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Was just wondering what peoples opinions or guesses were as to how many finishers there really are (roughly)?
As of 10/11/24, this site has 1907 finishers of the 53 and 1694 of the 58. As of 8/27/2024 the CMC has 2199 for their list of 54 dating all the way back to 1911 (wow!).
There has to be a number of people who have finished (regardless of list 53, 54, 58, etc) that for various reasons have not entered a completed list to be accounted for.
What are your opinions/thoughts as to how many 'more' there really are? 1.5X? Double?
"Every man dies, not every man really lives" - William Wallace
"Because it's there" - George Mallory
"In the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years" - Abraham Lincoln
"You only live once but if you do it right, once is enough" - Mae West
"Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world." - David McCullough Jr.
I'd guess around 2200 (CMC number). The reason is that it seems only about half report to CMC or 14ers.com, but only about half of the so called finishers finished Sunlight so it balances out.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
I will quote a reliable source on many things related to CO mountains: Gerry Roach.
Colorado 14ers: From Hikes to Climbs, 1999 edition:
"The number of people who have climbed all the 14ers is approaching 1000."
Colorado 14ers: From Hikes to Climbs, 2011 edition:
"The number of people who have climbed all the 14ers is approaching 3000."
Extrapolating (which isn't always an accurate technique) to 2024 would mean around 5000 now, assuming Roach's numbers are accurate.
That might be a little high, but somewhere in the ballpark.
Scott P wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 10:20 am
I'd guess around 2200 (CMC number). The reason is that it seems only about half report to CMC or 14ers.com, but only about half of the so called finishers finished Sunlight so it balances out.
Define "finished Sunlight".
Touched the tippy top?
Sat on the tippy top?
Stood on the tippy top?
Headstand on the tippy top?
Scott P wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 10:20 am
I'd guess around 2200 (CMC number). The reason is that it seems only about half report to CMC or 14ers.com, but only about half of the so called finishers finished Sunlight so it balances out.
Define "finished Sunlight".
Touched the tippy top?
Sat on the tippy top?
Stood on the tippy top?
Headstand on the tippy top?
Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO
[/quote]
Carl Blaurock headstand.jpg
Sean: Do I need to go back and properly finish with a headstand?
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Last edited by Mtnman200 on Sat Oct 12, 2024 8:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Adventure without risk is not possible." - Reinhold Messner
Hahahaha, MtnMan200, definitely not.
If you ever want to take a trip to Chi Basin again though, I still need to climb Eolus and N. Eolus.
Surely there is something in that basin you haven't stood on top of?
Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO
PS. I would love to see a repeat of Super Bowl I, but it looks more likely that we could have a repeat of Super Bowl IV.
One way to estimate finishers is to look at how many Culebra hikers summited, and we have a good guess on that as the ranch would have records of payment to hike. If roughly... 90% of the hikers top Culebra, that's your answer to approx. how many people have completed the 14ers (or take another 10% from that total).
justiner wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 2:54 pm
One way to estimate finishers is to look at how many Culebra hikers summited, and we have a good guess on that as the ranch would have records of payment to hike. If roughly... 90% of the hikers top Culebra, that's your answer to approx. how many people have completed the 14ers (or take another 10% from that total).
I would think you could cut 30-40% off any number at least for people who didn't make the Sunlight Peak summit too. It's very anecdotal but in my party of 5, only 2 of us did the final pitch.
Briere wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 2:59 pm
I would think you could cut 30-40% off any number at least for people who didn't make the Sunlight Peak summit too. It's very anecdotal but in my party of 5, only 2 of us did the final pitch.
I'm somewhat putting priority on Culebra, as there is a financial hurtle (and philosophical one I guess to paying) as well as an artificial limit set by the landowner on how many can summit Culebra a year that most every other 14er does not have. I would use Culebra as the first step to slice the "14er hikers" pie up to get to the tiny wedge of "14ers hikers that have done them all".
There's nothing to stop anyone that can hike from the train stop to the summit block of Sunlight to continue the last few feet except one's belief in one's self (ie: FEAR). You can count a few hundred people doing Freeway on the Second Flatiron each weekend and that's going to be harder than Sunlight Peak. But for some reason, "being properly prepared" just hasn't ever (yet) become part of the fabric of 14er list chasers. That's I guess just a cultural thing, where hikers hike and climbers climb and the overlap just doesn't want to be broad.
Briere wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 2:59 pm
I would think you could cut 30-40% off any number at least for people who didn't make the Sunlight Peak summit too. It's very anecdotal but in my party of 5, only 2 of us did the final pitch.
I’m also very curious what percentage it would be. I think a possible way would be to randomly select a number of 58 (or ranked 53) finishers from 14ers.com and send them a non-condemning email just asking if they went to the very top of Sunlight (maybe a few other questions, too). It might be slightly skewed toward having a bit higher proportion of Sunlight completers than the general population if people here are more anal about reaching the very top than the average 14er finisher, but it might provide a good estimate. Then could multiply that proportion by the estimated total number of finishers.
My (anecdotal) guess is also that age is inversely related to the probability of someone reaching the very top of Sunlight. Could very well be only half the people who approach Sunlight go to the very top, which might be similar for “14er finishers” as well.
climbingcue wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 4:10 pm
How to video for sunlight
