Welcome to Centennialskiers.com
We did it! On May 27, 2015 we climbed and skied Jagged Mountain and thus completed our goal to climb and ski the 100 tallest mountains in Colorado. Read the final trip report here.
In 1876, Colorado was granted statehood and given the nickname of the Centennial State. Defined by the Rocky Mountains that traverse it, there are more high summits in Colorado than any other state in the Lower 48. Be it early settlers or miners a century ago, or climbers and skiers today, these mountains have been challenging all who step foot on them.
For those who seek the challenge to climb the mountains of Colorado, the 100 highest summits in the state are known to mountaineers as the Centennial Peaks. Spread out among the various ranges of the state, the Centennials include the famed 14,000 foot peaks– a.k.a. the 14ers– and the forty-seven highest 13ers. Climbers have been tackling the Centennials for years, and now three Aspen ski mountaineers– Chris Davenport, Christy Mahon, and Ted Mahon– are embarking on the goal to ski them all.
Chris, Christy, and Ted already have a head start– they have each completed skiing the Colorado 14ers, and to varying extents, have skied some of the high 13ers as well. Centennialskiers.com was created to track their progress as they set out to ski the 100 highest summits in the state.
For more info about the group, backgrounds, and achievements from Colorado and beyond, check the About Us page.
Thanks for following along!
-Dav, Christy, and Ted
The Centennial 13ers
A few technical notes:
We’ll be following the most commonly accepted list of official Centennial Peaks. It includes fifty-three 14ers and forty-seven 13ers, going all the way down to Dallas Peak, 13,809 feet. According to this list (posted to the right), which is the most common interpretation of the “300 foot rule”, neither North Maroon nor El Diente are considered official 14er summits. This is a departure from the more widely accepted list often referenced when climbing 14ers, in which they are both included. While many debate the merits of different rules and corresponding lists, we’ve decided to observe the list that goes to Dallas Peak.
Furthermore, we aim to keep in line with popular 14er skiing ethics in place today insofar as what officially “counts” as a complete ski descent. In the case of the Centennial 13ers, since there is little public information regarding established ski routes on many peaks, we’ll be attempting many ski descents without a prior known descent to match. Much like the 14ers, it is our goal to ski from the exact summit where it is allowed. But also like the 14ers, we are aware of the fact that some peaks likely never have skiable snow off the summit.