14ers.com is the premier resource for exploring Colorado's peaks that rise above 14,000 feet, commonly known as Fourteeners or 14ers. As a comprehensive hub of information, much of which is contributed by our dedicated community, we provide everything you need to plan your climbs and track your progress on your 14er journey.
Our mission is simple: to deliver detailed and reliable information about Colorado's peaks without any ads or membership fees—completely open and free for everyone. During the peak hiking season, 14ers.com welcomes thousands of visitors daily. Thanks to our robust servers and high-speed data connections, you shouldn't experience many slowdowns. Since its creation in 2000, 14ers.com has grown to become the trusted resource for both beginners and seasoned hikers, offering routes, tools, tips, and support to help you safely reach your next summit.
Unlike personal blogs cluttered with distracting ads or sites run by individuals with little expertise, 14ers.com was created through on-mountain experience and shaped for the Colorado hiking community. We pride ourselves on providing trustworthy content to help you achieve your hiking goals and connect with fellow adventurers along the way.
My name is Bill Middlebrook, and I am the creator and maintainer of 14ers.com. While this site is not about me, I understand that some may be interested in a bit of background...
I'm a software engineer and avid skier originally from The Berkshires in western Massachusetts. In 1989 (yes, it's been a while), I took a ski trip with friends and discovered that Colorado was where I truly belonged. From then on, annual Colorado ski trips became a tradition—I couldn't get enough of the towering mountains and world-class skiing. I fell in love with the state and knew I had to live there one day.
In 1992, back on the East Coast, I co-founded an e-commerce software and consulting firm with three like-minded partners. We grew the business throughout the mid-90s—a stressful yet exciting time as the tech world was booming and our company was expanding rapidly. By 1996, I had the opportunity to open a branch office in Denver West, and my wife Lisa, our daughter, and I made the move to Evergreen. Finally, we were in Colorado, and I immediately began exploring the state—hiking and skiing at every opportunity, completely captivated by the high peaks.
A couple of years later, after growing the company further, we sold it just before the dot-com bubble burst. Freed from the corporate grind and with my sanity intact, we moved to Breckenridge. We made it. While living at 10,000 feet, I spent the next two decades exploring Colorado’s mountains.
In 2021, after our son headed off to college, we decided to downsize and move closer to the kids in the Front Range. While I can no longer simply cross the road to hit the ski slopes, I also don’t have to shovel snow 50 days each winter! Living in a ski town for 20 years and accumulating over 1,500 summit days was an incredible chapter of my life, and Breckenridge will always be home. I still make it to the mountains often—it just takes a bit more driving now.
What hasn’t changed is my morning routine: tinkering with 14ers.com, exploring ways to expand the site content, and improving the mobile apps. Every so often, a hiking partner will ask me how long I plan to keep 14ers.com going. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. This site has been like a side job for the past 25 years, and I enjoy working on it because it supports the hiking community while giving me a creative and mental outlet. Sure, there are days when it feels like a hassle, but then there are those mornings when I’m fired up with a new idea I thought of in the shower, eager to bring it to life. For now, I plan to continue running the site for at least the next few years—beyond that, we’ll see. -October, 2022
Happy trails,
Bill Middlebrook
Pine, Colorado
