"Gary" wrote in message
news:8krqf.49519$2k.18970@pd7tw1no...
Maxprop wrote:


I had a similar experience on top of Pike's Peak. But after the bolt of
lightening there was one guy dead. There is a place up on Pike's called
the Devils Playground where you can watch the electrical activity jump
from rock to rock.

Are you a Fourteener bagger? My wife and I have climbed about 15 of
them. Most had significant electrical activity and we always try to be on
our way down well before noon.


We did 32 Fourteeners before moving out of Colorado, including Elbert,
Massive, and Harvard. Our intent was to do them all, but we ran out of
time. Oddly enough we only experienced electrical activity on Evans and
Uncompahgre. On Umcompahgre we saw a teen get struck and killed. He was
fascinated by his long hair standing straight out from his head. We
yelled at him to get the *%&$*& off the peak, but he just ignored us. We
did Gray's and Torrey's in the snow, same day as most folks do. I was a
pro ski patrolman at Breckenridge at the time, and part of our training
was mountaineering, which included climbing and skiing crud in untouched
snowfields. We climbed three Fourteeners to their peaks during our
training.

When were you there? Or do you still live in CO?

Max
I was posted to Colorado Springs (Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mnt) from 1999
to 2002. We took up Fourteeners for summer fun and skied in the winter.
We had Buddy Passes for Breck, Arapahoe and Keystone each year we were
there. We climbed many of the same mountains, Elbert, Evans (three
together near Evans I think), Gray's and Torrey's, Princeton, Pike's (many
times), Lindsay and others I can't remember.

I live in Victoria Canada now.

BC is a beautiful place, but I sure miss the Colorado Rockies. We go back
every other year to either ski or do some summer climbing. The mountain
real estate is exploding so rapidly as to boggle the mind. It's very
disturbing to those of us who spent the relatively undeveloped mid-70s
there.

Another quick Mt. Evans story: In a four hour segment on Evans we
experienced temperatures ranging from a high of 78 to a low of 28. We were
climbing in shorts, without shirts, and less than two hours later had
experienced torrential rain, winds in excess of 50kts. and eventually snow.
Ya gotta love the mountains.

Max

"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
nk.net...

Everyone asks that question. By standard routes maybe Pyramid,
Wetterhorn,
The Bells, Crestone Needle. I think rotted rock makes it more dangerous
(hence "challenging"), it depends on what one considers a challenge.

The rotten rock of North Maroon Peak will kill you about as quickly as
anything. I took a nasty fall on South Maroon once--had to be evac'd by the
local Aspen climbing rescue dudes. Three broken bones and a concussion. I
was even wearing a helmet. They said I was very lucky to be alive.

Max

"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
k.net...

"Maxprop" wrote in message
We did 32 Fourteeners before moving out of Colorado, including Elbert,
Massive, and Harvard. Our intent was to do them all, but we ran out of
time. Oddly enough we only experienced electrical activity on Evans and
Uncompahgre. On Umcompahgre we saw a teen get struck and killed. He was
fascinated by his long hair standing straight out from his head. We
yelled
at him to get the *%&$*& off the peak, but he just ignored us. We did
Gray's and Torrey's in the snow, same day as most folks do. I was a pro
ski
patrolman at Breckenridge at the time, and part of our training was
mountaineering, which included climbing and skiing crud in untouched
snowfields. We climbed three Fourteeners to their peaks during our
training.

Have you skied Quandary?

Amen!

No. Actually one of our most arduous 'ski trips' was along the Divide just
opposite the Ten Mile Range above Breckenridge. We took a couple of radio
technicians up to a repeater on the crest. It had stopped functioning for
some reason. On the way down the snow was pure deep crud with a thick,
vicious crust atop about 3' of soft. How we didn't break a couple of legs
is one for the gods.

Max

"Gary" wrote in message
news:Uizqf.161257$ki.137943@pd7tw2no...
Bob Crantz wrote:
"Maxprop" wrote in message

We did 32 Fourteeners before moving out of Colorado, including Elbert,
Massive, and Harvard. Our intent was to do them all, but we ran out of
time. Oddly enough we only experienced electrical activity on Evans and
Uncompahgre. On Umcompahgre we saw a teen get struck and killed. He was
fascinated by his long hair standing straight out from his head. We

yelled

at him to get the *%&$*& off the peak, but he just ignored us. We did
Gray's and Torrey's in the snow, same day as most folks do. I was a pro

ski

patrolman at Breckenridge at the time, and part of our training was
mountaineering, which included climbing and skiing crud in untouched
snowfields. We climbed three Fourteeners to their peaks during our
training.


Have you skied Quandary?

Amen!


I climbed Quandary. That's the one right beside Breck, right. I didn't
ski it though. Summer climb.

Same here. I don't recall anyone skiing it back then, at least no one I
knew. Today however there is almost no limit to what folks will try. The
accessible approaches to Quandary's summit are seriously steep, IIRC. It's
been a while.

Max

Maxprop wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:8krqf.49519$2k.18970@pd7tw1no...

Maxprop wrote:


I had a similar experience on top of Pike's Peak. But after the bolt of
lightening there was one guy dead. There is a place up on Pike's called
the Devils Playground where you can watch the electrical activity jump

from rock to rock.

Are you a Fourteener bagger? My wife and I have climbed about 15 of
them. Most had significant electrical activity and we always try to be on
our way down well before noon.


