As a ski mountaineer I was the 3rd person to successfully climb and ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks. Building on that (along with my wife Christy and friend Chris Davenport) I have climbed and skied the 100 highest peaks in Colorado, a.k.a. the Centennial Peaks. It was an accomplishment that hasn’t been repeated and which earned us the award of National Geographic’s Adventurer’s of the Year for Ski Mountaineering.
MOUNTAIN ATHLETE
MOUNTAIN ATHLETE
Climbing & Skiing Adventures
I’ve climbed mountains all around the world including Denali, Ama Dablam, and Mount Everest. I’ve skied in Norway, Iceland, Morocco, and helped lead a successful expedition to ski the North Face of Gunnbjornfjeld, the tallest mountain in Greenland. I’ve skied in the Alps and throughout Canada, completing the famous Haute Route, the Wapta Traverse, the Bernese Oberland Traverse, the Otztal High Route, and grueling 10-day Bugaboos to Rogers Pass Traverse. Back in the states I’ve logged many ski descents of mountains such as the Grand Teton, summits of the Eastern Sierras including Mount Whitney, and the volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest including Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Mount Hood, and Mount St. Helens. Back home in Colorado I have over 650 summits of the 13ers & 14ers.
Racing
On the endurance front, I’ve completed the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse 15 times now, and in the summer months have discovered a love of ultra distance races. I’ve completed the San Juan Solstice 50 miler ten times, as well as the Leadville 100, Wasatch 100, and six Bear 100 milers. I have ten finishes at the Hardrock 100, seven of which were in the top ten. All told I’ve completed nearly 50 official ultra running races and I’ve never had a DNF.
FKT (Fastest Known Time) Courses
In 2016 I became the 15th person to complete the Nolan’s 14 course, in 55:39. The near 100 mile course climbs 14 14,000 foot peaks and must be completed in under 60 hours. Other FKT courses I’ve completed are the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (twice), the Zion Traverse, the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, and a couple dozen laps on the Four Pass Loop outside of Aspen.
the rest of the time...
I’ve chosen to build my professional life around being in the mountains as well. In the winter months I work as a ski instructor with the Aspen Skiing Company. Now in my 24th season in that role I’ve come to enjoy sharing the Aspen skiing experience with guests as we explore the four Aspen/Snowmass ski areas. In the summer months I’m in a similar line of work, as a guide, showing people the trails and summits in and around Aspen. I’ve also turned a childhood hobby of photography into a freelance line of work. I have my photography featured in books and magazines in all areas of outdoor and mountain activities.
You can check out the latest on the blog - Stuck in the Rockies - chronicling our adventures in Colorado and beyond since 2008.
