I'd Advise People To Stop Recommending Quandary as a Beginner 14er

[Flabby14er]

First time poster! Just finished my fourth 14er today, and the order that I've done them in has been: Democrat, Sherman, Quandary, and now Bierstadt. And all in the last month!

As my name suggests, I'm a heavier gal (5'3, 172lbs) and likely some of you have seen this barrel body traipsing up the hills. I'm just starting my fitness journey with mountaineering, much thanks to the kind informative posters on here. In no small part ya'll have changed the trajectory of my life!

Butttt, what prompted me to finally post, is I'm discouraged by people defaulting to recommending Quandary as a great beginner hike. Not that it's incredibly challenging, but all three of the other mountains I've summited have been CONSIDERABLY less strenuous than Quandary. I had tried and failed Quandary twice before I ever finished a 14er. And I think if I never had the guts to try somewhere else after repeated failures, I'd just have chalked up that I was too hopeless of a case to finish one. So i ask: why do we recommend it over the much gentler and shorter ones that could potentially incite more people into this lifestyle?

Quandary is not easy. No 14er is, especially for overweight people, but I just wish I had heard other recommendations for beginner hikes when I was still a peak virgin. Thoughts?

[tortilla]

All the Quandary rec’s are from bot accounts ran by the town of Breck in an effort to increase parking revenue

[Scott P]

All I really have to say is that I weigh 272 and agree with those who say that it's a pretty good beginner 14er. It's OK to disagree. There are only a few of them that are easier.

It is rated as "easy" (by mountain standsrds), but that doesn't mean that it doesn't take work to get there. All mountains you climb take effort. That's just the way it is and is what makes it worthwhile.

There is no shame in turning back. As long as you know when to turn back, go for it. If you don't make it, there's nothing wrong with that.

Keep hiking, be safe, and don't worry if someone calls something easy that you find challenging. It doesn't matter.

Climbing and hiking is for you. Do what you want and what you find enjoyable.

Good luck and maybe I'll see you in the mountains.

[Gandalf69]

Pikes peak, or Mt Evans would be a much much worse 1st 14er. Picture yourself reaching the summit only to see hundreds of people who drove to the top. Pikes in particular goes on forever too.

[BillMiddlebrook]

If you are a beginner to the 14ers, Quandary is a beginner 14er.

The difference with Quandary compared to the other hikes mentioned by the OP is that it has slightly more elevation gain because the trailhead is a bit lower. Other than that, the length, gain, access, and trail difficulty make it one of the “easiest” 14ers and therefore a beginner 14er.

[cottonmountaineering]

its a beginner 14er, low elevation gain and low RT distance

as an aside, your weight has more to do with what happens in the kitchen rather than a lifestyle

[Flabby14er]

Unnecessary aside. I have PCOS

[Scott Conro]

as an aside, your weight has more to do with what happens in the kitchen rather than a lifestyle

Commenting on someone’s weight without being asked is never appropriate.

Flabby, Quandary may be a bit tougher than the other 14ers you’ve done, but like others have said it is relatively easy compared to nearly every other 14er.

However, I think you make a good point that for some individuals Quandary may be a less accessible mountain than Democrat or Bierstadt or Sherman. I think that’s an important note for a variety of populations, including those coming from sea level, people living with certain disabilities or diseases, and people that are generally inactive.

[daway8]

Congratulations on getting four 14ers done despite the personal challenges you face!

As for difficulty, there's a guy on here who climbed all 58 14ers in less than 10 days and a lady who climbed 12 14ers in a 24 hour period. There are others who can barely get one peak done in 24 hours.

So to speak at all of difficulty is sort of meaningless when some folks here do what is literally impossible for others. All you can do is make comparitive statements and even then you have to realize that some people are really challenged by steep hills while others don't mind steepness as much but can't handle long distance, etc, etc.

Quandary is for certain far easier than most of the other 57 14ers but as to which particular one is the easiest, that will vary depending on which particular aspects of a climb you find most challenging. And as was said by others, even the "easy" ones are still a very good workout, especially if you're not one of the record setters I referred to above.

Anyways keep on trucking away and don't be too discouraged if this thread produces some rather negative comments since few people on here will have sympathy in terms of not calling Quandary a beginner peak. You also won't get many on board with inciting more people to this lifestyle as many on here complain frequently about how crowded the 14ers have become. But don't worry about any negative comments - just keep going on as you are.

Good luck!

[Wildernessjane]

I hope you keep getting after it and don’t get too discouraged by any negative comments you might get on here. There is a wide range of abilities on this forum and no 14ers are “easy” for someone just starting out. Good for you for putting yourself out there!

[nyker]

Whether something is "easy" is all relative.

As far as Colorado 14ers go on standard routes Quandary is one of the top five or six easier mountains to start with; now that doesn't mean anyone and everyone can just go jog up the mountain just because it's characterized as an easy 14er.

Also, nowhere is it written that you have to start with 14ers to climb a mountain or build fitness. When I first started out, my first few peaks were local in the 5,000ft range and then I worked my way up in thousand foot increments to increasing elevation to a couple of "easy" 13ers out west to gauge how I would be at altitude before I tempted my first 14er. That process took four years (limited in part by travel and logistics).

Coming from sea level any mountain 14,000 ft or higher is a hard mountain for me to do even if there's a road to the top. Altitude is altitude.

You've done good work to get up a few 14ers already. As you probably have found out, acclimatization is key as is increasing fitness as you get more comfortable hiking and climbing.

If you live in Colorado, I'd suggest climbing more 12,000-13,000 ft peaks, work on your fitness and technique, understand what gear and clothing works best for you, add on more miles and vertical gain over time and as you get more comfortable and fit, the 14ers will become easier.

Good luck and stick with it.

[TaylorHolt]

Welcome to the community, and congrats on your first four 14ers. How people define a "beginner 14er" can be very subjective. I think Quandary is in the 10 easiest 14ers, but I do think there are a handful of 14ers that are significantly easier. Do I think Quandary is a beginner 14er, yes, but if someone asks me what a good "first 14er" is, I usually say Bierstadt or Sherman rather than Quandary. So I do agree with you there.

Something like this is how I'd rank them. I'd consider them all beginner 14ers, but I do think there are tiers:

Sherman
Democrat or Bross (from Kite Lake, no Decalibron)
Bierstadt
Handies (from American Basin)

Culebra
Huron (from upper TH)
Quandary
San Luis
Grays and Torreys

Best of luck in your journey! Keep at it!

Side note: Quandary is a great beginner winter 14er (if that statement even makes sense) because of its accessibility year-round and typically packed down trail.