SKI THE FOURTEENERS
The Project
During the 2006 winter/ spring ski season, professional freeskier Chris Davenport, of Aspen, Colorado, will attempt to climb and ski all 54 of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks. Only one person, Lou Dawson, of Carbondale, Colorado, has climbed and skied them all from the exact summits (with three exceptions), and he took thirteen years to do it. (1978 to 1991) Several other skiers, including Sean Crossen of Crested Butte, and Jason Ivanic of Golden, have made great attempts to ski all the 14ers in a season. Skiing on these peaks is very weather dependent, and Mother Nature will have the ultimate say as to whether or not this project is a success.
The primary goal of this project is to complete the ski descents of all 54 "14ers" between January 1, 2006, and around the end of June, 2006. Doing so would make Chris Davenport the first person to have skied all the 14ers in one season. Chris will attempt to ski the most aesthetic lines possible, given the snow conditions at the time, on each and every peak. The secondary goal is to document each climb and ski both photographically and with movie cameras. Chris will have three media outlets for this footage.
1. skithe14ers.com/: This website will cover the project from start to finish, with updates and trip reports from each peak logged on their own web page, as well as pertinent links to snow and weather sites. The long term goal of this website, after the project is completed, is to provide an information resource for people interested in skiing on Colorado's 14ers. Each mountain's page will serve as a list of all ski able routes, with trailhead information, route descriptions, and a ski descent registry, where individuals can log their ski descents for others to see. (much like people sign the summit log on these peaks in the summer)
2. The Book: Chris will write and publish a photo intensive, coffee-table style book on skiing the 14ers. The goal of this book is to highlight each 14er from a winter/ spring snow cover perspective, and from the eyes of a skier. There are many coffee-table style books out there on the 14ers, but few, if any, of them document these peaks with their winter blanket of snow. Chris will utilize several professional photographers to shoot each peak, and will also utilize aerial photography. The book will include writing by notable ski mountaineers and should serve as a testament to the to beauty and power of these amazing mountains.
3. The Film: Chris has signed on cinematographer and producer Ben Galland of Muir Beach, California to write, shoot, and produce a feature length documentary of the project. Ben will work with Aspen based photographer and producer Tomas Zuccareno on the film project. The film will be submitted to film festivals such as Banff, as well as cut for TV distribution.
It is the desire of the team, with all three of these media outlets, to raise awareness for skiing on Colorado’s 14ers and inspire more people to get out and ski these mountains.
Chris Davenport’s “2006 Ski The 14ers” project is supported first and foremost by Red Bull energy Drink. Other notable supporters include Salomon, Clif Bar, and Smith Optics. For more information on the sponsors of this project please see the SPONSORS/LINKS page of this website.
Thanks for checking out skithe14ers.com Please feel free to register your email address on the site to receive email updates from each peak tracking the progress of Chris’ project.
Thanks, and have a great ski season,
Chris Davenport
Aspen, Colorado