As a two-time World Extreme Skiing Champion and tireless proponent of extreme downhill skiing, Chris Davenport has already claimed a spot in the annals of mountainsport history. Now, the man known as “DAV” is ready to rewrite the record books entirely.
Davenport’s ambitious plan is to become the first person ever to ski all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks – there are fifty-four – in a single season. Only one other skier (Hall of Famer Lou Dawson) has ever completed the same itinerary, taking fourteen years to do so. Davenport hopes to accomplish the feat in a mere six months, and with style: “I will at all times endeavor to choose the most aesthetic and challenging line I can safely descend,” he vows. “I will never choose the easy way down.”World champion
Born in 1971, Davenport grew up in Massachusetts and began skiing at the age of four on family outings to nearby New Hampshire. When he found himself feeling jaded as a collegiate competitor in traditional Alpine downhill events, he started skiing the backcountry. "In 1994 I showed up for the U.S. Extreme Skiing Championships and realized that I still loved the focus and intensity that comes with competition," he remembers. "So I kept doing these contests, never thinking it would lead to anything but a whole lot of fun."
In 1996, fun turned into a career when Davenport won the World Extreme Skiing Championship, finished second at 24 Hours of Aspen, and emerged victorious at the New Zealand Heli Challenge. As the sport blazed new trails, so did Davenport. In 2000 he finished on the podium in each Freeskiing World Tour event he entered, and he claimed his second World Championship with a dominating performance at Red Bull Snow Thrill in Alaska. Davenport was heading into a new millennium (not to mention his thirties) in high gear.
While Davenport has continued to take accolades – earning the Red Bull UltraCross Championship, winning three Powder Magazine Reader Poll Awards, finishing first at Red Bull Hike and Ride, and so on – he has also taken responsibility for advocating and advancing mountainsports. Davenport has been featured in over a dozen ski films (including a new release called The Hit List), he’s a reporter and commentator for television, and he contributes to a number of ski publications. He’s also an avid cyclist and thrives on epic, high-altitude rides. Through the company he founded, Davenport Mountainsports Inc., the athlete entrepreneur organizes competitions and events, leads adventure skiing trips, and markets gear such as KASK hats. It’s no surprise when Davenport claims that he "likes to pack as many rad experiences into every day as possible."
But can he really pack fifty-four 14ers into a single season?
“Problem” solver
Skiing all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks in a single season has been called "Colorado’s last great problem," and Davenport may be just the man to solve it. "By far, the biggest obstacle to success in the past has been time and money," he acknowledges. "I would be the first ‘pro’ skier to give it a shot, meaning I have the time to focus on the objective and the financial backing from sponsors to make it happen in the very best way. To pull the feat off, you have to be ready and able to go at any moment, when the various storm tracks in Colorado are firing and leaving conditions ripe."
Davenport doesn’t want to make the project a "game of rules," but he has outlined a few guidelines, including descending from the highest point possible (in almost all cases, the summit). As always, he is meticulous in preparation. "When it comes to skiing the gnarly stuff, there is no substitute for good planning," he nods. "Skiing is a beautiful and amazing sport, but it can most certainly kill you, so I don’t mess around when it comes to planning and executing my runs."
The athlete’s goals for the adventure are twofold: first, and most simply, he wants to accomplish what others have not; but also, he hopes to maximize media exposure for the project and the sport. The attempt, which will likely span a January-through-June timetable, will be documented on a website, www.skithe14ers.com, and some of the world’s most noted outdoor photographers will shoot the descents. (Expect one hella gorgeous coffee table book when it’s all said and done.)
"There are very few ‘firsts’ left in the world of skiing, and this one is virtually in my back yard," notes Davenport, who lives with his wife and two sons in the heart of Colorado. "I hope to inspire and motivate a new generation of all-mountain skiers: those young people who love ski resorts, but love equally the thrill of the backcountry and the experience of skiing from a big summit."
Chris Davenport
