The Most Overused Names for Rock Formations

You've all been there. You start talking about "Lover's Leap" knowing you are both talking about Colorado and not California. BUT WAIT. There's at least two of them in Colorado. 

Jesus Fucking Christ in a handbasket.

So here's a list of the most often repeated rock formation names. One day we might rename a few of them something, anything else.

Castle Rock

Cathedral Rock, Peak, Spires, Park (yeah, loves you some church)

White Rock

Grey Rock

Oh, hey Red Rock

Lover's Leap (yeah, just kill yourselves)

Baldy Mountain

Devil's (name a part of the body)

Angel's (name something pretty or tall)

Some Rich Asshole (any number of rock formations near rich asshole's land or sphere of influence)

Lost (whatever)

It's up to you to break this trend. Developing a new area? Dig up some science fiction or fantasy books and pick a name. You can make the world a more creative and interesting place. 

How about “Table Rock”?

The Citadel

sheep rock.   ugghhh, makes you wonder what was on so many crusty climber dudes' minds when they named it...

slim wrote:

sheep rock.   ugghhh, makes you wonder what was on so many crusty climber dudes' minds when they named it...

Speaking as a denizen of Southern Colorado, I'd like to see an embargo on all farm animal names for climbing areas.

Few Lover's Leap on east coast too.

The Nose:...

https://www.mountainproject.com/search?q=nose

My favorite route is "regular route".  Up there with "SE face" and "original route".

They're climbing areas, but I still love the creativity in "Exit 32" and "Exit 38" outside of Seattle.  

ViperScale . wrote:

Few Lover's Leap on east coast too.

Also two in CA

Lunch Rock. Every crag's got one.

Mike Womack wrote:

They're climbing areas, but I still love the creativity in "Exit 32" and "Exit 38" outside of Seattle.  

I've always been impressed by the creativity of Washington climbing areas. It seems like they're just named after the last town you passed through. Examples include:

Vantage

Index

Darrington

Newhalem

The Needles

Mike Womack wrote:

My favorite route is "regular route".  Up there with "SE face" and "original route".

One of our local Lover’s Leaps has an Original Route.

Many male alpinists in the western US and Canada seem to use their girlfriends name for routes. Coincidentally, they’re all dating girls named Beckey. 

Mike Womack wrote:

My favorite route is "regular route".  Up there with "SE face" and "original route".

Yes, route names are pretty bad as well. How many prows do we have? And using a compass to name your route. Guh. Why, it's the SW regular route on the Prow. 

Zach Holt wrote:

Many male alpinists in the western US and Canada seem to use their girlfriends name for routes. Coincidentally, they’re all dating girls named Beckey. 

Similarly, a lot of early climbers must have felt disappointed, ripped-off or otherwise mislead given the number of Conn routes out there.  

Multiple places in Utah names Mary's Nipple.  Unsure who Mary was, but she certainly must have had a way with the early settlers.

Actually, quite a few places called *** Nipple around the Southwest.

The term "rock formation" is itself over used. In an official capacity a rock formation is a unit of rock with relatively consistent properties with some level of continuity, such as the Wingate Sandstone. "Rock formation" has devolved from this specific definition to any lump of rock with a cool nipple, dick, gun, or other fun shape regardless of varied lithology. An example is the North Six Shooter which is composed of several rock formations including the Wingate, yet it is itself referred to as a rock formation which it finds very confusing. This was a big pet peeve for a geology instructor of mine who was very careful to call landscape guns and nipples "rock features" as to not offend them. The rocks know the difference. 

Not that it actually matters, in the end they are all rocks which we have given names against their will.

Rocks are people too. 

Breakneck.