Spotlight on Brian Kooienga!

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Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
My wife, Laura, and I climbed Longs Peak in July of 2001.  Novice hikers would have been a generous term to describe our skills back then.  To evidence how little our knowledge base was at the time, we started from Longs Peak TH at 10:30 a.m!  We were fortunate in that we had a blue bird day.  It’s no surprise that we had the summit to ourselves at 4:00 in the afternoon.  We didn’t get back to the car until almost 10:00 p.m.  We were both completely beat up and exhausted.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
It’s no big surprise that after we did Longs, the next 14ers we climbed were Grays & Torreys.  This was the first time I climbed Kelso Ridge, which will always be one of my favorite routes.  After climbing Grays and Torreys is when I committed myself to trying to climb all the 14ers.   

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
The best I can do is just list some of my favorites (so far).  It’s impossible for me to pick one. 

-Halo route on Holy Cross                        -Y-Couloir on Pikes
-S-Ridge on Snowmass                           -North ridge on El Diente
-NW Couloir on Crestone Peak                  -Hourglass Couloir on Little Bear (on snow)
-Kelso Ridge on Torreys                          -SW Ridge on Sneffels

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
There have been many great moments, but one that really stands out was a climb of the SW Ridge on Sneffels with two very close friends of mine.  It was early October and all the Aspen trees were in peak color.  We approached from the Blue Lakes basin, which is probably my favorite spot in all of Colorado.  We all had a blast scrambling up the route, and I just really enjoyed the time spent with great friends on a great peak.  For one of my friends, it was his first 14er, so that made the day even better.

Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
I don’t know about terrifying, but the traverse on the Bells (from south to north) really challenged me in ways I hadn’t experience prior.  All the exposed climbing left me a little spooked, and mentally drained by the time we reached North Maroon.  Obviously, if that’s the most terrifying moment I can come up with, I’ve been very fortunate in the mountains.

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
No immediate plans.  I came into this year with just three 14ers remaining, and I have to admit, it was driving me a little nuts.  Now that I’m done, I can just go out and climb or hike whatever.  I would like to finish the two remaining 14er traverses (Crestones & Little Bear/Blanca).  There are still many, many hikes and climbs that really interest me.  But for the remainder of the year, I plan to spend more time road riding and mountain biking. 

Q: What 14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
El Diente was my last 14er.  I had originally planned to finish on Capitol, but I’m glad it worked out this way.  The North Ridge on El Diente is a really fun scramble to the summit.  It’s a much better alternative to the North Slopes if you want to leave your crampons at home.  We had a great weather day, and the traverse over to Mt. Wilson was just icing on the cake.

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
No real earth shattering advice here, but based on my experience, I would say start slow and work your way up to the tougher peaks.  My wife and I were lucky we didn’t get caught in an afternoon thunderstorm on Longs.  There is no way Longs should’ve been the 1^st 14er we attempted.  Things worked out that day, but looking back now, I realize how dumb it was.  It’s much better to cut your teeth on some of the easier peaks, where you have a much greater margin for error.  Second, fitness is obviously so important to enjoying long days in the mountains.  Your level of fitness determines just about everything you’re capable of.  It especially comes in handy when you get that one good weather day in Chicago Basin!  Finally, I would highly recommend this website to any aspiring peak baggers.  The 14erworld Forum has answers to just about every question you could have about hiking, climbing, gear, routes. etc.