2007-12-03 00:00:00, iski
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Chris Davenport sits down to talk about his recent success in skiing all of Colorado's 14,000' peaks, the state of freeskiing mountaineering, upcoming projects, and much more in this exclusive interview with one of skiing's most passionate and dedicated ambassadors.
Find out more about his upcoming photo intesive book, the 14ers project, and much more inside.
There are many skiers who contribute to the growth and progression of freeskiing, but nothing compares to the level of progression professional freeskier Chris Davenport has put forth over the past few years. Chris has blended his talents in both big mountain freeskiing and mountaineering to create a euphoric super charged buzz in the ski world. Up until a few years ago ski mountaineering and big mountain freeskiing were two separate entities. With improvements in technology and an increasing interest in skiing the biggest, rowdiest, steepest, and most technical peaks out there, a new sport has been born and Chris Davenport has brought this movement to center stage.
Freeski Mountaineering combines big mountains with high performance skiing. In his latest accomplishment of skiing all of Colorado’s 14,000’ peaks in one year, Davenport has raised the bar high and created a path for those looking to push the limits and take their skill to the next level.
Between January 22, 2006 and January 19, 2007, Davenport finished an extraordinary adventure and made his mark in skiing history. Davenport skied all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks within one year. The only other person to complete this task was ski legend and hall of famer Lou Dawson. In order to finish such a feat one must have extraordinary skill, knowledge in avalanche forecasting, exceptional athletic ability and endurance, and most importantly a strong vision and dedication in completing such an endeavor. Davenport stepped up to the task and faced just about everything Mother Nature could throw at him before he finished his journey. Davenport climbed over 200,000 vertical feet during this journey and pushed through during some of the coldest and harshest conditions the mountains of Colorado has seen.
Some may look at this feat as something that is superhuman while others will use it as inspiration to complete their own skiing goals. There are many individuals out there looking to match or better Davenport’s accomplishments, but it will be a long time before we see someone with as much passion, vision, and skill that Chris Davenport holds each and every time he sets a skin track or summits a mountain on skis. Ski the 14ers ships in just under a week and is certain to inspire and amaze the reader. The book is a photo intensive and soulful journey into the mind and adventures of Chris Davenport. Pick up your copy today at Wolverine publishing (http://wolverinepublishing.com/ski_14ers.html).
On the eve of a powder hungry trip to the Austrian Alps I got the chance to speak with Davenport about the book, and update about the movie, upcoming projects, the state of ski mountaineering and freeski mountaineering, and several other topics. Check out the interview below:
iski: The book comes out next week. Tell us a little more about it.
Davenport: Well I have wanted to write a book since I was in high school and finally I had the subject matter to go ahead with the project. Colorado 14ers are immensely popular with hikers and climbers in the summer, but rarely visited in winter and spring. There are dozens of “nature porn” coffee table books out there about the 14ers, and all of them are wildflowers, meadows, sunsets, critters, and rocks. No one has documented these beautiful peaks when they are bathed in snow, so my goal was to enlighten skiers and mountaineers with gorgeous images of these peaks when they are covered with Mother Nature’s winter blanket. Peaks that are crappy piles of loose rock in the summer become awesome skiing playgrounds in spring. The book has over 200 full color photos and lots of first hand trip reports about skiing interesting lines.
iski: In your eyes what is the difference between a ski mountaineering and big mountain freeskiing?
Davenport: Traditionally there has been a big difference, but my goal as a skier is to narrow that gap, which is why I call what I do “Freeski Mountaineering” Traditional ski mountaineers never focused on high-performance skiing, rather simply getting down the lines. We try to ski the most difficult lines on each peak, and with fast and big turns, and sometimes even airs and all on modern fat skis.
iski: Ski mountaineering is the buzz word around North America and the rest of the world right now. The bar is constantly rising as the popularity of ski mountaineering increases. What factors have caused the sport to gain so much popularity in the past few years?
