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alwaysforward
Oct 5, 2004, 12:30 AM
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So what's so good about this guy? Why is he so famous/admired/considered "world's greatest" by so many people?
I've read his climbing resume at www.alexlowe.org and it's impresive, but why does he stand out so much? His attitude?
Any stories, anecdotes, resources, reasons.... anybody??
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marcel
Oct 5, 2004, 1:11 AM
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In reply to: So what's so good about this guy? Why is he so famous/admired/considered "world's greatest" by so many people? I've read his climbing resume at www.alexlowe.org and it's impresive, but why does he stand out so much? His attitude? Any stories, anecdotes, resources, reasons.... anybody??
Why was he so good might be a better question at this point.
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alwaysforward
Oct 5, 2004, 3:39 AM
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Fair enough. Is that another reason he might be so famous - untimely (?) death at the height of his career?
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prezwoodz
Oct 5, 2004, 3:54 AM
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maybe this will help ya out a little bit
from a website
Is There Anything This Guy Can't Climb?
His hard-won climb in early August of Great Trango Tower by the Northwest Face adds yet another layer to the growing and almost mythic legend of Alex Lowe. In four weeks of climbing, Lowe led the small team of Mark Synnott and Jared Ogden up more than 6,000 feet on one of the world's most daunting big walls, in Pakistan's Karakoram Range. The feat left many climbers shaking their heads and asking, "Is there anything that guy can't climb?"
"There's Alex Lowe up here," said two-time Everest summiter Dave Hahn, "and then there's the rest of us down here. The guy's just really that much better than everybody else."
"'Is it an accident I started climbing?' he asks, smiling. 'Well, in some ways, everything in life's an accident, right? It's just sort of the path you walk down and the things you stumble into that determines what you do with your life...'"
Journalist Jon Krakauer, author of the bestselling Into Thin Air, agrees. After a climbing trip to Antarctica's Queen Maud Land in 1996, Krakauer wrote, "We relied utterly on Alex," to complete a new route, and in fact only Conrad Anker could swap leads with Lowe. "We're all at this one level," Anker himself once said to a reporter, "and then there's Alex."
But Lowe takes issue with that view, and he does so in his polite, down-home Montana-boy way.
"I sort of steer clear of the whole "World's Best Climber" stuff," Lowe told MountainZone.com. "It's a sort of hype, really, and climbing just doesn't lend itself to that. There might be a fastest runner, or a highest jumper—you can measure that, quantify that. But climbing is different. It's just too subjective. And it's a lifestyle, it's not a sport. So I don't really think there is such a thing as a 'best climber.' There are certainly talented climbers, and there are persistent, sort of anal climbers, you know? They just can't give up. And those are the ones that sort of go on and do lots of climbs, and harder climbs. Those are the people who just can't shake it off. That's what I am."
Alex Lowe,
Sail Peak
[click]
(photo: Gordon Wiltsie)
Even if he takes on the role reluctantly, Lowe will have an increasingly difficult time dodging the rap of world's best. His resume of hard alpine climbs stands out among the achievements of other modern climbers. Just his recent highlights include Kwangde Nup, north face, new route, 5.10, A-3; Kusum Kanguru, north face, new route, solo, both in Nepal. In Alaska, Lowed pulled off a one-day first ascent of Hunter's Moonflower Buttress; in his beloved Antarctica, Lowe's made numerous first ascents, including Mount Scott, south face, Rakekniven, Queen Maud Land, Minaret, Ellsworth Range; and in Baffin Island, he made the first ascent of Sail Peak with other members of The North Face climbing team.
Of course, that list overlooks climbs such as his solo ascent of the North Face of the Matterhorn, and more than a dozen big wall climbs in Yosemite. With his bona fides established beyond question, the real wonder may be that Alex Lowe's fame is not even greater. While he may be America's most famous climber, people who aren't climbers still tend to draw a blank at the mention of his name. That can be contrasted with Europe, where climbers such as Reinhold Messner are truly household names.
On this, Lowe said, "Here's my philosophy. I just think that in countries like Switzerland, France and Italy, mountains are normal to people. In the United States, mountains are a small part of the country. People in Nebraska and Iowa, they sort of write off all climbers as this fringe element of sort of suicidal characters. But in Europe, climbers are normal. In fact, that's what Swiss families do: they hire a guide and go climbing, generation after generation. Alpinism is a household sport, the way "normal" sports—you know, basketball and football—are here. Those people are considered the real athletes. But climbing is sort of getting there, it's getting more understood, more accepted in our society. It's just been that way for a lot longer in Europe."
