FourteenerWorld Interview with Jennifer Roach    November 2003

Questions for Jennifer Roach:

At what point did you commit to finishing all the 14ers?

Jennifer: The last two years of that quest became the most definitive. I was slowly acquiring mountain skills to go with the Fourteeners, so I saved some tougher ones for last. When I completed the last one in September of ’86, it seemed there were hundreds of finishers before me and just after me. It was not a unique feat, but I was happy to have climbed each one of them myself.

At what point did you commit to finishing all the 13ers?

Jennifer: When I had less than 100 Thirteeners left, it began to sink in that I could actually finish the list. When I had less than 50 to go, I got serious. With only 10 to go I was fixated. Just ask Gerry.

What is your favorite fourteener & thirteener route?

Jennifer: I did just about all of the Fourteeners by the standard routes and then went on to the next one. Now that it is 17 years later, I am intrigued by alternate routes on the Fourteeners. Just recently, I ascended Longs Peak via Clarks Arrow and descended the Cables Route. Really a neat climb. I want to do more of them this way. For a favorite standard route I would have to say Windom Peak’s west ridge, with its very classic views and wonderful stairstep blocks leading to the top.

I did so many wonderful routes on the Thirteeners. They cover every point on the difficulty spectrum. One route I loved was climbing Graylock Mtn via Grizzly Creek. I did it solo and loved every minute of that wild route. I had to pay close attention to my directions, as it was an arduous climb over rugged terrain. I remember striding back to my tent up in Johnson Creek 11 hours later and just basking in the glory of that incredibly remote route. A few years later, I did Graylock again via an alternate route from Upper Sunlight Basin, so I could survey my original route from the summit. It was a thrill all over again.

What is your favorite mountain area in Colorado? in the US? in the Americas? in the world?

Jennifer: In Colorado, it’s difficult to pick one area and say it is my favorite. I love every mountain range in this state for different reasons, seasons, and variety of peaks. Okay, I’ll pick two places. I have a real penchant for the Gore Range and I also love the San Juans, specifically around the Grenadiers. 

In the US? This is another tough choice. I’ll have to say some of the ranges in California are my favorites, like the Death Valley Ranges. I would choose the Panamint Range or the Last Chance Mountains as some of my favorites there. We have done some climbs in the Sierra Nevadas. Now there are some wild and rugged mountains! 

In the Americas? Bolivia. I have been there twice and had the opportunity to climb three beautiful peaks. It is a country with diverse scenery and terrain. In fact, I enjoy all of South America and want to return there soon..

World? I have been able to do some hiking and peak bagging in Scotland. The mountains around Glen Coe are beautiful, and real climbs.

What was your most delightful moment on a summit?  

Jennifer: Gosh, there have been tons of those. Anytime I climb a peak by a route that seemed questionable at first, but then worked anyway, is what I would call a delightful summit. Certainly, two of those moments were on the summits of Lizard Head and Peak N in the Gore Range, which was my final Thirteener.

What was your most terrifying moment on a summit?

Jennifer: I have been everything from slightly nervous to majorly scared on lots of peaks and one good example comes to mind. Getting to the true summit of Peak Ten (near Jagged) felt very dicey. At the crux summit boulder, there was tons of exposure and red lined my Pucker Factor. The summit move is committing. Nothing out of the ordinary happened and I got down safely, but it was a thriller.

I met you through the Colorado Mountain Club and at the time you were leading a lot of CMC trips. How many CMC trips do you think you have led over the years, and how many were at the “C” & “D” level?

Jennifer: Of the 17 years I was active in the CMC, I led trips for 14 of them. It is true that a majority of them were Cs and Ds. On the average, I led 20 trips a year.

Do you have any plans for future Colorado mountain lists?

Jennifer: There is this Colorado Range Highpoint List that interests me, as well as the Colorado Prominence List. We have these lists on hand, and I have completed a good number of peaks on both. Gerry has done a majority of both lists as well. I would like to someday complete both these lists, but I am not pursuing it hotly.

What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?

Jennifer: Never compromise your safety in the mountains. The most important responsibility you have is to yourself. Sounds self righteous, but there have been moments when I made a safety decision because I knew that my life is worth more than a summit and I had a responsibility to myself  and others to get back to my car safely.

There are probably not a lot of other people out there attacking the lists as you have. Most likely you have gotten to know them all. Is there ever any competition within this elite group of Colorado peakbaggers?