Davenport: There are all sorts of pressure on ski resorts right now as crowds seem to increase, and people are pushed into the backcountry to find untracked snow and solitude. Thankfully backcountry gear has really improved over the last decade, and with this new gear there is an entire generation of skiers who have grown up watching modern ski films and freeskiing contests and are poised to take their new-found skills out into bigger and bigger mountains. “Freeski mountaineering” is definitely a natural progression of the sport, and my book will undoubtedly help inspire those that need just a little motivation to go try and ski some of the biggest peaks in North America.
iski: What are a few things you took out of your experience skiing all of the 14ers in Colorado?
Davenport: It is kind of funny, but I set out with the goal of skiing 54 peaks, and came away with a far bigger list of peaks to ski. On each and every summit that I stood on I would gaze out at the surrounding mountains and make mental notes of all the amazing ski potential around me. I learned so much about these mountains from the long days I spent going up and down, and definitely gained a new appreciation for their power and beauty. I also honed my avalanche and weather forecasting skills.
iski: Tell me about your ideal ski day: Earn your turns or Heli/cat/lift assisted? Why?
Davenport: My ideal ski day definitely involves a tight group of friends, but it’s hard to say what mode of transportation up the mountain is best. I love an epic heli drop on a steep, fluted Alaskan peak... That feeling never gets old. The best trip I’ve ever done on skis was an expedition we did last spring on Denali, where we skied three first descents and all sorts of other classics like the Messner Couloir and the Orient Express. Trips like that are hard to beat. And then I have had some of my all-time favorite days in the backcountry behind Aspen Highlands and Snowmass, where massive terrain inspires creativity and rejuvenates the soul. The cool thing about skiing is there are some many possible opportunities and experiences that it really never gets old. I had a great time skiing man-made ice by myself on Aspen Mountain yesterday.
iski: What was the most challenging aspect of your 14ers project?
Davenport: The most challenging aspect was logistics, understanding the weather and snow so that we could make good decisions about what peaks to go hit so that we wouldn’t get turned around and have to come back another day. I only had a year so I had to use all available resources to make good calls, and consequently only got turned around a few times.
iski: What is your philosophy when it comes to ski mountaineering?
Davenport: My philosophy is put one foot in front of the other and see what happens. I always keep an open mind when it comes to my goals for the day or for the trip. I will have a goal in mind but I focus on the experience of going up and being in the mountains, and then if I get a great ski descent, or even a marginal one from a summit, I am doubly happy!
iski: Who are your influences in the sport?
Davenport: I would say some of my biggest influences have been Himalayan alpinists who have pushed the limits in extreme environments. Guys like Reinhold Messner are amazing because they set the bar very high for themselves and then work hard, often alone, to achieve those goals, never losing sight of why they are in the mountains... Because it is fun!
iski: What would you like to accomplish next?
Davenport: I have a couple of interesting projects this season. I’m going to try and finish all the California 14ers. I was so inspired by my experiences on Colorado’s highest peaks that I want to try and replicate that adventure in California, and if I pull it off I’ll be the only person ever to have skied every 14er in the USA. I also have a big project in the Alps working with a film company to shoot skiing on the Matterhorn, the Eiger, Mont Blanc, and the Monte Rosa. We want to bring Freeski Mountaineering to these peaks and film it in a modern and spectacular way. My third project is a secret, but will take place in the southern hemisphere.
iski: How long before someone else comes along and repeats the 14ers project?
Davenport: I would not be at all surprised if someone tries to ski the all this season, or next. There are three skiers who are very close to finishing all the peaks, even if it hasn’t been in a short period of time. My friend and partner Ted Mahon only has a few left so he might be the third person to ski them all, or Sean Crossen, who is only one short.
iski: What advice do you have for those looking to get into ski mountaineering?
Davenport: Ski mountaineering is all about paying your dues, much like alpinism. You can learn skills like skinning, avalanche safety, terrain recognition, and skiing skills pretty easily, but it takes years in the mountains to become proficient at good decision making and light and fast climbing and skiing. The bottom line is the more days you spend out there the better you will get at understanding Mother Nature and all the signs and signals that she gives us about what is happening around us at any given moment.
iski: What direction is the sport heading in and where do you think it will be in 5-10 years?
