Colorado is a Sea of Choss

That’s right, you heard me, I said our state is covered in choss. I know we like to think we have better rock climbing than California (or anywhere else for that matter), but the ugly truth is we are surrounded by less than perfect stone. Don’t believe me? Lets take a look at some of the popular areas around Colorado:

Eldo –  This has to be one of the chossiest crags in the state. People have been climbing here a long time and folks are still getting really messed up by loose rock. The locals should have a “get rid of choss” day where they close the canyon and have at the walls with a prybar. I’ve got a big one I can bring.

Lumpy/RMNP – Really good granite, even the alpine stuff is surprisingly clean and solid, not choss.

Garden of the Gods – Super soft sandstone, sometimes I can’t even believe people climb on it. They have to use 4 inch long 1/2” bolts. Crikey!

Shelf Road – Limestone + Colorado = choss. Sure it’s cleaned up nice and everyone has fun on it, but make no mistake, this is choss, maybe even of the splitter variety.

South Platte – The granite here is so good it has been quarried, not choss.

Penitente – Bullet hard stone, this is most definitely not choss. Too bad the routes aren’t a little taller on average.

Clear Creek – But there’s plenty of choss here.

Rifle – Land of the Glue, Home of the Choss.

Black Canyon – The sacred origins of splitter choss. While most of the trade routes have cleaned up nice, head off the beaten path and you’ll find choss a-plenty.

Telluride – Conglomerate and rhyolite, choss for sure!

Colorado National Monument – Pretty much all desert sandstone is choss by nature.

Notice a trend here? If its granite, its probably good. If not, it’s choss! So where is all the good rock? California and the South East it seems, though there is plenty of other high quality stone scattered across the country.

But fear not Colorado friends, because choss is super fun to climb on! Embrace the funk and rejoice that we live in state where folks are willing to persevere through the looseness and create something wonderful for everyone to enjoy!