all the indecision surrounding which is the tallest monolith in the world has finally been answered. According to ‘Live Science’ magazine the findings were officially published online in the April 4 edition of the Journal Geosphere which include the first accurate measurements of Peña de Bernal's true height. The findings rank Peña de Bernal as the tallest monolith on the planet being accurately measured at 433 meters, surpassing the Rock of Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula (426 meters) and Brazil's Sugarloaf_Mountain (396 meters). Earlier guesses of Peña de Bernal’s height ranged from 288 to 360 meters and was likely underestimated because of the difficulty of reaching the summit.
How does this information relate to you? Well, most people people reading this are rock climbers, and the majority of rock climbers really like geology and the facts surrounding a climbing area.
Peña de Bernal is porphyritic granite stone. Most people would mistake this rock for her sister stone feldspar granite with a heavier content of quartz. The major differences are the size of the crystals that make up the stone. Porphyritic granite doesn't lend itself to traditional climbing as other granite areas, for example Joshua Tree, in California. Peña de Bernal is primarily sport climbing, bolt protected routes.
Whether you want steep single pitch routes, or an all-day big wall adventure or an untold number of boulder problems; Bernal has it all. 'Bernalina' (5.6) is touted as the best moderate big wall route in the state of Querétaro. Starting at 7,500 feet in elevation and adding 1,675 feet of vertical climbing puts the summit of Peña de Bernal at just shy of 10,000 feet above sea level.
The second most popular route is on the monolith is Filo Noroccidental 5.10-
Filo is most likely one of the most interesting long routes on the monolith. Not too many people ever experience long moderate ridge routes.
King Kong at 5.10 is also very popular due to the features on the route. Well worth climbing and bolted very well.
The equipment needed is a 70-meter rope, Gri-gri, helmet, shoes, ATC to rappel and of course your harness. It is a good idea to have a small pack to carry water and snacks as well.
Central Mexico is a great option for climbers looking for a destination that is more temperate. Anyone who has spent any time in northern Mexico knows it can be very cold there from December to March. Central Mexico is much more temperate staying in the 70’s pretty consistently during the day. It is a good idea to have a puffy jacket at night as we are at altitude, but the days are almost always the same temperature.
The only real way to experience Bernal is by climbing in Bernal.