Davenport: Skiing, like all sports, is constantly evolving. I think we will definitely see more new lines being put down on high peaks around the world. In ten years we will have a whole new crop of freeski mountaineers with a very high skill level out there getting after it.
iski: What ski line or mountain is #1 on your to-do list?
Davenport: Hah, you wish I would tell you that! No, seriously, the south side of K2 would be a dream descent, but very difficult. I’d also like to go ski Leila Peak.
iski: What is your preference: Big exposed steep face or technical-narrow couloir?
Davenport: Definitely the big-exposed face. There is nothing quite like exposure to keep you on your toes and get that heart rate up. Sliding into the top of the 5,000-foot Messner Couloir at 19,000’ on Denali was one of the best skiing moments of my life.
iski: Will the public ever get to enjoy the video? Progress?
Davenport: Yes, we are making progress with the Forest Service and I’m confident that the film we be released some time soon. I’m really proud of the documentary we made and hope that people can enjoy it before too long.
Found 5 Comments
by on
This got a little out of hand. As an administrator, I wont tolerate other users de-faming and bashing my contributors. I asked Iski to put together an article interview with Chris Davenport because he accomplished something awesome and Biglines has had very little to say about something right up our alley. Chris' feat deserves a lot of credit, as do many other committed mountain folk who shun the spotlight, but particular article was about how and what Chris did this time around. Biglines has always been open forum and it will remain so. The comments about the notion of Freeski Mountaineering on this article are provocative and insightful and thats fine. Keep it as clean as your favourite run after a foot of fresh boys and girls. Have fun!!!
This got a little out of hand. As an administrator, I wont tolerate other users de-faming and bashing my contributors. I asked Iski to put together an article interview with Chris Davenport because he accomplished something awesome and Biglines has had very little to say about something right up our alley. Chris' feat deserves a lot of credit, as do many other committed mountain folk who shun the spotlight, but particular article was about how and what Chris did this time around. Biglines has always been open forum and it will remain so. The comments about the notion of Freeski Mountaineering on this article are provocative and insightful and thats fine. Keep it as clean as your favourite run after a foot of fresh boys and girls. Have fun!!!
by on
integrity- who really cares?! Nice article. Cannot wait to get my hands on the book.
integrity- who really cares?! Nice article. Cannot wait to get my hands on the book.
by on
iski, I would agree that there is a difference between old-school ski-mountaineering and freeski mountaineering because of natural progression, people entering the mountaineering realm from more of a ski background and equipment. Also, personally I have been using the term freeride mountaineering for years. I agree completely that Chris' exploits are helping raise the popularity of ski-mountaineering/ freeski mountaineering and is a great thing. Where I completely disagree and must raise objection is when you say " a new sport has been born" and that all of a sudden he has created this "new level". Chris has certainly raised the bar in terms of a year long enchainments, but definately NOT in terms of performance in shredding mountains after having climbed them. That was my point which perhaps could have been better made. First of all, it is the goal of most modern backountry skiers to ski a mountain as aggressively as possible after having mountaineered it and of course we all have our level of fitness and ability. The advent of fat skis (now more that 10 years old) has changed things somewhat. But I hold that this exact style of ski-mountaineering you are professing to be new, (aggresivity, speed, airs etc) AND bringing fat skis on technical descents has in fact been going on for years and at an amazing level. It's proponents have been doing it outside of media limelight and general public awareness (and obviously yours) partly because of the ski-media's preoccupation with sponsored heli-brats (and the associated convenience in obtaining imagery) and partly due to the obscurity and irreverence to acclaim of these proponents. Furthermore, when you actually get to the true extreme level, incorporate true exposure (expeditionary or terrain) and high altitudes, the context is once again reduced to survival and "getting down the mountain" which no freeski mountaineer can overcome with a helmet, fat skis or bravado. The pioneers of extreme skiing were freeriding stuff that is still at the limit of skiability period, were doing technical no-fall airs, and actually had more style and technique than pretty well every freeskier today. My example of Paul McLeod was a case in point. For 8 years (untill he died in a paragliding accident in 2003), he skied the most difficult descents in Cham , that are far beyond what Colorado has to offer, with incredible aggresivity, speed and airs. He wasn't/ isn't the only one. This is what I mean from your isolationist perspective. Few have ever heard of Paul, yet he ended up impressing the hell out of and gaining the respect of Pierre Tardival (who has also been ripping on fat skis for years). Then we have to banter about what exactly is freeskiing or is a freeskier. That is a very subjective thing because the word has been superimposed upon a multitude of facets of skiing. To me taking a helicopter up a mountain is not freeskiing. There is a dependancy and cost to actually begin skiing. To me freeride mountaineering is actually skiing itself. The other things are lift-skiing, heli-skiing, competition-skiing etc. Skiing is what is it originated as , going up AND going down. As far as I'm concerned, the original ski mounatineers are the original freeskiers. And Eric and Trevor and Coombs (to name a few) were doing far more than just surviving down thier premiere descents Man, even Glen Plake goes backcountry skiing to ski engaging lines and you think he doesn't rip out there? Anyways, it's about time that the jibbers and heli-brats start climbing what they ski and learn about the mountains. Hopefully the media will start to broadcast a higher ethic in skiing than what we see from this heli softened porn buisness. Maybe then we'll have freeski comps that can come close to the integrity of surf comps when everybody has to climb the mountain they ski. Davenport is only progressive in his ability to bring an already existing high level of freeski-mountaineering to the attention of the mainstream media and to get people to follow him around and film him (and of course his awesome enchainment and new descents along the way). My hope is that this will bring to light an awareness of those that have been for years already mountaineering huge remote exposed lines on their own power and expense, ripping massive turns and blowing airs, all for the eyes of their friends and the birds only. In saying "Up until a few years ago ski mountaineering and big mountain freeskiing were two separate entities" and "a new sport has been born", what you wrote is insulting, not to me personally or any other freeride mountaineer because we don't give a shit, but to the reader and lay public because you are making exagerated claims and have no idea who's out there already and what's already been done without sponsorship, film or photos. Saying "but nothing compares to the level of progression professional freeskier Chris Davenport has put forth over the past few years" is a massive overstatement and very unfair to Chris.( Unless he is actually pulling off linked worm turns on 55 degrees, ;-) ) What Davenport is doing is not groundbreaking or progressive, it's already going on, and beyond! Don't forget that for every media super skier, there's another handfull of no-names equal or better. That's good that you corrected yourself in you comment saying that "I'm not saying Chris invented the sport, all I'm trying to get across is that he is part of a growing movement in freeskiing. He's part of a progression that involves many other athletes around the world". Again, huge Kudos to Chris for his achievements and discovering self-powered pride for himself. keep climbink und shreddink.
