Settle a Debate between My Friend and I

[madbuck]

my arbitrary rule on evans is that you can't even count a bike summit if you started any higher or closer than idaho springs.

This is very specific, but 100% accurate -- go ahead and strike the 1st two words from your sentence!

[SchralpTheGnar]

Remember, It’s not a lie if you believe it

[alpinenut]

I'm of the camp, count em however you want. However, if you're going to call yourself a finisher you need to start from an established trailhead and finish the descent at an established trailhead under your own power. If you can do each one with 3K of vert great but anyone who climbs the Decalibron peaks all separately for the sake of getting 3K is just stubborn IMHO.

So, fill us in, how was it settled?

Mason

[nyker]

But make sure you do it "solo", and hopping on one foot.

[Wildernessjane]

If you want to get all technical about it, I would argue the only “real” mountaineering routes on either Pikes or Evans are the technical rock and snow routes: https://ascentionism.com/mountaineering ... ifference/. Therefore, for the purposes of peak-bagging, I would say a summit achieved by bicycle is every bit as valid (can be “counted”) as one achieved by hiking to the top. Personally, I thought riding to the summit of Pikes Peak on my bike was way more challenging and enjoyable than the times I’ve simply hiked it.

[Ptglhs]

Personally I don't count summits that I drive to or very close to, nor (with one exception) do I sign the logs if I drove to them or very close, but others do. The only exception was the highpoint in Indiana. I wanted to sign the log just so I could whine about how lame flat highpointing is.

As an example, I don't count myself as summitting (nor do I sign logs for) Mauna Kea (Hawaii state highpoint) even though I have been on the summit. My logs only record Mauna Loa since I walked up that one.

A lot of people have "counted" Mauna Kea even though they drove to very near the top, but that's their own business.

Several of the state high points are so low and flat that your criteria would exclude them. I think it would be asinine for me to say I "summitted" the high points of OH, IN, FL, RI, DE, etc, but I do say I visited them. It just involved thousands of miles of driving and a few feet of walking.

[rijaca]

It's your list. Count what you want. Unless you're claiming a 'new' accomplishment (speed record, style, etc), no one really cares.

However be honest with what you have done. Don't claim to climb a peak if you have not actually made it the the high point, or drive within 100' and walk the rest, or claim to solo a peak(s) when the you have not.

And just because someone hasn't bragged about it on the interweb, doesn't mean it hasn't been done.

[two lunches]

It counts if you want it to because hiking and peakbagging is solely your endeavor. No one cares about your list. There are no rules. Unless, as previously mentioned, you're trying to be first to do something or make a big public deal about it. Otherwise, carry on and don't think too hard about it

my vote for "most correct" assessment of this situation goes to eric. hiking is not a team sport but if you're going to claim to be the first or fastest to do something you better have proof and you better provide it when prompted.

Probably the only time "the how" counts is if one is claiming a "first."
If you're claiming something, be sure to leave business cards and or fliers in/with summit registers for self-promotion.

OMG please don't do that and leave your book flyers at home!

Why not?
It "worked" for Dr Jon, and now he's (in)famous.

for goodness sake. no one climbing/hiking 13ers gives a s**t about your book, darin- the only people who think you're special are the ones who drive to the top of pikes peak and count it as a summit.

[sooshee]

I really don't care how people count their summits.

I've ridden a bike up both Pikes Peak and Mount Evans (which has included going to the true summit). I count them as completed on my peak lists. When I did Evans, I rode from Idaho Springs, and that was a legit long, hard day with it being the longest climb I've ever done on a bike (I think over 6500' of gain, can't remember exactly without checking Strava). I really don't care if others don't think that counts, I count it as it was a lot harder than if I walked in my mind. Pikes Peak was a national championship race for me, and once again, a hard day with a hard effort, thought it was well under two hours of suffering. Way harder than if I just did a normal hike up, and there weren't donuts....

My personal rule is I do want to hit true summit. I heckle my climbing partner all the time about his six climbs of Mount Saint Helens, but how he's never gone to the true summit. But its in good fun, at the end of the day, he can count them how he wants.

[Trotter]

I like the analogy of biking vs skinning with skis. So if you are a person who says biking up doesn't count, neither should skinning up count either. What about snowshoeing?

My pet peeve on mt evans when I biked it, was watching all the road bikers ride to the parking lot at the top, get their picture by the sign, then go back down. 90% of them didn't walk up the last 100 feet. But I bet all of them claimed they rode to the top of mt evans.

PS riding up from echo lake counts too. Its 3000+ ft

[d_baker]

OMG please don't do that and leave your book flyers at home!

Why not?
It "worked" for Dr Jon, and now he's (in)famous.

for goodness sake. no one climbing/hiking 13ers gives a s**t about your book, darin- the only people who think you're special are the ones who drive to the top of pikes peak and count it as a summit.

I haven't even started to write my book, and already the hate. To be expected though.
Actually maybe you (the public and fans) could help me decide what to write about.
Also, I don't know if I have branded my user name well enough.
Author pseudonym suggestions?
I think 'd' could be used for several different variations.

[daway8]

...in a conversation with other mountaineers, summiting via bicycle vs walking probably won't be considered apples and apples; i.e. how did you get up that chimney?, class 4 move, etc.

If you can get up a class 4 chimney on a bike then heck yeah, I'd say that counts - maybe even counts as double!