How To Get High With Your Friends

Featured Image: Liz Cutting | Location: DeCaLiBron Loop, Colorado

If you’re deep in the mid-summer blues like me and are addicted to scrolling pow clips on Instagram, you’re probably not alone. Although I can’t put you on a one way flight to South America, I can give you a little wisdom on how to be ready when the first flake falls: getting high with your friends.

Picture this -

It’s 4:30 am, 30 degrees, and somehow also August. There's a crumbly granola bar in your pocket and the sweet taste of energy gummies and red bull lingers in your mouth. Your quads are on fire and the only thing you can hear is yourself panting against your thumping heartbeat. For some reason, we’re actually supposed to like this.

Welcome to 14er season: a Colorado rite of passage and, if you do it right, the perfect way to get ready for ski season.

If you want to be able to shred first to last chair on opening day, you’ve got to pay your summer taxes. From miles of uphill switchbacks to rocky scrambles, hiking 14ers is a full body (and mind, for that matter) workout. On the way back down, your knees are trained to absorb impact and stay stable through exhaustion, just like skiing on variable snow. The unique movements hiking demands work muscles that you just can’t get to in the gym. Real terrain is the only way to mimic the unpredictable nature of snow.

14er routes can vary as much as ski runs. There is a class sytem, ranked 1 through 5, to rate the difficulty of each climb so you have an idea of what you're getting into (think green, blue, black). Class 1 is defined by walking on a trail, Class 2 involves some light scrambling, Class 3 demands more sustained climbing and use of your hands, Class 4 jumps into basic climbing with exposure and Class 5 is technical rock climbing requiring ropes and climbing gear. Choose your trail wisely, as some of these Class 4 and 5 climbs can get very nasty very fast.

Personally, I hike because I love the summit. Something about being up that high ignites the same stoke I get from stomping a great side hit or nailing a run that used to challenge me. If you’re itching to get out and taste it for yourself, here are some summit suggestions not too far from Denver to get you started:

1. Mount Bierstadt

Bierstadt is often touted as an “easy” 14er. Though it’s technically Class 1 and easy to find your way up to the summit, Bierstadt packs at punch with a round trip just over 7 miles packing in roughly 3,500 feet of elevation gain. The mellow grade the entire way up makes for a great cardio workout, while bouldering towards the summit lends more of a quad workout. Be sure to stop in Georgetown for a post-summit brew.

2. Mount Blue Sky

Scraping the sky at 14,271 feet with a trailhead that already starts above the treeline, this mountain offers a slightly easier approach to getting up to 14,000 feet. The approach up to the summit is steep and the incline is sustained for miles, perfect for the quad burn you need before this winter hits. The thin air on the way up sharpens up your cardio while the rocky scramble near the summit dials up agility and balance. If you're missing your skis enough, you can even participate in some "scree skiing" on the way down by sliding down the side of the mountain on loose rock!

3. Grays Peak and Torreys Peak

This one’s a twofer! If you’re feeling a bit more confident and ambitious try to bag two summits in one hike with Grays and Torreys. This hike checks all the boxes: loose rock, big elevation gain and steep grade. You’ll be on your toes the entire time–literally. Bonus: go for the scramble up Kelso Ridge if you’re a more confident hiker who has class 3 experience.

4. DeCaLiBron Loop

If you’re looking to build those legs of steel this summer, this is the way to do it. The DeCaLiBron loop connects four 14ers: Mount Democrat, Mount Cameron, Mount Lincoln and Mount Bross. With relentless elevation swings, this one is perfect if you’re looking to simulate the stress of a big touring day. The amount of time you’ll spend on your feet for this one, particularly above 13,000 feet, will build the kind of endurance that will pay big dividends come winter.

5. Castle Peak

If you're looking to dip your toe beyond the world of groomed trails, Castle is a great intro into some more advanced route finding and Class 3 scrambling. It's a little off the beaten path in the Elk Range situated in the Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness, but, if you're willing to drive a little further you'll be rewarded with some of my favorite views in the state! The varied terrain from snowfields to dirt road and ridgeline scramble required to summit castle will test your mental and physical strenght and stamina, getting you in stellar shape for a long day on the hill.

The point is, you don’t need a fancy workout program or a personal trainer to get yourself ready for winter. All you need is the trailhead, a solid pair of shoes and a little masochism. So, ski addict, lace up, pack your snacks and embrace the suffering. Your legs will thank you.