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Welcome to where I share my fourteener ski adventures!

In April of 2006 I skied my first fourteener, Mt. Princeton- a mountain that had always captured me by it's dominance as I passed through the Arkansas River Valley. Shortly after, I skied Castle Peak. With it's awe-inspiring scenery and amazing lines, I found I was completely hooked. There began my quest to ski the Fourteeners. By June, 2008 I had completed ski decents on 45 of Colorado's 54 Fourteeners. Unfortunately, a torn ACL in my left knee during February, 2009 prevented me from skiing any more fourteeners during that season. But, I only came back from the injury more determined than I'd ever been. I began my 2010 season with a bang, skiing Crestone Needle. That was followed shortly after by Little Bear, Ellingwood, Blanca, the hair-raising Capitol, El Diente, and Mount Wilson. I ended 2010 with only two peaks remaining- Pyramid and Pikes Peak. On May 5th, 2011 I completed my ski of the Landry line on Pyramid. I completed my fourteener project after skiing Pikes Peak on May 14, becoming the 2nd woman and 9th person overall to accomplish this feat.

Inspired by Chris Davenport and Lou Dawson, I am humbled to have followed in their footsteps. Below you will find all of Colorado's official fourteeners sorted by range, with links provided to the peaks I have skied. You'll also find a retrospective narrative of my fourteener skiing journey.

Note to Reader: This site is currently being updated. I have links to all of my fourteeners, but some of the reports are more complete than others. I will be in the process of updating these links throughout this spring and summer. For now, if a page is incomplete, please be sure to visit the links within that page. You will find reports there. Thank you for your patience during this updating process.

Sawatch


Sangre de Cristos


San Juans


Mosquitos and Ten Mile


Elks


Front Range


Other 14er sites

If you like this site, you may find these sites interesting and resourceful.

Looking Back...

Slideshow of my fourteener skiing journey


The First Woman
In May 2010, Christy Sauer-Mahon became the first female to ski all of Colorado's fourteeners, finishing on the same day as Jarrett Luttrell, the first snowboarder to ride all of Colorado's fourteeners. Congratulations to them both! Though I had hopes of being the first female to finish this project, I always knew I wasn't alone. Check out my perspective here.


How It Started
It was February, 2006 when I initially announced my goal to ski all of Colorado's fourteeners to a few of my friends and family. It's funny to look back at the email now that I sent back then with my original announcement. Still, I made my goals clear. I hoped to be the first woman. But, I also knew that being first wasn't the most important part of this goal. I wanted to finish all of my fourteeners safely, from the summit, and within five years. I can say that I have done all of that. And now my goal is complete.


The Fourteener Skiers Evolution
When I started skiing the fourteeners back in 2006, it was a different time. The only person who had completed all of the fourteeners was Lou Dawson. Chris Davenport was in the midst of his project and fourteener skiing was being pioneered by Sean Crossen, Pam Rice, & Chris Webster. New lines were still being discovered by many fourteeners, including the line on Capitol skied by Davenport, which was originally envisioned by Pete Sowar.

As I worked on my fourteener project, I watched more and more join in- many of whom finished before me. Currently, there are nine people to have skied/snowboarded all of Colorado's fourteeners- Lou Dawson, Chris Davenport, Ted Mahon, Frank Konsella, Jordan White, Joe Brannan, Christy Sauer Mahon, Jarrett Luttrell, and me. After Lou, the remaining 8 people on this list have finished in only the last five years. It's been amazing to be in the midst of this fourteener evolution. I am happy to say I have skied with every person on this short list. And I'm also happy to call them friends. We've all supported one another along the way- a testament to the fabulous tight-knit ski mountaineering community we have here in Colorado.

There is no doubt that fourteener skiing has evolved at an alarming rate in the last few years. Still, there are fourteener skiers out there, discovering new lines (like Matt's line on Yale), and working their way to checking those last fourteeners off the list. Closing in are Chris Webster, Pam Rice, Erik Kling, Matt Kamper, and Carl Dowdy. I can't wait to welcome them across the finish line.


