Spotlight on Mark Fisher

Q: What was your first fourteener, and when did you climb it?
A: My first fourteener was Mt Elbert back on September 1988.

Q: At what point did you commit to finishing them all?
A: I decided to do them all after climbing Sneffels in July of 1989.

Q: What is your favorite fourteener route?
A: My favorite route on a fourteeners is the Snake couloir on Mt Sneffels.

Q: What is your least favorite route on a 14er?
A: The worse route on any of the fourteeners by far is the North face of El Diente. The loose boulders on that route are just waiting to kill someone.

Q: What was your most delightful moment on a 14er?
A: My most delightful moment was on Pyramid I soloed it one spring with no one else on it the whole day . Had it to myself It was very uplifting climb.

Q: What was your most terrifying moment on a 14er?
A: The scariest moment I have ever had was on a climb was on the Bell cord couloir. It was June 15th at 7:55 am. We had just got to the top of the col,and the sun was hot already. Snow just started falling off of everything. It was time to bail and bail fast . The quickest way down was down the col so down we went, In less then 10 minutes we were down a thousand feet and counting when I fell into a melt water hole. The only thing I can compare this thing to is a crevasse. there was no sign of this thing from the top . I fell through up to my armpits and one leg was freehanging. I pulled myself out and had a look inside .It was huge! you could have put two Greyhound busses in this thing. I looked up to yell at Danny not to Glissade the melt channel when I saw him running to the side of the col as a huge wet slab was heading right at me I covered 20yard in what seemed like a second . That wet slab had turned into slush by the time it hit that hole and filled it in , in a matter of seconds. Me and Danny were just aw struck that no one had just died. We had missed being dead by a matter of seconds. The mountain gods were looking after us that day. We had thought that our timing had been good, but that time it sure wasn't.

Q: Do you have any plans for future mountain lists?
A: I want to climb North Americas 25 Highest points in the next 10years.

Q: What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to someone just starting out?
A: Take the things you need plus the things you think you might need . trust your inner voice It is always right. Go early you can always wait for sunrise on the summit. Live long. Climb hard!