Spotlight on Ben Conners!

Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
  My first was Mt. Elbert in July of 2002.  A friend of my Dad's called my Dad and I and invited us to hike a 14er.  Neither of us held hiking in high esteem but we decided to give it a shot anyway.  What ensued was a great hike; the day was perfect, the workout was well worth it, and the views from the summit were more spectacular than I ever thought possible.  I enjoyed the experience so much that I hiked Mt. of the Holy Cross a month later, this time on my own accord.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
  I didn't really consider climbing them all until the summer of 2006 at which point I had casually climbed ten 14ers over four years without any real drive to finish them all. In June of 2006 I received my work schedule which allowed for three or four days of free time every week and I decided to spend it on the 14ers.  Soon enough I had summited every 14er in the northern half of the state and I realized that finishing them was very doable.  By the time the snow fell in October I had scaled thirty-five 14ers and I continued climbing them into the winter.  By June of 2007 I had twenty-seven of the more challenging climbs remaining (most of the San Juans and the Sangres).  Stu (who has become a great climbing partner of mine) and I aggressively chewed them up over two and a half months, finishing on August 8, 2007 with my sixtieth summit in sixty weeks.     

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
  This one is hard; generally I enjoy technical scrambles over grueling hikes so I would have to say either the S Ridge on Snowmass or the Little Bear/Blanca connecting ridge.  The standard route on Pyramid was the most aesthetically pleasing to me, overall I would call this my favorite as it has a good mix of technical scrambling with a relatively short approach and beautiful views nearly every time one looks up.

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
  In July of 2007, my climbing partner Stu and I summited Sunlight Peak just as the sun was coming over the horizon, we were the only two people on the mountain.  The experience of backpacking into Chicago Basin the previous evening created an extraordinary sense of solitude and as the sun illuminated the surrounding San Juan peaks one by one, the beauty of the place as well as the magnitude of where we were struck me as intensely as ever.  This was the finest moment on a 14er that I have experienced.  The day turned out to be perfect and Stu and I went on to climb the other three adjacent 14ers, completing the Eolus group in a day from our camp in Chicago Basin.
 
Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
  Two really stick out:  The first occurred in March of 2006 when myself and three friends attempted Mt. Princeton.  The strength of the group was not consistent nor was the quality of our equipment and as a result, we ended up separating and getting lost.  As darkness fell we were enveloped by a storm.  Two of us (myself included) were mobile and went for help while the other two remained stationary due to equipment failure and exhaustion (kept relatively warm by sub-zero sleeping bags).  After a few hours of trudging through four feet of powder snow under the light of a single headlamp, my friend Marco and I were able to receive cell reception, enabling us to communicate with SAR.  A rescue ensued over the following seven hours and all four of us were eventually found and led to safety.  Despite what many believed at the time (thanks to the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post), our decision making processes after becoming lost and stranded were relatively sound, in hindsight the major mistakes we made almost solely entailed pre-climb preparation.  Overall this experience was a rude awakening to the dangers of inconsistent group goals and ability as well as insufficient preparation for winter mountaineering. 

  My second scare came while descending an ice covered Mt. Wilson.  Stu and I were down climbing a precariously tilted slab of smooth rock covered by verglas (a thin layer of ice), thirty feet below us was a cliff.  I was caught off guard for a split second and slipped, immediately I was accelerating at an alarming rate towards the drop off.  The action unfolded in a kind of surreal slow motion.  In an almost completely involuntary motion I swung my arm around and caught a solid knob as I passed by the final rock outcropping before the drop off, wrenching my arm in a painfully awkward direction but luckily braking my fall.  I then yelled up to Stu that I wanted to traverse to safer ground before continuing to descend.  He was having problems of his own and he readily agreed.

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
  In December I am scheduled to climb two of Mexico’s high volcanoes.  A climb of Mt. Ranier as well as a winter ascent of Capitol Peak are also in the planning stage.  Afterwards I would like to pursue ice climbing as well as high altitude mountaineering with the eventual goal of heading to the Greater Ranges.  The European Alps also hold many mountains I hope to climb someday.  I will always hold the 14ers responsible for igniting my interest in mountaineering; they are amazing mountains which I’m sure I’ll never stop climbing.

Q: What 14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
  It was neither intentionally saved for last nor had it evaded me, it just simply turned out that my final 14er was Humboldt Peak.  Stu and I had just completed an ascent of the North Buttress on Crestone Peak and the traverse to Crestone Needle.  At 1:30pm we found ourselves staring up at Humboldt from lower South Colony Lake and I said to Stu, "ya know that’s my last one, wanna go for it?"  Of course he was up to the task; we dropped our packs and quickly scaled the peak.

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
  Respect the 14ers by putting your rationality before your ambition and you will be fine.  The only times I ever got into trouble were when I failed to do this.  Remember that these mountains will always be there and they are incredibly easy to access relative to most large mountains on this Earth.  It is just not worth it to push your ability or to tempt the weather and, although relatively easy, the 14ers should not be taken lightly.  Also consider heavily the group you are climbing with, especially before attempting more challenging routes, you are only as strong as your weakest member.  Finally, don’t forget to bring sunglasses.  Have fun and be safe out there!