Alpine Splitter Choss

By now, everyone probably knows that Colorado is a sea of choss, but this time of year you are continually reminded of that fact when you head into the mountains to enjoy the alpine summer. Ascending many of our mountains, you see they are nothing more than giant heaps of rock, sometimes stacked quite precariously, and in various states of decay.

And the rock quality can vary, from decently solid, to terrifyingly loose. Sometimes it’s small chunks of scree, sometimes it’s big stacked blocks, and sometimes it’s so crumbly you can’t make any progress whatsoever in vertical terrain. And somewhere out there, lurks the elusive, yet sought after, alpine splitter choss. I was fortunate enough to come across a fine specimen of this variety this week while on a press trip with Backbone Media in the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado. We were testing out the new Black Diamond climbing packs and some Sportiva boots, and the main goal for our group was an ascent of Wilson Peak. Several of us who had already climbed that peak, however, splintered off to tackle the north ridge of Gladstone Peak, which, along with Mount Wilson and El Diente, rounds out the Wilson Group southwest of Telluride. Gladstone is a high 13er as well, so we had that going for us, which was nice.

Approaching the ridge that would lead us to the summit, it appeared to be looser than Wall Street ethics, but upon gaining the ridge proper, we were pleasantly surprised with big chunks of solid stone, wedge together in a sturdy fashion that made for excellent high alpine climbing. The 3^rd and 4^th class sections were significantly more continuous than what you find on most “difficult” 14er’s, and made for a pleasant and interesting ascent. And about halfway up, I realized we had found the elusive alpine splitter choss. It looked horrendous from a distance, but in truth was mostly solid and made for fantastically fun climbing.

I’m sure there are other good examples out there, with the Northwest Buttress of Capitol certainly coming to mind. So be sure to keep an eye out this summer, as you take to the high peaks, and you too may just find yourself on an unexpectedly good ridge leading you upward to a beautiful perch, high in the Colorado sky.