iski, I would agree that there is a difference between old-school ski-mountaineering and freeski mountaineering because of natural progression, people entering the mountaineering realm from more of a ski background and equipment. Also, personally I have been using the term freeride mountaineering for years. I agree completely that Chris' exploits are helping raise the popularity of ski-mountaineering/ freeski mountaineering and is a great thing. Where I completely disagree and must raise objection is when you say " a new sport has been born" and that all of a sudden he has created this "new level". Chris has certainly raised the bar in terms of a year long enchainments, but definately NOT in terms of performance in shredding mountains after having climbed them. That was my point which perhaps could have been better made. First of all, it is the goal of most modern backountry skiers to ski a mountain as aggressively as possible after having mountaineered it and of course we all have our level of fitness and ability. The advent of fat skis (now more that 10 years old) has changed things somewhat. But I hold that this exact style of ski-mountaineering you are professing to be new, (aggresivity, speed, airs etc) AND bringing fat skis on technical descents has in fact been going on for years and at an amazing level. It's proponents have been doing it outside of media limelight and general public awareness (and obviously yours) partly because of the ski-media's preoccupation with sponsored heli-brats (and the associated convenience in obtaining imagery) and partly due to the obscurity and irreverence to acclaim of these proponents. Furthermore, when you actually get to the true extreme level, incorporate true exposure (expeditionary or terrain) and high altitudes, the context is once again reduced to survival and "getting down the mountain" which no freeski mountaineer can overcome with a helmet, fat skis or bravado. The pioneers of extreme skiing were freeriding stuff that is still at the limit of skiability period, were doing technical no-fall airs, and actually had more style and technique than pretty well every freeskier today. My example of Paul McLeod was a case in point. For 8 years (untill he died in a paragliding accident in 2003), he skied the most difficult descents in Cham , that are far beyond what Colorado has to offer, with incredible aggresivity, speed and airs. He wasn't/ isn't the only one. This is what I mean from your isolationist perspective. Few have ever heard of Paul, yet he ended up impressing the hell out of and gaining the respect of Pierre Tardival (who has also been ripping on fat skis for years). Then we have to banter about what exactly is freeskiing or is a freeskier. That is a very subjective thing because the word has been superimposed upon a multitude of facets of skiing. To me taking a helicopter up a mountain is not freeskiing. There is a dependancy and cost to actually begin skiing. To me freeride mountaineering is actually skiing itself. The other things are lift-skiing, heli-skiing, competition-skiing etc. Skiing is what is it originated as , going up AND going down. As far as I'm concerned, the original ski mounatineers are the original freeskiers. And Eric and Trevor and Coombs (to name a few) were doing far more than just surviving down thier premiere descents Man, even Glen Plake goes backcountry skiing to ski engaging lines and you think he doesn't rip out there? Anyways, it's about time that the jibbers and heli-brats start climbing what they ski and learn about the mountains. Hopefully the media will start to broadcast a higher ethic in skiing than what we see from this heli softened porn buisness. Maybe then we'll have freeski comps that can come close to the integrity of surf comps when everybody has to climb the mountain they ski. Davenport is only progressive in his ability to bring an already existing high level of freeski-mountaineering to the attention of the mainstream media and to get people to follow him around and film him (and of course his awesome enchainment and new descents along the way). My hope is that this will bring to light an awareness of those that have been for years already mountaineering huge remote exposed lines on their own power and expense, ripping massive turns and blowing airs, all for the eyes of their friends and the birds only. In saying "Up until a few years ago ski mountaineering and big mountain freeskiing were two separate entities" and "a new sport has been born", what you wrote is insulting, not to me personally or any other freeride mountaineer because we don't give a shit, but to the reader and lay public because you are making exagerated claims and have no idea who's out there already and what's already been done without sponsorship, film or photos. Saying "but nothing compares to the level of progression professional freeskier Chris Davenport has put forth over the past few years" is a massive overstatement and very unfair to Chris.( Unless he is actually pulling off linked worm turns on 55 degrees, ;-) ) What Davenport is doing is not groundbreaking or progressive, it's already going on, and beyond! Don't forget that for every media super skier, there's another handfull of no-names equal or better. That's good that you corrected yourself in you comment saying that "I'm not saying Chris invented the sport, all I'm trying to get across is that he is part of a growing movement in freeskiing. He's part of a progression that involves many other athletes around the world". Again, huge Kudos to Chris for his achievements and discovering self-powered pride for himself. keep climbink und shreddink.
