CMC compiles “master list”

By Linda Crockett

The CMC has a new list in its Golden offices. Appropriately titled “Everyone Who Has Completed the Colorado Fourteeners,” the roll is a compendium of more than forty published lists of names of climbers who have completed climbs of all of Colorado’s 14ers. Summit records have been maintained by the club, and Trail & Timberline began publishing an annual list in 1968. All of these lists have been consolidated into a master document that now chronicles completions from 1923 to the present day. The list is kept at the mountaineering center and those interested are invited to stop by and browse it. 

Climbers’ names are added to the list annually, based on letters submitted by climbers to the CMC. These letters must contain the names of each individual’s starting and ending peak, including the corresponding months and years. Names are added to the comprehensive list according to the date of finish. Although many letters are received each year from that year’s finishers, a few climbers submit their information to the club years after completing their 14ers. When this occurs their names are added the year the letter is received.

Over the years the peaks recognized on the CMC list have changed. Although beyond the scope of this article, it is of historical interest to note that the list has variously included different numbers of summits and once had two peaks now ranked as high 13ers (Grizzly and Stewart). The current list includes 54. The list in effect at the time of finish is the one that counts, although many climbers go on to climb any additional peaks that may not have been on the list when they finished; many climbers also climb the prominent sub-peaks. 

For ease in referencing information, the comprehensive list is available in three versions. The first, based on the official listings in T&T, gives the names in order of submittal. The second is an alphabetical listing by last name. Ranked in order of completion, the third list is sorted by month and year of finish, and its order shifts every time earlier finishes are recorded. This is a “soft” ranking, because month and year of finish is not available for all climbers.

Some cleanup of data was necessary. First, sequential numbering was checked. For a variety of reasons , the list had occasional interruptions in numbering. Some climbers were listed more than once (i.e., letters were submitted by the same climbers in different years). A few obvious duplications were removed, but those in question (e.g., the duplication of a name not clearly the same person) remain on the list. Third, a couple of climbers’ names were removed because they notified the CMC that they had not in fact finished the 14ers, but were erroneously placed on the list when friends had submitted their names.

Careful attention was given to maintaining the  list’s integrity. However, errors no doubt remain. Mistakes in listing are inadvertent, and we hope that you will help us to make any necessary corrections. The CMC asks that climbers supply missing data and notify us of any errors in order to keep the lists current and correct. Send your letters (no e-mails, please) to: Attn: Fourteeners, 710 Tenth St., Suite 200, Golden, Co, 80401. P