Chris Davenport steps it up on Capital Peak

So this past ski season has been your year to step it up eh? There's been a lot of that going on...and it's still happening. Chris Davenport set out this season to ski all of the 14ers, those peaks in Colorado whose elevation is above 14,000'. It's not certain if he'll succeed in this effort as the snow is rapidly melting with spring setting in. Regardless, he's been skiing some VERY respectable lines and pioneering some of his own, including his recent ski descent of Capital Peak. (click the link and read it - trust me)

When a guy that has skied all over the world, is a two time World Freeskiing Champion, has been featured in dozens of films, coaches steep skiing camps, and is a solid mountaineer on top of it all (having climbed to 8000 meters on Makalu) says the following about a ski descent you know that he has been pushing the envelope:

Capitol Peak has only been skied once before, via the Knife edge Ridge, by Lou Dawson in 1988. Ours was a seriously committing line. I could go on and on with superlatives, but suffice to say this was the steepest and scariest line I have ever done on skis. For those of you that read the Pyramid Peak trip report a few days ago (we skied the first descent from the summit in almost 30 years) this line on Capitol was much harder, significantly steeper, far more exposed, and mentally exhausting.

Then there's this little parting shot:

If I never ski another line with that level of commitment and anxiety I’ll be a happy man.

So while the bulk of the ski world has hung up the sticks and pulled out the mountain bike there is still one man out there slaying the tall peaks with focus and purpose. For his sake, perhaps a little snow dance is in order.

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