Landscape Language
Choss (noun) – crumbly, low quality rock
Sometimes to get where you’re going you have to cross some choss. Choss is crumbly, low quality rock that can be dangerously unstable. It is one of the reasons climbers like climbing earlier in the season, when snow cover can provide more stable footing.
NPS Photo of late season choss on Liberty Ridge. [Description: A steep ridge partly covered in glacier ice and partly in loose, dark rock.] ~kl














