Eleven years ago, Norwood, Colorado residents Charlie Fowler and Christine Boskoff died while climbing a peak on the border of China and Tibet. Now, two peaks in Colorado may become part of their legacy.
The Fowler and Boskoff Peak Designation Act seeks to name two previously unnamed peaks, each over 13,000 feet, in their honor. The mountains are in the San Juan range on the border of San Miguel and Dolores counties in southwest Colorado. The act passed the U.S. House without opposition last month and awaits a vote in the U.S. Senate.
Fowler and Boskoff were accomplished mountaineers who had climbed many of the world's highest peaks before their lives ended in an avalanche or icefall on relatively easy Genyen Peak. They had also become well-known for their philanthropy in the places they traveled, pushing for the rights of sherpas and porters, and promoting gender equality and more education for women. They were both strong advocates for wilderness and the environment.
Friends and family of the couple had pushed for years to honor the spirit and memory of Fowler and Boskoff. The bill was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, in the House. Colorado's two senators, Republican Cory Gardner and Democrat Michael Bennet, introduced the measure in the senate.
Arlene Burns, a friend of Fowler and Boskoff who led a month-long Telluride-based search effort for the pair after their disappearance, talks with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner.
