a·foot 2026 · colorado hiking group

As the 2025 summer fourteener season comes to an end, it is time to begin planning for next year. If you are new to the fourteeners and hope to explore them in 2026, this class is for you.

“Perhaps there’s no better act of simplification than climbing a mountain. For an afternoon, a day, or a week, it’s a way of reducing a complicated life into a simple goal. All you have to do is take one step at a time, place one foot in front of the other, and refuse to turn back until you’ve given everything you have.” ― Ken Ilgunas

Comments from previous attendees:

"Very thorough and very engaging presentation. Excellent use of web and presentation technology. And, very educational!"

Join presenter Bernard Tibbetts as he introduces you to the peaks in Colorado over 14,000 feet. Known as the Colorado Fourteeners, they provide amazing alpine experiences for thousands of people each year at all experience levels: hikers, backpackers, rock climbers and seasoned mountaineers alike.

Bernard will:

• Introduce you to the Colorado mountain ranges and groups where the Fourteeners are located.
• Discuss "first Fourteener" options.
• Explain how to research route and trailhead locations.
• Explain route ratings and use them to assess route difficulty.
• Present checklists for obtaining proper gear and clothing.
• Discuss ideas for getting fit for the Fourteeners.

Bernard Tibbetts has summited all of the Colorado Fourteeners and has been leading Fourteener hikes for over 10 years.

Why does a Marmot Precip jacket costs $100 and an Arc'teryx Alpha SV jacket costs 900? They're both just rain jackets. Right?

Technical clothing is designed to keep you dry and comfortable and to protect you from the elements when exploring the outdoors. But understanding the concepts and the technology can be daunting. Your instructor, Bernard Tibbetts, will take the mystery out of shopping for outdoor technical clothing so that you can be confident in your purchases and save money to boot.

By applying what you learn in this class to future clothing and gear purchases, you will recoup your investment in this class many times over.

This class will teach you the following:

• Poor weather or just poor clothing choices?
• The layering principle.
• Evaluating clothing properties such as insulation, wicking, sun protection, breathability, water protection and wind protection.
• Understanding the various water proofing methods.
• How to prioritize your purchases and build your layers over time.
• When is cotton appropriate for the outdoors?

Your instructor, Bernard Tibbets, had been an outdoor leader and instructor for over a decade and is committed to empowering others to get outdoors and lead their own adventures.

This is the follow-up class for the Beginner's Guide to the Colorado Fourteeners. I will take the researching and planning concepts discussed in the first class and apply them to a mock trip using La Plata Peak as my example.

In this class, you will learn:

• How to use 14ers.com to explore, analyze and choose a route.
• How to download routes from 14ers.com.
• How to upload routes into other apps.
• How to analyze route terrain in CalTopo.
• How to analyze your chosen mountain in Google Earth desktop and mobile.
• How to use the 14ers.com mobile app.
• How to plan for lodging and / or camping.
• How to plan for après hiking activities.
• How to write an itinerary.
• And more...

This is a comprehensive class that will help you plan a safe and enjoyable hike up some of the most spectacular mountains in the US.

Your instructor, Bernard Tibbetts, has climbed all the Colorado Fourteeners and has been an outdoor instructor for over ten years.