Spotlight on Jerry Shustrin!

I climbed my first fourteener, Mt. of the Holy Cross on June 21, 1975 and this was an incredible experience for me.  Prior to this, I had been rock climbing and climbing peaks back in Upstate New York and in New Mexico after graduating Harpur College, Binghamton, NY in 1974.  I had taken a trip in 1972 in my VW across the Canadian Highway and entered Colorado at Antonito on 285 from New Mexico in late July. As we were driving north, I began to see one fourteener after another. Mesmerized, I knew that I would be returning. Holy Cross was the beginning of my high peaks climbing here in Colorado. 

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?

This is a very interesting question. For many years, I had climbed approximately thirty five fourteeners, many of them, climbed numerous times and in winter. I also climbed a number of high thirteeners and never gave any thought to completing the fourteeners. I have never considered myself a ‘peakbagger’ and I share this with all respect to those who are. I’ve always thought of myself first as a climber and spent many years rock and alpine climbing here in Colorado, in the Tetons and out in the Western states. In 2000, I said to myself, ‘why don’t you finish the fourteeners?’ I didn’t have any response to the contrary so I just began to climb the new peaks and reclimb the ones that I had done many years ago. In 2002, I began to see that the list of peaks that I had not climbed was being reduced by quite a few and lo and behold, I put the pedal to the metal and climbed a lot of peaks, old and new in 2002 and 2003. I had only a handful left for 2004 and I knew baring any injury, that I would reach my goal this summer. 

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?

Without any doubt at all, it has to be the Ellingwood Arete.  I first climbed it in the late 70’s and my partner and I were the only ones on the route and the only ones camping at South Colony Lake during the midweek. At that time, there were not a lot of climbers attempting routes on the high peaks. One reason is that there was only one ‘so-called’ guide book and that was Ormes. In addition, there were few cairns on the trails and the routes were ‘relatively’ more difficult to follow in comparison to today. We had a marvelous time on the Arete, bombproof rock, beautiful views, airy and a great finish.  While The Prow is another great route and a close second, the Ellingwood Arete is simply one of the classic climbs in the United States.

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er? 

Delightful can take on many different connotations. I have some pretty ribald stories but for the sake of the entire audience, I think that I’ll keep it rated PG for now.

A couple of us climbed Longs Peak via the Cable Route one January day when the weather was stable and there were no systems blowing through. We got to the top at approx 1pm and thought about heading down sometime thereafter. After spending a good hour on top, basking in the intense Colorado sunshine, we decided to spend the night on top. Both of us had winter sleeping bags with nylon overbags, food, good clothing, a stove and extra fuel for melting the snow. That night, there was a full moon, the air was very crisp and cold but the weather remained relatively stable. It was one of the most delightfully inspiring nights that I have ever spent on top of a fourteener in my entire life. The next morning we came down via the Cable Route after a full moon that lit up the winter’s sky.  

Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?

I’ve had a number of close calls and two terrifying moments on a fourteener. The one that almost got me was a few weeks ago on El Diente.  It was a Sunday, we backpacked in on Friday, climbed Mt. Wilson on wet rock on Saturday and withstood wave after wave of rain and hail showers those two days. By Sunday morning, I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in three days and felt damp to my bones. I was nursing a recurrent hip injury that I aggravated on Mt. Wilson and was feeling that it would be nice to succeed on El Diente today after three other tries that came up unsuccessful. Sunday morning, I awoke, ate, drank and got myself prepared for the day. Hiking up to the bottom of the snow couloir took approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and I was ready to climb. Strapping on my crampons, I refilled my body with water, food and gue and we began the steep snow ascent. After eight hundred vertical feet of fairly steep snow, all of a sudden my body ran out of energy. It’s difficult to explain as it never happened before but I was perched on my crampons, holding on to my ice axe and nothing else. I got off of the snow, took off my crampons, closed my eyes, meditated and summoned all of the inner energy I had left to me. Feeling better after four or five minutes, I slowly began to move upward on the rock; one step after another until I made the summit, my final fourteener, still having the energy to safely descend. This was a moment in my life on a fourteener that I will never forget. 

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists? 

Actually, not formally.  I’d like to continue climbing my favorite fourteeners, some by different routes. I also have a few thirteeners that I enjoy and a number that I will climb for their beauty and technical nature. But at this point in my life, climbing lists, while being a motivation for others, personally, are not for me. I have other endeavors both in the mountains and in my life that I have prioritized.

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

Know yourself. If you don’t know yourself already, try climbing the more easier fourteeners and you’ll begin to comprehend that the human mind and body are capable of many wonders.  Expand upon your successes and learn from your failures. Find good people with whom you could share your mountain experiences. Learn good techniques and get rid of the bad ones. Take a course at the Colorado Mountain Club or at a mountaineering school. If you’re going to spend any serious length of time in the high peaks, know how to take care of yourself should problems befall you. Become self reliant. Learn how to read the weather patterns. Learn first aid. Most of all, learn how to center yourself and how to calm your mind if adversity strikes. Keep your cool if the ‘you-know-what’ hits the fan. Most of all, enjoy yourself on the high peaks.