Pyramid Peak (4273m) is often regarded as the most beautiful of the 14’ers in Colorado. It is not as famous as its two neighbors, Maroon Bells, but the foreshortened view of the North Face is neck-binding and unlike anything else in Colorado. I personally “discovered” the peak in 2001, but had to wait 4 long years for the opportunity to climb it.

North Maroon Peak (4271m) is nestled in the heart of the Elk Range, 16 kilometres west of Aspen in Colorado. North Maroon and its slightly higher companion South Maroon form the spectacular Maroon Bells, often referred to as the "Deadly Bells". 4 years after my successful but near-disastrous climb of South Maroon, I returned to these peaks with mixed feelings.

Huron is a shapely, shy peak hidden in the heart of the Sawatch Range about halfway between Buena Vista and Independence Pass in Colorado. Huron Peak just barely rises above 14000 feet but compensates by being the Sawatch fourteener that is farthest away from a paved road.

Mount Harvard, together with its companion Mount Columbia, forms a large, high massif 18 kilometres northwest of Buena Vista. Harvard is Colorado’s third highest peak (4395m) and therefore frequently climbed. Due to a terrible snowstorm I wisely decided to postpone my climb, hoping the weather would improve the next day. And it did...

San Luis Peak (4271m) is perhaps the least climbed of Colorado’s fourteeners. The shy peak is far from everywhere and offers little technical excitement. But it is precisely San Luis’ reclusive nature that makes the peak well worth climbing, and I very much enjoyed to spend a beautiful day in solitude.

These dramatic peaks guard the San Juan’ northern edge about 15 kilometres west of Lake City in Colorado. Uncompahgre’s great height (4361m) and Wetterhorn’s classic shape make them siren sentinels. The day before I had been admiring those beautiful peaks from a distance, and I was really looking forward to an excellent outing.

I did Handies Peak before lunch, and decided to continue with Redcloud (4278m) and Sunshine Peak (4268m) in the sunny afternoon. People often do the two latter peaks in a day, but it’s quite unusual to do all three peaks in one day, as this requires more than 2100 metres gain of elevation in one day. During the long day I also added one more peak on my list, Sundog (4094m).

Handies Peak (4282m) is one of the easiest 14’ers in Colorado, but far from boring. The view from Handies’ summit is famous and spectacular and I could see mountains as far as the eye could see. Unquestionably one of my most memorable moments in the Colorado wilderness.

Wilson Peak (4272m), Mount Wilson (4342m) and El Diente (4316m) are some of Colorado’s most difficult fourteeners. My approach to these peaks were ill-fated from the first moment, and the problems included closed trailheads, morning thunderstorms, food shortage and insufficient climbing equipment.

Mount Eolus (4292m), Sunlight Peak (4285m) and Windom Peak (4292m) are the most remote of Colorado’s fourteeners. These wild, rugged peaks lie buried in the heart of the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juans. No matter how you approach these peaks, it will be a major undertaking.

Mount Shavano (4337m) is the southernmost fourteener in the Sawatch Range in Colorado, and it has a famous snow feature that resembles an angel with up stretched arms. I did not see any angels, simply because it was too late in the season. I was also disappointed to know that the shortest route to bag both Shavano and Tabaguache (4314m) was closed due to environmental concerns.

Mount Antero is the 10th highest peak in Colorado and is easily visible from the US285 highway in the Arkansas River Valley. But the mountain has a lot of scars caused by mining activities and road building, so I found it really difficult to appreciate this mountain.

Mount Princeton (4327m) is the southernmost and most visible of the Collegiate fourteeners. It rises abruptly out of the Arkansas River Valley and it’s hard to ignore the peak when driving on US285. But it can be a real challenge to find the well-hidden trailhead…

Mount Yale, like most Sawatch fourteeners, rises abruptly from its surrounding valleys. No matter how you tackle Yale, the peak will test your legs. Besides it turned out to be a very painful experience for me because of an injury in my left leg/knee.

These friendly peaks are close to Breckenridge and nowhere else in Colorado can you get so many 14’ers for so little effort. The Lincoln combination, also called The Decalibron, is a perfect ring around the cirque to bag three official 14’ers in addition to one named but not ranked 14’er (Mount Cameron).

Quandary Peak is 10 kilometres south of Breckenridge in Colorado, and it’s the Tenmile Range’s unquestionable monarch. I was planning to do a technical route on this peak, but ended up doing the crowded and straightforward normal route.

Mount Evans and Mount Bierstadt proximity to Denver, makes them exceedingly popular. To simply get away from the crowds, I opted for the seldom climbed east ridge of Mt. Bierstadt, followed by the famous (and more crowded) Sawtooth-traverse to Mt. Evans.

Long Peak may not be the highest peak in Colorado, but it's definitely the most popular. Situated in the middle of Rocky Mountains National Park this mountain really dominates the sky, high above the neighboring mountains. The normal route (Keyhole) is not very difficult, but it's quite demanding in terms of distance and altitude.

Aspen is worldwide famous because of skiing. The Maroon Bells are maybe less known by foreigners, but most Americans will recognize these peaks as the most beautiful in the States together with Denali, Mt Rainier and the Tetons. I failed to bring sufficient equipment for this climb, hence I summited late in the afternoon in a terrible thunderstorm. My worst experience ever......(this article is in Norwegian language only)