Proper planning, weather awareness and good decision-making for climbing Colorado's high peaks.
I started 14ers.com because I love Colorado's mountains and wanted to help people find the information they need to climb them. I want people to get outside, enjoy the peaks, challenge themselves and come home with great memories.
But more than anything, I want you to come home. When I hear about climbers being injured or killed, it hits hard. These accidents are often complicated, and I'm not here to judge anyone after the fact. I just hope we can all use these moments as a reminder to slow down, pay attention and think carefully before heading into the mountains.
If the weather looks bad, don't go. If you're starting too late, pick another day. If the route is over your head, choose something easier. If your partner isn't ready, change the plan. And if things start going wrong up there, turn around.
Turning around or calling off a climb isn't failure. It's just good mountain judgment, and honestly, we all need to remind ourselves of that once in a while.
Please take care of yourself and your climbing partners.
— Bill Middlebrook
Colorado's 14ers and 13ers can be beautiful, rewarding and dangerous. Too many accidents start with decisions made before the climb even begins: ignoring a sketchy forecast, starting too late, underestimating the route, choosing the wrong partner or continuing when the better decision is to turn around.
A good climb starts well before you leave the trailhead. Planning is not just checking one weather app and throwing a jacket in your pack. It means knowing the route, watching the forecast, understanding your group, carrying the right gear and being willing to cancel the climb if things don't look right.
A GPX track is not a plan: Having a GPS unit or mobile app is not a substitute for planning. If you don't understand the route, terrain, weather, current conditions and where you might turn around, you're not really prepared.
This page is not meant to scare people away from the mountains. I want people to enjoy them. But I also want climbers, new or experienced, to remember that judgment matters. Sometimes the best decision you make all day is to stay home, choose a different route or turn around.
One of the most important mountain skills is knowing when not to start. If storms are moving in, if the wind is cranking, if the route is beyond your current skill level, if your partner is not prepared or if you are already running late, it may be time to call it off or pick something easier and/or safer.
I know it can be hard to walk away after driving for hours, getting up early and looking forward to a climb. But the mountain doesn't care about your schedule. Conditions can change fast, and a few questionable decisions can stack up in a hurry.
Weather is one of the biggest challenges in Colorado's high mountains, and it can change fast. Thunderstorms, lightning, snow, hail, wind and rapidly dropping temperatures can turn a normal hike into an emergency.
If storms are expected early, do not assume you can “beat the weather.” If clouds are building faster than expected, turn around. Lightning above treeline is not something to gamble with.
Many summer climbs require an early start, sometimes well before daylight. Being high on a ridge, summit or exposed slope during afternoon storms is dangerous.
A turnaround time is not a suggestion. It is a decision you make before summit fever takes over. If you reach your turnaround time and are not where you need to be, turn around.
Do not rely only on a GPS track, a social media post or someone else's trip report. Study the route before you go.
Class 3, Class 4, loose rock, snow climbs, long approaches and remote 13ers require more judgment and skill than easier trail hikes. A route that feels reasonable in dry summer conditions can become a whole different animal with snow, ice, wind or storms.
Just because it feels like summer in town doesn't mean it's summer on the mountain. In May, June, early July, late September and October, snow can turn a normal hiking route into something much more serious. Even a route that is considered easy in dry conditions can require snow travel skills, traction, an ice axe or a totally different plan.
Early summer can be especially tricky. You might start on dry trail and then hit long sections of snow higher up. If the snow is firm, a slip could be dangerous. If it softens, you may be post-holing, burning a lot more energy than expected and moving way slower than planned. That can push you into afternoon storms, darkness or a long, miserable descent.
Before heading out during the shoulder seasons, or any time snow may be on the route, make sure you understand what you're getting into. Check recent condition reports, study photos, read trip reports and be honest about whether you have the gear and skills for the conditions. Microspikes, snowshoes, crampons and an ice axe are not interchangeable, and carrying them doesn't help much if you don't know when or how to use them.
If you're a summer hiker and the route still has snow, think carefully before committing. There's nothing wrong with waiting a few weeks, choosing a lower-elevation hike or picking a route that is actually in summer condition.
Your group is only as strong as the person having the toughest day. Before the climb, have an honest conversation about experience, fitness, gear, weather, risk tolerance and the willingness to turn around.
Don't push someone into terrain they are not ready for. Do not let a stronger partner pressure the group into continuing when the safer decision is to descend.
Your gear should match the mountain, route, season and forecast. Carrying gear is not enough; you need to know how to use it.
See the 14ers.com Gear Checklist for more detail.
Planning does not stop at the trailhead. Conditions, people and timing can all change. Keep asking whether continuing still makes sense.
Turning around is not failure. It is good mountain judgment.
Search and rescue teams are skilled, dedicated and often very busy. Mountain Rescue Aspen, for example, handles many difficult SAR missions in the Elk Mountains, including rescues and recoveries on the Maroon Bells, Pyramid Peak and Capitol Peak. These teams are made up of people who train hard and care deeply, but they may not be able to get to you quickly. Bad weather, darkness, difficult terrain and remote locations can delay rescue for hours or longer.
A cell phone, satellite messenger or emergency beacon is not a substitute for planning. It is a last resort.
Before you climb, tell someone reliable where you're going. It doesn't have to be fancy; even a printed map with a few handwritten notes about where you'll be parking, camping and hiking/climbing can be a big help if something goes wrong.
If you cannot answer these questions confidently, reconsider the climb.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you have many great days in the mountains, but more than anything, I hope you and your partners always make it home safely.