Spotlight on John Broadbooks!

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Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
First one was Long’s peak. Climbed it in August of 1980.  At the time, I was outfitted in jeans, and didn’t know much about climbing—I have learned much since.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
Not until spring of 2004—I had been climbing one or two a year without much desire to climb them all, last year I realized that I had amassed 36 over the years, and said “what the heck, might as well get them all”.  I was able to climb 13 of them last year, along with 3 repeats, and finished them this year.

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
That would have to be Capitol’s knife edge—lot’s of variety on the route, good rock where you need it, and a view that can’t be beat.  If only I could find the marmot that chewed my boots at Capitol lake camp that night, though….

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
Uncompahgre peak on an early season climb in 1994. My brother and I climbed it, I still remember the beautiful alpine meadows, and this was the only 14er I’ve climbed where we didn’t meet another climber or party. The weather was great, and we had a view of the snow covered San Juans that couldn’t be beat.
 
Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
On Sunlight Peak in midafternoon—this was our 3^rd stop while climbing all four 14er points in Chicago Basin in one day—got chased off the summit by a storm. Moments after leaving the summit, we heard that dreaded buzzing of our ice axes which portended lightning in the area; had to make a very hurried descent while getting hailed and rained on.  On a positive note, after sheltering in the Sunlight-Windom saddle for 45 minutes, the sun came back out, the weather cleared, and we were able to summit Windom by 5pm on a gorgeous afternoon, completing our “tour de Chicago basin”.

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
I will be starting on the highest 100, I’ve already climbed 13 or 14 or them (I will have to recheck my records over the past 25 years). I’ve found in the past year and a half while finishing the 14ers that a goal is kind of fun, and I will continue to set myself a goal for my climbing.  I don’t have any set timetable or urgency to complete the highest 100, I only hope it doesn’t take me the 25 years it took for the 14ers!

Q: What 14er did you climb last? Did you intentionally save it for last or is it a 14er that previously eluded you?
Maroon Peak was my last (on September 4)—same final peak as Walt Borneman.  It seemed to just work out that way, as I didn’t really have a set plan or order that I used for the final 18 (once I had committed to climbing them all last year).  It was more a function of when the time became available to climb them, and what my buddies wanted to climb—up until the final two (Mt Wilson and Maroon)—I had intended to climb El Diente and Mt Wilson in one weekend (having climbed Wilson Peak 4 years ago before the unfortunate access issues we are all dealing with now). Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and was only barely able to summit El Diente on 8/16 (snowed and hailed on on the way down). Was able to return two weeks later and bag Mt Wilson, leaving Maroon as the last—in retrospect, what better peak to end with than one of the most photographed and well-known in Colorado?

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
Find a good mentor, or some source to obtain the skills needed to summit some of the more difficult peaks.  I found the Colorado Mountain Club schools to be an invaluable resource to enable me to become a more competent and confident mountaineer, and would recommend them as a resource for anyone just getting their feet wet.  Finding competent climbing partners runs a close second—it certainly makes the endeavor more fun and safer.