by on
ptor, Thanks for your comments and insight. I'm not trying to start a flame or anything, so I hope you don't take my comments below as an insult. My point in the article is that Davenport is raising the popularity and interest in ski mountaineering/freeski mountaineering while at the same time progressing the sport and raising the bar for the rest of the community. That is all. I'm not putting him ahead of any of the historical figures or any of the modern day freeskiing mountaineers or ski mountaineers. I'm just stating that what he is doing is helping the sport evolve and progress. While you make some good points, the majority I can understand, I think you missed what I was trying to get at in my article. I've been a ski historian buff for a long time and grew up marveling over the accomplishments of various ski alpinists like Coombs, Landry, Skoog, Briggs, Stammberger, Vallenchant, Bovin, etc. These folks did some amazing things for their time, which helped set the stage for the current athletes like Davenport. Chris is now doing what those before him did by setting the stage for a new group of folks to come in and lay down some amazing and unbelievable feats. I'm not saying Chris invented the sport, all I'm trying to get across is that he is part of a growing movement in freeskiing. He's part of a progression that involves many other athletes around the world. One could also argue that there is no big difference between big mountain freeskiing and freeski mountaineering, but I would have to disagree. There is a huge difference between just getting down a technical rowdy line (ski mountaineering) and skiing the same line with aggresiveness, speed, airs, and style (freeski mountaineering). I'm not a big fan of putting our sport into sub categories either as I just like to go out and ride mountains, but there is a distinction between the two disciplines. It may be small, but there is a difference. Now, what all of those folks did in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s are indeed ground breaking and impressive, it was a different stle of skiing. It is tough to compare the two as the times have changed, technology has changed, and access has changed. In my opinion the majority of those skiers were ski mountaineers, not freeski mountaineers. I have major respect for those folks as they set the stage for future generations. What Davenport is doing is ground breaking and progressive. I would be interested to hear your argument if you don't agree.
ptor, Thanks for your comments and insight. I'm not trying to start a flame or anything, so I hope you don't take my comments below as an insult. My point in the article is that Davenport is raising the popularity and interest in ski mountaineering/freeski mountaineering while at the same time progressing the sport and raising the bar for the rest of the community. That is all. I'm not putting him ahead of any of the historical figures or any of the modern day freeskiing mountaineers or ski mountaineers. I'm just stating that what he is doing is helping the sport evolve and progress. While you make some good points, the majority I can understand, I think you missed what I was trying to get at in my article. I've been a ski historian buff for a long time and grew up marveling over the accomplishments of various ski alpinists like Coombs, Landry, Skoog, Briggs, Stammberger, Vallenchant, Bovin, etc. These folks did some amazing things for their time, which helped set the stage for the current athletes like Davenport. Chris is now doing what those before him did by setting the stage for a new group of folks to come in and lay down some amazing and unbelievable feats. I'm not saying Chris invented the sport, all I'm trying to get across is that he is part of a growing movement in freeskiing. He's part of a progression that involves many other athletes around the world. One could also argue that there is no big difference between big mountain freeskiing and freeski mountaineering, but I would have to disagree. There is a huge difference between just getting down a technical rowdy line (ski mountaineering) and skiing the same line with aggresiveness, speed, airs, and style (freeski mountaineering). I'm not a big fan of putting our sport into sub categories either as I just like to go out and ride mountains, but there is a distinction between the two disciplines. It may be small, but there is a difference. Now, what all of those folks did in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s are indeed ground breaking and impressive, it was a different stle of skiing. It is tough to compare the two as the times have changed, technology has changed, and access has changed. In my opinion the majority of those skiers were ski mountaineers, not freeski mountaineers. I have major respect for those folks as they set the stage for future generations. What Davenport is doing is ground breaking and progressive. I would be interested to hear your argument if you don't agree.
by on
Tons of respect for Chris and his abilities in the mountains and beyond, but freeski mountaineering? Come on, why do we have to label everything to death in this industry.I'm curious, exactly what turn radius do you need to take it from ski mountaineering to freeski mountaineering and when does it become extreme freeski mountaineering? ps Thanks ptor for keeping things in perspective
Tons of respect for Chris and his abilities in the mountains and beyond, but freeski mountaineering? Come on, why do we have to label everything to death in this industry.I'm curious, exactly what turn radius do you need to take it from ski mountaineering to freeski mountaineering and when does it become extreme freeski mountaineering? ps Thanks ptor for keeping things in perspective
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