Gerry Roach's works are set apart from other authors for two reasons. First, Roach gives you the personal perspective of one man. He has climbed all of the peaks in his books and gives consistent, first hand accounts. After climbing a few of the routes in one book, I know what to expect from others. Second, Roach has made a career out of climbing in Colorado. His love of the mountains is evident and he is considered my many to the be authority on mountain climbing in the Boulder area.
I own all of his books.
In his previous edition, Roach discussed at length the criteria for including a peak on the official list. Much of this discussion has been deleted. However, the question remains. For instance, why is North Maroon Peak on the generally accepted list of 54 fourteeners? It does not meet the criteria. Why, when we look towards Mt. Elbert, do we make believe that we do not see the prominent peak on the left, Mt. Elbert-South? Look again, next time you are a few miles south of Leadville.
Roach solves the problem by suggesting that the reader go for all the peaks, not just the official 54. This and the inclusion of Challenger Point on a par with the other 54 is a not-so-subtle challenge to the orthodox point of view - if it is not on a t-shirt it does not count. Who knows, maybe someday by popular demand, the Colorado Mountain Club will add a few more to the list of 54. In the meantime, I will write-in Challenger on my fourteeners t-shirt.
