Press Realease -- December 2004
Hamish Gowans
54 COLORADO PEAKS over 14,000 FEET
in
ONE WINTER

Hamish Gowans

To have tagged all 54 summits of Colorado’s 14,000’ peaks is an accomplishment. To have skied them all is a feat. To bag all the peaks in winter is rare – only two men have accomplished this so far. To tick off all the summits in the same winter has never been done before, says Hamish Gowans, a Colorado native living at the foot of Colorado’s most famous fourteener, Pikes Peak.

Gowans aims to be the first person ever to summit all 54 official fourteeners in the same calendar winter. If that is not enough challenge, he will also try to summit them solo – a first if successful [Web editor's note for clarification: Gowans' main goal is to climb all the 14ers in one calendar winter, he will solo out of necesity, and says he will be happy if he ends up soloing them all, but going solo is secondary to his goal of climbing them all in one winter.]

Gowans says winter mountaineering is the best way he knows to enjoy the mountains: “Each fourteener is a beautiful and unique monument showing a different facet of the allure in Colorado’s high country.”

While Gowans is attempting to summit them all in one winter, others have chosen to complete the Grand Slam, as it is known, over many seasons or years and some only climb the peaks they find particularly enticing. Adds Gowans, “due to access, local climate, and rock type, each peak has a distinct character and each ascent its own rewards.”

The “54:14:1 project” or “Fourteeneramma Gran’ Slamma Winta Jamma,” as he alternately calls it, also has an environmental focus. “Fourteeners are the crown jewels of our state’s portion of the Rockies; by showing the adventure, enjoyment and rewarding experiences to be had out there, I hope to bring attention to preservation of our state’s marvelous natural resources.”

Hamish during climb of Missouri Mountain.

Gowans himself has a history of “fourteenereering” (his term) and has climbed many of the fourteeners in past years, descending some on backcountry skis and climbing others multiple times via different routes. During the 03/04 winter he attempted the same project, but came down with viral pneumonia before tagging ten of the peaks. “While I was training, I summitted Pikes five times”, he says. This year, he has intensified his training and fine tuned his planning.

The fourteeners have attracted people since time immemorial. There is evidence that Native Americans visited the rugged summit of Longs Peak years before any European. Lou Dawson was the first to ski all of the fourteeners and his project took him 13 years. Tom Mereness was first to climb them all in winter (over several winters), and Tom's regular partner was the second to do them all in winter (over many seasons). The current record holder for climbing them all, in summer, is Teddy Kaiser, who finished in a jaw-dropping 10 days, 20 hours, 26 minutes. Meghan Emmons is currently the youngest person to have completed the Grand Slam, at age 7.

Colorado already has a reputation at the forefront of mountain fanaticism, sustained by endeavors such as the Leadville Trail 100, the Crested Butte to Aspen Grand Traverse, Lou Dawson’s “Ski the Fourteeners” project, and every peak bagger’s own climbing tick list in progress,” says Gowans. He hopes 54:14:1 will "call attention to the vast and varied mountain playground that is Colorado – and get Coloradans psyched about their backyard!"