Jennifer: No, I never felt there was competition with any of us doing the lists. Certainly not the Thirteener list, anyway. Hell, it was so hard to get them all that my counterparts and I were usually giving each other praise and encouragement, as well as route advice. Sometimes I tease Dan Bereck about how Dave Goldwater and Kris Rupert are getting ahead of him. Those friends are really close to finishing the Thirteeners next summer. So few people finish the Thirteeners that it doesn’t matter when they finish, but just that they are happy about their accomplishment. Just completing the Thirteener list or any list is nothing more than a personal accomplishment. “Finishing is winning.”

Within the sport of climbing 14ers there are certain written or unwritten ethical “rules.” For instance, the 300’ drop between the saddle rule, the 3,000’ minimum elevation gain rule, etc. Do these same ethics or rules apply to the 13ers? Do you have your own set of ethics?

Jennifer: I never paid much attention to any of that. Other than the 300’ rise from the saddle rule, I never really gave a hoot. I mean, a peak is a peak whether it has a hard rank, a soft rank, or just a name. Go climb it and relish in it. That is the only true ethic I abide by in this sport. I had to play by the rules for a legal finish of the Thirteeners, but I have done, and continue to do, soft rank peaks whenever they present themselves.

Within your elite group of Peakbaggers, is there any disagreement as to what the “official” rules or ethics are?

Jennifer: Other than friendly debating, I would say everyone is agreeing on the same thing here. The Garratt and Martin list of all the Thirteeners comes to mind. There have been a few corrections and discrepancies, so my attitude is “climb them all.” I did everything on that list and more. I completed Gerry’s Thirteener list, and feel it is very accurate. I know that because I was running around up there with him on a lot of those summits while he hand leveled everything to a gnats ass in accuracy.

You have done hundreds of solo ascents. I’m sure you are well aware of the additional risks involved in climbing solo, and obviously you are willing to accept this level of risk. One famous mountaineer said, “In order to realize your full potential you MUST climb solo.” What do you think about this statement?

Jennifer: Going alone does add an interesting flavor to a trip in the mountains. Going solo wasn’t always intentional for me. I just couldn’t get anybody to go with me! I enjoy climbing peaks alone. I still do it now and then when Gerry cannot go along. Am I realizing my full potential? That’s a huge statement. What I value about a solo mountain climb is the ability to absorb and be responsible for every decision that makes the hike a memorable one. I learned from all of those years of climbing experiences, and I guess that is what makes me a better climber today.

You say that you have no intention of climbing the 12ers. Why not?

Jennifer: The main reason is that there are a handful of technically difficult ones, which may be way beyond what I can climb. Several more present private property problems. I have been doing a lot of the Twelvers over the years just because I like the area or the way they look or the name, etc. I have done quite a few with my good friend Jack Dais. He is an excellent climber and outdoorsman, and we think alike on our approach to these peaks. The Twelvers are quite an adventure, since they are obscure, remote, and wild. I just salivate over that kind of peak climb. But I don’t want to take on the awesome task of doing another big list.

If someone was to ever write a book about Colorado peakbaggers, starting with people like Carl Blaurock, Bill Erwin, Albert Ellingwood, Bob Ormes, etc, who are some of the people that should get separate chapters?

Jennifer: Bob Martin comes to mind. He is an incredible individual with a vast amount of endurance for mountaineering. And not just in Colorado, but all over the West. I believe he is around 83 now and still going at it. That is commendable. Many people don’t know that he has climbed the 2,000 highest peaks in Colorado. His chapter should be entitled, “King of the Hill.”

You must have had a few "moments of doubt" as you climbed all of these mountains. Were there times when you thought about quitting "the lists?"

Jennifer: Sure, I had doubtful thoughts about getting my two feet on top of certain tough peaks like Lizard Head. The list is long, varied and distinguished. Did I ever want to throw in the towel and quit? No way. That’s not my style.

Have you had any memorable celebrations on mountain summits for your major milestones?

Jennifer: Okay, repeat after me. “Champagne and high altitude don’t mix.”

Since I finished the Thirteeners 100 at a time, I had several summit celebrations. Every time I had a little party for myself, I thought, “well, that’s it for the lists.” And then the next day I would be pondering the next lower 100 list.

One very special summit celebration was on Point 13,330. It was the second-to-last of my top 400 list. Gerry and I coined the name “Proposal Peak” for the mountain, and you can use your own imagination as to the reason.

Who were your early mountaineering mentors? Who have been some of your mountaineering mentees?

