Icy precipices. Steep crags. Sketchy rappelling. Moments of fear. Even more moments of exhilaration. These are the realities and considerations of ski mountaineers like Colorado’s Christy Mahon.
A self-described “normal person,” Mahon is the ultimate achiever—she’s the first woman to summit, and then ski, all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks. That’s more than fifty of North America’s highest mountains, most of them in remote locales. It’s an internationally respected feat that took more than six years to complete.
Mahon isn’t a professional athlete, though. The thirty-something works full time as a Development Director at an Aspen-based environmental organization, surrounded by peers who could understand why for several years she was always a little tired on Monday mornings.
Each time Mahon planned another weekend summit, it meant driving for hours on a Friday night, waking up at 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and putting in a 12-hour climbing and skiing day before driving back home in time for Monday morning professional commitments.
Her motivation? Not glory or recognition (after completing the final “14er” in 2010 she didn’t announce her feat right away). Instead, she’ll tell you it was all part of something bigger: a balanced, well-lived life.
“Climbing any mountain is ultimate physical, mental, and spiritual journey,” Mahon says, who’s gone on to summit and ski Colorado’s 100 highest peaks.
“For me, it’s about training and putting in the time, like waking up in the dark and walking up my local Aspen Mountain on skis twice a week before work," she explains. “So much of it is about escaping from everything and being in the moment in the mountains.”
But, as anyone pursuing big things can attest to, there are times when training and preparation just aren’t enough—it’s the unexpected challenges that test just how capable you really are.
During her 14,000-foot-peaks journey, Mahon’s surprise obstacles included shoveling a summit’s deep snow to make it skiable, as well as watching her unfastened crampons slide down a slope without her (she climbed on without them).
And then there was the time, in June, 2008, Mahon and her climbing partner—her husband Ted Mahon—were skiing down the steep, southeast face of South Maroon Peak.
“The snow began to warm up and fall down the slopes,” she recalls. “I was hit in the head with one of these ’cinnabun’ balls. If I had not been wearing a helmet, I could have been knocked out, given a concussion, or worse. I still had a ways to go, so I had to regroup, take a few deep breaths, and regain my confidence,” she said.
The exhilaration of realizing all 14ers has led Mahon to speak publicly about her experiences. Particularly inspiring for Mahon is Girl PowHER, a group of 13 to 16-year-old girls from underprivileged families in Colorado. “This is really who I want to reach,” she says. For these girls, hearing about how Mahon juggles work with her passion helps to instill confidence, and build self-esteem, and tackle seemingly impossible feats.
“I tell them to just always get up and out there, even if you don’t feel like it,” she says. “You’ll be thankful you did.”
Courtesy of Lexus Magazine
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