We did 32 Fourteeners before moving out of Colorado, including Elbert,
Massive, and Harvard. Our intent was to do them all, but we ran out of
time. Oddly enough we only experienced electrical activity on Evans and
Uncompahgre. On Umcompahgre we saw a teen get struck and killed. He was
fascinated by his long hair standing straight out from his head. We
yelled at him to get the *%&$*& off the peak, but he just ignored us. We
did Gray's and Torrey's in the snow, same day as most folks do. I was a
pro ski patrolman at Breckenridge at the time, and part of our training
was mountaineering, which included climbing and skiing crud in untouched
snowfields. We climbed three Fourteeners to their peaks during our
training.

When were you there? Or do you still live in CO?

Max

I was posted to Colorado Springs (Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mnt) from 1999
to 2002. We took up Fourteeners for summer fun and skied in the winter.
We had Buddy Passes for Breck, Arapahoe and Keystone each year we were
there. We climbed many of the same mountains, Elbert, Evans (three
together near Evans I think), Gray's and Torrey's, Princeton, Pike's (many
times), Lindsay and others I can't remember.

I live in Victoria Canada now.


BC is a beautiful place, but I sure miss the Colorado Rockies. We go back
every other year to either ski or do some summer climbing. The mountain
real estate is exploding so rapidly as to boggle the mind. It's very
disturbing to those of us who spent the relatively undeveloped mid-70s
there.

Another quick Mt. Evans story: In a four hour segment on Evans we
experienced temperatures ranging from a high of 78 to a low of 28. We were
climbing in shorts, without shirts, and less than two hours later had
experienced torrential rain, winds in excess of 50kts. and eventually snow.
Ya gotta love the mountains.

Max


I had an experience similar to that on Elbert when fall climbing with my
sons and a storm came in quickly. Vis was very poor and I was a bit
stressed with my two sons with me.

Maxprop wrote:
"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
nk.net...


Everyone asks that question. By standard routes maybe Pyramid,
Wetterhorn,
The Bells, Crestone Needle. I think rotted rock makes it more dangerous
(hence "challenging"), it depends on what one considers a challenge.


The rotten rock of North Maroon Peak will kill you about as quickly as
anything. I took a nasty fall on South Maroon once--had to be evac'd by the
local Aspen climbing rescue dudes. Three broken bones and a concussion. I
was even wearing a helmet. They said I was very lucky to be alive.

Max




I am finding it interesting that so many of you are also climbers as
well as sailors. It seems that the search for the adrenaline rush knows
no bounds.

Anyone run whitewater?

I've been tubing.

Joe

Maxprop wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:Uizqf.161257$ki.137943@pd7tw2no...

Bob Crantz wrote:

"Maxprop" wrote in message

We did 32 Fourteeners before moving out of Colorado, including Elbert,
Massive, and Harvard. Our intent was to do them all, but we ran out of
time. Oddly enough we only experienced electrical activity on Evans and
Uncompahgre. On Umcompahgre we saw a teen get struck and killed. He was
fascinated by his long hair standing straight out from his head. We

yelled


at him to get the *%&$*& off the peak, but he just ignored us. We did
Gray's and Torrey's in the snow, same day as most folks do. I was a pro

ski


patrolman at Breckenridge at the time, and part of our training was
mountaineering, which included climbing and skiing crud in untouched
snowfields. We climbed three Fourteeners to their peaks during our
training.


Have you skied Quandary?

Amen!



I climbed Quandary. That's the one right beside Breck, right. I didn't
ski it though. Summer climb.


Same here. I don't recall anyone skiing it back then, at least no one I
knew. Today however there is almost no limit to what folks will try. The
accessible approaches to Quandary's summit are seriously steep, IIRC. It's
been a while.

Max


Have you ever heard of the Three Peaks Yacht Race?

http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/site_3peaks/index.php3

Its a brilliant idea for a different race. The topography here on
Vancouver Island and on the Sunshine Coast is right for a similar event.
What a blast it would be.

Gaz

"Maxprop" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
nk.net...

Everyone asks that question. By standard routes maybe Pyramid,
Wetterhorn,
The Bells, Crestone Needle. I think rotted rock makes it more dangerous
(hence "challenging"), it depends on what one considers a challenge.

The rotten rock of North Maroon Peak will kill you about as quickly as
anything. I took a nasty fall on South Maroon once--had to be evac'd by
the
local Aspen climbing rescue dudes. Three broken bones and a concussion.
I
was even wearing a helmet. They said I was very lucky to be alive.

Max

I fell on South Maroon also. I skidded down an ice field from the summit
towards the east. I went quite a ways but finally arrested. I was really
close to getting killed, another 30 feet was a cliff. Those two peaks kill
people regularly. We had just done the traverse.

Amen!

"Gary" wrote in message I am finding it
interesting that so many of you are also climbers as
well as sailors. It seems that the search for the adrenaline rush knows
no bounds.

Anyone run whitewater?

I do a little whitewater. I'm not into climbing for the adrenaline rush. If
anything I try to avoid it. My attraction to climbing, especially
mountaineering, is the self reliance, the fitness level required, the broad
skillset required and the seriousness of judgement. I've seen the
adrenaline junkies get busted up real good on Mt. Edith Cavell in Canada.
Sailing is similar to mountaineering except there is little requirement for
fitness. Sailors don't have to lug a week or more worth of gear plus wet
climbing ropes up and down glacial valley walls on their back. Sailors have
air conditioners, heaters, stoves, ovens, boom boxes, wardrobe closets,
showers, a place to sleep without sharp rocks or rats, etc. They couldn't
live for a week on frozen sardines, frozen vienna sausages, Jolly Ranchers
and exert 5,000+ calories a day. The closest sailors come to true suffering
is here on this newsgroup, listening to Capt RB all day.

Amen!