Jennifer: It wasn’t very difficult to find mentors in the early days because I was such a neophyte. I learned techniques from everybody. Later, I started hanging around with the same crowd, and everyone was always a better climber than me. But my modern-day mentors are people like Jack Dais, Rich Riefenberg, Jon MacManus, Ken Nolan and of course, my husband Gerry Roach. No doubt, I’ve learned the most about mountaineering from him than any other person I know from the sport. He is the authority on mountaineering and is leagues above me in experience. Yet he greatly enjoys small, obscure peaks everywhere. He truly loves all levels of mountaineering.

Jennifer: I don’t know of any “mentees” out there. If you are reading this and you think you may be one, I’m glad I didn’t scare you off.

For the record-keeping fanatics out there: Do you have a special system to record your trips, summits, comments, etc.? Is it all from memory, or do you have a mountain log to reference?

Jennifer: I’m ashamed to say that my only record keeping is from photos or sheer memory. At this point the latter could fail the former when I pull out my old boxes of climbing photos and try to identify the peaks. I admire Rich Riefenberg. That guy wrote down every peak he has climbed, with whom, what date, what conditions, the route, driving instructions, you name it. I regret not doing something like that.

What is your favorite piece of mountaineering gear and why?

Jennifer: Have you ever really looked closely at any of my mountaineering gear? “Retro” would be too kind a description. I use all my gear until it falls apart. You should see the bottom of my current daypack! What’s my favorite piece?  I have this old figure 8 I love. Got it when I was a BMS student in 1983. Gerry bought me a tuber and hid my 8 from me, but I managed to find it, and started using it again.

Is seems as if the vast majority of people who have finished the 14ers are male. But 4 of the 9 thirteener finishers are female. How do you explain that?

Jennifer: Truthfully, I never gave it much thought. I mean, I didn’t go after the Thirteeners because I’m a woman. I did it because I love the Colorado mountains, and I never seem to get enough of them. When I was Number 8 to complete that list, I jested that I had just “evened the score,” but in reality it doesn’t mean anything at all.

What would you say is the predominant characteristic, talent, and/or skill that has helped you achieve your mountaineering goals?

Jennifer: Perseverance. Pure and simple. Keep putting one boot in front of the other, and don’t give up.

Now that you are a guidebook author, has this changed the way you hike and climb? What is your favorite part of being a guidebook author? What is your least favorite part? 

Jennifer: Gee, did I mention that I am not really a guidebook author? I am sort of an “accidental guidebook author.” Seriously, it is all due to Gerry’s influence and talents that he has included me in two of his guidebooks. The Lost Creek guide was his idea and a wonderful one, I think. I had already hiked and climbed there extensively before we got together, so my love for the area influenced him I suppose. The Thirteener guide speaks for itself now. It was a labor of love for both of us and a magnificent list of peaks. I was a big part of that book with him as we spent two entire summers doing the fieldwork. We re-climbed almost every route in the book!

The guidebooks have changed the way I hike and climb, most definitely. Whatever it is that I am ascending now, I tend to think about it in guidebook terms. Gerry and I often talk about the route we just did as we drive away from the area, and he makes extensive notes and descriptions of the route as soon as possible.

My favorite part is the fieldwork. Painful lesson learned is that this is just a small part of the work. My least favorite part is that I am not very well versed with computer work, so documenting it all at home complete with digitals and text and format is a huge mystery to me. But I do want to be a better and stronger partner with Gerry in this realm, and learn much more about writing up these climbs.

How do you manage to balance climbing, guidebook authoring, and ultra-marathoning on top of a marriage and full time job?

Jennifer: Working at a job and mountaineering always went hand in hand for me. When Friday night arrived, I zoomed out of work, dashed home, threw all my gear, maps, and sleeping bag in the back of the truck and drove off frantically into the night in search of the next peak. Life was so simple then.

I am thankful that being married to Gerry has broadened my interests and scopes. We have more of a plan for a unified life, the guidebooks, the mountains, and all our other interests. Yes, it is difficult to do everything we want to do on the weekend, work on a plan for the next guidebook and work a 50-hour week. I came to the conclusion that I just can’t do it all, but I am happy to have too many choices.

By the way, training for the ultras has meant spending more hours on the trails and not up on the summits. It is tough for me to tear myself away from the peaks and chose a long trail run, but there are certain joys in ultra running I do not get from peak climbing. That is why I choose to keep doing it.

Do you have a favorite ultra-marathon?

Jennifer: Without a doubt, the Hardrock Hundred. Also, the Squaw Peak 50-Miler in Provo, Utah.

What is your favorite USGS quadrangle in Colorado?

Jennifer: Storm King Peak, of course. Willow Creek and McHenrys Peak are also two others that I love, and they are completely dog-eared at this point.