Hansjörg Auer and Much Mayr add new climb to Black Canyon, Colorado

On May 4 2017 the Austrian climbers Hansjörg Auer and Much Mayr made the first ascent, ground-up and in a single 11 hour push, of a difficult new climb in the Black Canyon, Colorado, USA. The new route is called Mango Tango, is graded 5.11+ R/X and climbs a 600m line on the righthand side of the Diagonal Wall Buttress, between Diagonal Wall and Pathfinder.

According to the Austrians Mango Tango involves "some serious trad climbing along a logical system of cracks and corners but also some spicy run-outs on some of the face climbing pitches" The two left just two pitons and one nut in-situ and reported described the ascent as “a really cool climb on mostly good rock.”

For years Auer and Mayr have formed a formidable partnership and their quest for adventure has taken them from Austria to Patagonia, via Alaska, the Dolomites, Corsica and Norway. In 2011 Auer visited the Black Canyon with Ben Lepesant and made the first free ascent of the historic Hallucinogen Wall.