Gerry Roach

Gerry Roach is an American mountaineer and author based in Colorado, born Gerard Allyn Roach in Glendale, California. After his family moved to Boulder in 1954 he took up rock climbing and mountaineering, and in 1957 he climbed Mount Massive, his first Colorado fourteener. In 1975 he became the 165th person to climb all 54 Colorado fourteeners recognised by the Colorado Mountain Club. His expeditions include Denali in 1963, the 1976 American Bicentennial Everest Expedition, Manaslu in 1978, and a successful Everest summit in 1983 as the 12th American to reach the top. In 1985 he summited Mount Vinson, which made him the second person to climb the seven summits, and in 2000 he reached the summit of Mount St. Elias, making him the first person to climb the 10 highest peaks in North America. He has written climbing guidebooks and was given the Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award in 2005.