Cat Scratch Wall Rock Climbing

Climbing in the Chalk Cliffs? This wall actually features some of the best quality granite in the Buena Vista area (as well as some choss) in a beautiful setting. It is like pizza slice of goodness surrounded by total choss. For some reason, this section of rock didn't get altered by the geothermal activity like much of the rock in Chalk Creek Canyon. The climbing is characterized by unique diagonal crack and seam systems that resemble cat scratches and big, bouldery roofs. In the winter, the wall gets full sun and is climbable on any sunny, low wind day. In the summer, the wall gets afternoon shade and can be good when the other nearby crags are cooking in the sun.

Although this wall appears like a cliff band from the parking, it is actually a sort of free standing tower (although not in the same sense as the desert towers). There is no non-technical route up this feature, and topping it out by any route makes for a good adventure. All the developed routes that top out the tower all clock in at about 3 or 4 pitches and have bolted belay/rappel anchors. While the majority of the routes were established ground-up, they were later cleaned and "retrobolted" on rappel to provide an enjoyable free climbing experience. Also, the wall was bolted to be very short person friendly. Every clip that was reachy for someone 5' 1" had a fixed chain draw installed so there should not be any scary clips for anyone (not guaranteed if you are shorter than 5 feet tall). All that being said, runouts still exist, and skill placing gear and a good route finding sense will serve you well. There is also several enjoyable single pitch cragging routes at the base that serve as good warm-ups or are fun in their own right.