By: Deb Dion
Most mountaineers would be satisfied to stand on Mount Everest, the highest summit on earth, but local climbing legend Charlie Fowler took it in stride, moving on to attempt K2, another 8,000-meter peak.

After the relative comfort of guiding less experienced climbers, assisted by Sherpas who fixed ropes up the route and established and stocked camps, Fowler decided to take on K2 the old-fashioned way. He and climbing partner Christine Boskoff made a traditional alpine attempt without the aid of porters or supplemental oxygen. Boskoff would have been the first American woman to summit the peak if the team had not been plagued by bad weather.

Fowler’s experiences with inclement weather in Patagonia helped prepare him for the severe conditions on the infamously dangerous K2. “Climbing down there teaches you patience,” says Fowler, who waited at base camps in Pakistan during June, July and August for a break in the weather that never came.

Even after the thrill of the Everest summit, there’s still no place like home for Fowler. He lives in Norwood and has established climbing routes all over the Telluride region. “This is a fantastic place to be a climber, with year-round opportunities for mountaineering, ice climbing and rock climbing,” he says. “I’ve climbed all over the world, and it doesn’t get any better than here for the variety of experiences.”

This winter, Fowler will guide an expedition up the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Argentina’s Aconcagua.

After the relative comfort of guiding less experienced climbers, assisted by Sherpas who fixed ropes up the route and established and stocked camps, Fowler decided to take on K2 the old-fashioned way. He and climbing partner Christine Boskoff made a traditional alpine attempt without the aid of porters or supplemental oxygen. Boskoff would have been the first American woman to summit the peak if the team had not been plagued by bad weather.

Fowler’s experiences with inclement weather in Patagonia helped prepare him for the severe conditions on the infamously dangerous K2. “Climbing down there teaches you patience,” says Fowler, who waited at base camps in Pakistan during June, July and August for a break in the weather that never came.

Even after the thrill of the Everest summit, there’s still no place like home for Fowler. He lives in Norwood and has established climbing routes all over the Telluride region. “This is a fantastic place to be a climber, with year-round opportunities for mountaineering, ice climbing and rock climbing,” he says. “I’ve climbed all over the world, and it doesn’t get any better than here for the variety of experiences.”

This winter, Fowler will guide an expedition up the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Argentina’s Aconcagua.

Telluride Visitor Guide