How's this for completing an epic challenge? Ski mountaineering legend Chris Davenport, along with friends Ted and Christy Mahon of Aspen Colorado, have become the first people to climb and ski the 100 tallest peaks in the state of Colorado. That includes the 54 "14ers" – mountains that are more than 14,000 feet (4267 meters) in height – as well as the 46 next highest mountains, all of which are over 13,000 feet (3962 meters) themselves.The project started nine years ago when Davenport became the first person to ski all of the 14ers in a single year, a feat that remains unmatched to this day. The Mahon's would ski each of those mountains as well, with Ted nabbing his final 14er in 2007, while Christy would follow suit in 2010. The idea for the trio to attempt "The Centennial" wouldn't come for another couple of years, when they were all climbing volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest.
In 2012, they launched their bid to get Colorado's next highest 46 peaks. It wasn't easy, as some of the mountains are well off the beaten path, and Devenport and the Mahons sometimes had to work very hard just to reach their targets. To make things even more interesting, many of those mountains lacked any real intel on ski routes, so they were also scouting them for their descents too. It was an extreme adventure in a place that is remote and rugged as you'll find in the lower 48 states.
Earlier this spring, Chris, Ted, and Christy completed their quest at long last. Their final mountain wasn't an easy one, as it took three days roundtrip just to go there, climb it, ski back down, and hike back out. But in the end they had accomplished something no one else had ever done, climbed and skied Colorado's Centennial, and set an impressive new feat in the world of ski mountaineering.
You can find out more about this mission by reading this article at National Geographic Adventure. It is quite a tale to say the least.