What I Gained
When I originally began this project, I was motivated by the challenge. I was burnt out after years of mountain bike racing. I'd recently taken up backcountry skiing and was searching for a goal that took me back to my true passion- skiing. I loved the exhilaration of overcoming mental and physical challenges and then being rewarded by standing on top of a peak, enjoying hundreds of miles of fabulous views. I knew I wanted more of that, and I knew skiing the fourteeners would serve it.

But, what I didn't know is what else I would gain along the way. This fourteener project has taken me places I would have never gone otherwise. I've traveled to remote places in Colorado to ski these peaks, driven down roads I've never been on before, and seen some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I've gained some solid backcountry ski partners who have morphed into life-long friends, including my husband, Frank. Now, it's strange to envision my life without any of these people in it as it was 6 years ago. Last, I've gained skills. When I first started this project, I was barely a backcountry skier. Now, I am a ski mountaineer. I am a different person living in a different place because I took on this challenge.


What's Next?
People have asked me this a lot and to be honest, I'm not sure. I'll probably enjoy a year or so of having not too much of a goal- just doing what I want, when I want. I've wanted to spend some time in the Tetons and maybe even the Sierras and Cascades for quite some time now, but I haven't taken the time to travel much because I didn't want to "miss a good fourteener window". I also have a constant "wish list" that I am always adding to, and checking things off. It's in a constant state of flux which is nice because you always have something you want to ski next. Still, a constantly changing wish list is not the same as a pre-set list or goal. There is something so tangible and satisfying about counting down, not just checking off. I can't say right now that I'll return to a pre-set list or even what that list will be. But, I have some ideas. Either way, I'll be out there skiing- and enjoying every moment I get in the big mountains.


Thank you!
I wouldn't have finished this project, or even begun it, without the help of so many people along the way. Pioneers, partners, people who provided beta - all of them have helped me complete this project. I know there are names I'm likely forgetting, but I would like to take time to thank the following people.

Thank you to all of my partners including Pete Sowar, John Jasper, Chris Webster, Mark Cavaliero, Joe Brannan, Andy Dimmen, Jon Turner, Brett Foncannon,Ted Mahon, Christy Sauer, Jeremy Wegener, Jarrett Luttrell, Brad Bond, Dustin Sysko, Jim Clarke, Marko Ross-Bryant, Lou Dawson, Tom Runcie, Brennan Metzler, Matt Kamper, Kim Ross, Jamie Sampey, Caleb Wray, Catherine Shank, Kellie Baker, and many many more people who have helped and supported me along the way.

Thank you to Chris Davenport and Lou Dawson, for pioneering fourteener skiing. You have inspired and continue to inspire so many, including myself.

Thank you to Keith Spargo and Dan Bowers of AE Films for documenting portions of my project along the way. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Thank you to Pam Rice, my most solid female partner and one who is seeking to ski all the fourteeners herself. Your constant understanding of the underlying pressures of being among the first females to undertake this project meant so much to me. And thank you for your continuous support, despite the fact that we were more or less "competitors" trying to achieve the same goal.

Thank you to Dave Bourassa for his confidence in me to take this project on. In 2006, I sat with Dave on the summit of Crystal in the Mosquitoes, waiting for the snow to soften. I had been flaunting the idea in my mind of skiing all the fourteeners. When I revealed this idea to Dave, he was immediately supportive. Thank you Dave, for your constant support, from beginning to end.

Thank you to Jordan White for getting me up the toughest of toughest fourteeners. I don't know how I would have gotten Capitol done without him. When I first met Jordan, he couldn't even drink a beer with us at the bar. But, now he's out there tackling and guiding big mountains. It's been so wonderful to see you grow as a ski mountaineer and as a person.

And my biggest thanks goes to my best partner and now husband, Frank Konsella. I met Frank shortly after skiing my first fourteener, largely because I was looking for strong partners who could ski fourteeners with me. Since then, we have skied 38 fourteeners together (not including repeats) and have had countless other adventures. Thank you for keeping me going throughout this project. I love you!


In the Media Check out the Denver Post Article, featuring both Pam Rice and me: A Female Presence on States 14ers, published 4/28/2009, written by Scott Willoughby.