Around the same time Christy Sauer was becoming the first woman to ski all the fourteeners, and the 7th person to do so overall, snowboarder Jarrett Luttrell was getting Longs Peak done via Keplinger’s. He thus became the first person to snowboard all 54 of Colorado’s big ones, and by most people’s reckoning the 8th person to glisse them all (based on who got back to civilization first, which we believe was Christy.)
Jarrett Luttrell on Capitol Peak, a week before skiing Longs.
According Derek Dreschel, who was one of Jarett’s two partners (the other being Brennan Metzler), the frequently bony Keplinger’s was coated top to bottom with a couple feet of soft spring snow. Posthole city, but they made it. “Jarrett doesn’t usually get too excited,” said Derek, but we stopped a few hundred feet below the summit and Jarrett charged on ahead with energy you could just see was coming from him knowing that yeah, this was it!”
We expect to see a trip report filed here soon.
The crew descended Keplinger’s without incident, made the long deproach, and there we go: all the fourteeners have been ridden!
Jarrett uses a splitboard for most of his “ski” alpinism. People say he can tele better on his splitboard planks better than most telemarkers can tele on their skis. He rides with an ax in hand, and maneuvers like a cat on the steep stuff. You know the guy has the chops — it’s not easy getting every one of those peaks and coming home alive every time.
Congratulations Jarrett!
Incidentally, when we first ramped up WildSnow.com as a more newsy site and evolving blog, Jarrett filed a few trip reports from the beginnings of his project. Check one out.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
