Many hikers set out to hike all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers—sought-after summits above 14,000 feet in elevation—but only one Coloradan, 27-year-old Erin Ton, is doing it in high heels. So far, Ton has knocked out 24 of the peaks in her three-inch sandals and plans to tick off the rest over the coming summers. At first, the project was just for fun. But over time, it’s become a statement about defying stereotypes.
Ton hiked her first-ever 14er, Mount Elbert, back in 2018. “At the time, it was the hardest thing I had ever done,” she says. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. “There’s something so satisfying about challenging yourself to go through a hard time, and then [experiencing] that overwhelming sense of satisfaction once you get to the summit. I was hooked.” An avid trail runner, she started doing them faster and faster, concocting new linkups and chasing speed records. In 2023, she very nearly notched an overall 14er record, bagging 57 summits in just two weeks. (However, her decision to skip 14,053-foot Culebra Peak cost her the record—and sparked backlash among the FKT community.)
The heel thing started well before that, though, as a joke between Ton and her friends. They hypothesized that the leverage of a high heel could help counteract the incline of a steep slope, alleviating strain on the feet. Theoretically, it would be similar to using a heel riser while backcountry skiing, or a trail shoe with a very, very high midsole drop. In 2020, Ton put this hypothesis to the test, paying homage to her first ascent of Mount Elbert by doing it again—but this time in high heels.
It was never Ton’s intention to turn her ascents into a social movement for women in the outdoors. “I thought Mount Elbert would just be one and done, but my sister, Hannah, was intrigued by the idea, and joined me for a couple of popular summits in heels, and we just had so much fun doing it.” Ton decided to make it a goal to finish all the 14ers again—but this time in heels. She started working her way down the list, bagging a few summits each summer. Typically, she’d hike the ascents in her heels and dress, snap a photo at the summit, and then change into a pair of trail runners for the descents.
Then the media took notice. A news story in The Gazette ran a photo of Ton in high heels and a short red skirt, and it kicked off a wave of criticism. “I got some not-so-positive feedback, mostly from a male audience,” Ton says. Commenters questioned her competence and her sanity.
“It lit a fire under me,” Ton said. “I don’t need your input on what I should be doing with my body when I feel completely safe out there.” So, Ton continued making high-heeled ascents and posting about them on social media.
“I’ve had numerous women reach out to me saying it’s inspired them to wear what they want in the outdoors. All too often, women are siloed into one category, but being outdoorsy and feminine aren’t mutually exclusive,” she explained. “I’m showing you can be both as a woman.”
As for the original hypothesis? Hiking in heels likely doesn’t make mountaineering any easier, Ton says. And it does have the potential to be hard on the lower legs.
“At first I thought I was going to roll my ankles, but I really haven’t had that big of an issue,” Ton says. In fact, she thinks all the high-heeled hiking has helped boost her ankle stability over time. The blisters, on the other hand, aren’t so easy to shrug off. Often, she’ll hike with socks beneath her heels. She also takes Band-Aids and other first-aid supplies with her on every ascent.
The model of shoe she chose was equally calculated. She started in a pair of sturdy $25 heels from Target, until an Italian shoe brand, Mink, reached out and created a custom heel for her. “My current pair has lasted me the past two summers, and I took them on some pretty technical peaks, including Capitol Peak,” Ton says. Fortunately, they’re also cute enough to do double-duty.
“I’ve gone to a couple of weddings in recent years where I don’t have any other heels to wear,” she laughs. So, she wore her dirty, beat-up hiking heels.
Ton is proof that you really can do both. And, apparently, so can your shoes.
