Spotlight on Mark Fisher!
Congratulations
to our latest Grand Slam finisher Mark Fisher! We had the opportunity of
asking Mark a few quick questions.Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
A: Longs Peak on August 10, 1996.
Q: At
what point did you commit to finishing them all?
A: My roommate conned me into climbing Longs Peak in 1996 and we had so much
fun that we went back and climbed it again the next year. After the second
climb, I started wondering about the other 14,000-foot peaks around here,
and picked up my first guidebook the next winter. I read it cover to cover
while waiting for summertime, and started working on "the list" in June of
1998, fully committed to finishing them all.
Q: What
is your favorite fourteener route?
A: Torreys Peak via the Kelso Ridge.
Q: What
is your least favorite route on a 14er?
A: Mount Columbia via the west slopes.
Q: What
was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
A: My mom lost 130 pounds over the course of about a year, and celebrated
with a climb of Grays and Torreys in 1999, at age 53. Seeing her standing
atop Grays Peak with a big smile on her face was an amazing moment, far
outshining all of my 14er accomplishments.
Q: What
was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
A: On the descent of North Maroon, I stepped onto what turned out to be the
wrong rock, and set off a small rockslide. Everything within a radius of
about 10 feet started moving, and I quickly hopped laterally over a couple
other moving boulders onto some more stable terrain. Luckily, the whole pile
stopped after sliding only a few feet, but that certainly got the adrenaline
going.
Q: Do
you have any plans for future mountain lists?
A: Not if I want to stay married!! Seriously, I've already started climbing
a few of the Centennials, but I'm only doing them here and there, and may
take 20 years to finish them, if ever. The Indian Peaks are right out my
front window, so I'd like to climb a few of those, as well as return to the
14ers to try some of the alternate routes.
Q: What
is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone
just starting out?
A: I’d say to start off by climbing several of the "easier" 14ers with
somebody more experienced, so they can pick up some of the basics of
mountaineering in a safer environment.