Crystal Fortress Climbing

If someone were to have told you of sub-Alpine, 30m sport rigs in the South Platte that consisted of steep sandstone style glory jugs, Lander-esque pockets, and absolutely no crowds all on uncharacteristic S'Platte granite; you likely wouldn't believe them. which is a testament to why you'll likely never believe such climbing could exist a mere hour from Colorado Springs (a town cursed for quality hard rock climbing...).

Just due north of the classic Eleven Mile Canyon lies the "Crystal Fortress"; a wall with a radically exposed position above the burn scars of Crystal Creek. It holds a stunning backdrop of Pike's Peak to the south and a glimpse into Hackett Gulch/Big Rock Candy Mountain.

The wall itself is quite the geologic anomaly for climbing in the area. It hosts mostly steep granite with holds that are not the norm of most S'Platte slabs or Thunder Ridges alligator skinned faces.

There is a littering of white quartz and smokey quartz (hence the crags name) along the hillside approach leading up to the wall. Local rock hounds come from afar to dig the the next valuable specimen of Amazonite (*read access details above).

The cliff itself hosts a lower tier of climbing on mediocre granite but eventually gives way to an upper tier that is thought to be some of the best featured granite in Colorado. Unfortunately most of the routes here have some sort of rest ledge or break in climbing, but that helps stylize the "checkpoint" nature of the routes here. Sculpted jugs abound, and the occasional pocket that usually hosts crystalline structures inside. The headwalls on all the routes make up for the mediocrity below.

Climbing here is pretty athletic and typically involves big pulls on big holds (sorry, short folks), it's also rather adventurous and hosts routes that are a bit more involved than your typical sport climbs of the front range. Bring your big guns, kneebar pads, gumption, and a strong lead head and you'll be rewarded with some of the best sport climbing in the south Platte.

Keep in mind this is a new crag, most routes will likely have some more cleaning in time due to traffic. Rome/Rifle wasn't built in day...

This crag has a SE-facing aspect with midday shade. It is climbable year round, though it is best in the afternoons during spring/summer.