Ask Gerry (Roach)

[ironmanco]

If you’ve ever stepped foot on a Colorado 14er, you’ve likely carried his wisdom in your backpack or at least perused the pages of his guides. We have the opportunity to ask the legendary Gerry Roach any question you may have (well...any questions about mountaineering, climbing, etc). We will collect these questions and post the answers as he works through them.

Whether you want to know about his "Roach Points" system, his favorite Alaskan expedition, or his tips for mountain safety, now is your chance.

Drop your questions in this thread below

[LifeIsGood]

The man is legendary. I have tremendous respect and admiration for any mountaineers that are so well accomplished, and have also managed to keep themselves alive.

My question is: what kinds of close calls, survival situations, or emergencies has he experienced?

More specifically- most of his time in the mountains was prior to the widespread availability of cell phone service and personal satellite communication devices. He must have had a very self-reliant/ self-rescue type of mindset.

Thank you in advance!

[two lunches]

hey gerry! big fan- i am constantly rotating one of your books on my nightstand- the 14ers, IPW, and lost creek wilderness are my personal favorites and have guided me through many, many adventures.

i have been referring to your sometimes inaccurate route statistics or overly-optimistic descriptions as getting #roached for a number of years now- personally, i consider it to be a rite of passage for any colorado mountaineer to wallow through a route that is more difficult than you've sometimes romantacized in text. and frankly, that's part of the charm- it keeps us humble and fosters a sort of "misery loves company" comradery in this community.

these days we have downloadable beta at the push of a button and apps that buzz if you miss a turn, but somehow many of us are still stuffing a dog-eared Roach guidebook into our packs to read by headlamp at camp or snapping smartphone pictures of pages before we head out into the wilderness. did you ever imagine that your works would keep pace with the gadgets? i'd love to hear how you think the role of the guidebook has changed since you started writing, and where you think it might still be going.

thank you!!

[Kiefer]

Just talked to him and Jennifer at the gym last night!!
His laugh is infectious.

[d_baker]

Define surfer girl.
And, was that written before you met Jennifer?! She seems pretty (mountain) surfer to me!

How's the recovery been since your fall on that 13er? One of the 'S' peaks, or 'T' peaks??


Thanks for your guidebooks! First time looking at your picture of Wham had an awesome impact on me!
And I loved the 14er Edition that came as a 3-ring binder with a map! I carried some of those maps in my early 14er days.

Darin

[kyrawhitworth]

My partner and I had the amazing coincidence to end up on a trip with Ginny and Dave Cooper last summer where we got to hike and hear some stories about your adventures together. They are wonderful humans!

As life shifts to different priorities and abilities, how have you managed these changes? There could be a variety of reasons why someone may not be able to adventure in the same way (family needs, injury or body limitations, location, etc.), so how does someone who is likely used to living a life full of outdoor adventures manage the adjustment/reality of perhaps doing less?

[BillMiddlebrook]

I have to say it - this post kinda looks like spam by starting out talking about Gerry. But if the author can tell us when and how the questions will be presented to Gerry in a non-commercial way, I'm all ears...

[ironmanco]

Sorry, Bill, not spam I'm posting this request to several other channels, and over the next couple of weeks I'll collect those questions and aggregate them into a document. That document will be passed along to Jennifer and Gerry. Gerry will work through the questions (likely from a paper copy), and I plan to post responses as he responds. Or maybe as a complete Q&A...I haven't decided yet. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any other questions (or suggestions) about this process.

Oh...and as an added non-spam validation...I like Bill's avatar hat tip to Rush.

[cottonmountaineering]

Gerry,

Do you have any thoughts about spending too much time in the mountains, and if it strained your personal relationship, finances, or life in general? Where did you find a balance?

[BillMiddlebrook]

Sorry, Bill, not spam I'm posting this request to several other channels, and over the next couple of weeks I'll collect those questions and aggregate them into a document. That document will be passed along to Jennifer and Gerry. Gerry will work through the questions (likely from a paper copy), and I plan to post responses as he responds. Or maybe as a complete Q&A...I haven't decided yet. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any other questions (or suggestions) about this process.

Good. But we're pretty open here, so please let us know what organization you're with and whether or not there's a commercial aspect to it. We'd all love to hear Gerry's response to user-submitted questions, but I still have to make sure we adhere to the non-commercial policies of the forum. Thanks!

[BillMiddlebrook]

If you feel more comfortable sending me the details directly, feel free to do so via Private Message. Thanks

[ironmanco]

If you feel more comfortable sending me the details directly, feel free to do so via Private Message. Thanks

Done - same. Feel free to DM me as well.