As Lowe forges new ground in terms of "mountain athletes," what's remarkable is his innate ability to maintain his equanimity despite the hype that swirls around him. He remains, in person, utterly disarming and without affectation. This unique quality, an unshakable sense of self, is probably the result of a childhood in which his native mountains of Montana became his natural playground, and his family his tutors. Alex Lowe is nothing if not well grounded.
"Is it an accident I started climbing?" he asks, smiling. "Well, in some ways, everything in life's an accident, right? It's just sort of the path you walk down and the things you stumble into that determines what you do with your life. I guess that it's all sort of circumstantial that my parents chose to live in Montana, and they loved to hike. That's what we did. We didn't pack up the station wagon and go to Disneyland; we packed our backpacks and went off the Bear Tooth Wilderness or the Missions or the Bob Marshall. I have all these great memories of growing up a kid and trying to keep up with my dad and my mom and my brothers with this big pack on my back.
"Nearly every corner you look around in Antarctica has uncharted climbing territory to be explored. It's just phenomenal. When we went to Queen Maud Land in '96, it was the most dramatic landscape I've ever seen...."
"My dad did a little scrambling, so we'd set up camp at a mountain lake, fish for the evening and the next day we'd sort of scramble up a peak. For some reason, I really liked that. Montana at the time was sort of a backwater for climbing, but there were a few kids in high school who liked it as much as I did. So we went off and got some ropes and started climbing around on more technical peaks.
"My beginnings were very traditional, especially compared with today's kids, who start out on plastic and get incredibly strong and then, maybe, move into the mountains."
By the time he was ready for Yosemite, in the late '70s, Lowe had been climbing—in tennis shoes— 5.8s and 5.9s, and "falling off of 5.10s." But when he finally arrived at Yosemite, this Montana boy was not awed by what he saw there. He was ready.
"By then," Lowe says, "I had the bug real bad. I knew I was going to keep climbing. So it wasn't like 'wow, here's this big scene, this thing called climbing.' I knew where I was going, I knew what I was looking for, so I just climbed."
And climb he did, right up the walls, into the big leagues and onto the most remote mountains on earth. But the place that haunts him still is Antarctica. Multiple expeditions there have left him with a yearning for more.
"People ask me all the time," he says, "'What's your favorite climb? What's the best climb you've ever done?' And, of course, that's an impossible question. They're all my favorites for different reasons."
Alex Lowe,
Antarctica
[click]
(photo: Gordon Wiltsie)
"But Antarctica has a special sort of tug on my heart strings. It's the last true wilderness left on the planet, in my opinion. There's just so much to do there. Nearly every corner you look around in Antarctica has uncharted climbing territory to be explored. It's just phenomenal. When we went to Queen Maud Land in '96, it was the most dramatic landscape I've ever seen. One of the things that strikes me is the simplicity. It's just these grand spires that are absolutely vertical in the otherwise absolutely horizontal flat land of ice. It's unbelievable! There are no foothills, just these amazing spires that penetrate through the 5,000 foot ice cap, which sort of begs the question of how big they really are. A little more global warming and they'll be even more impressive. And the great attribute that appeals to me, and I think most climbers, is that they are unexplored. In just about any direction you look there are things that haven't been climbed. And there's something about the remoteness and the stillness and the sort of sterile nature of that whole continent that's just captivating."
Lowe fondly recalls his climb there in 1996 as one of the most enjoyable he has done.
"Most flights originated in Chile, but if you haul out the globe and take a look you see that Queen Maud Land is geographically closer to the tip of Africa. So we took off from Cape Town and flew 1,200 miles across the Southern Ocean and landed on bare, blue ice. Just landing there was amazing. Then it was another 75 miles by Twin Otter out to the Rakekniven, which is Norwegian for 'shaving razor.' And when the guy dumped us there and took off, you know you're alone. It's the most empty, quiet, still place, a place where nothing has happened for a long time and nothing's going to happen for a long time to come. It's just sort of infinite. There's no place like it on earth."
With the freedom to climb wherever he wants, thanks to the title he doesn't want of world's greatest climber, repeat trips to Antarctica are definitely on his to do list. But first there's the matter this fall of climbing Shisha Pangma in Tibet with Conrad Anker and other members of the North Face climbing team. The 8,000 meter mountain has two distinct summits, and many people who claim to have climbed it climb only to the lower spire. Lowe and Anker hope not only to climb to it's highest point, but to ski down the peak as well.
"It's been a passionate goal of mine," says Lowe, "to ski off an 8,000 meter peak. I guess there's a lot of people sort of looking to do this and try to ski off Everest. But for me, it's got to be an aesthetic and quality run. And Shisha Pangma has the best ski line of any of the 8,000 meter peaks. It's just an absolutely straight shot right down the Southwest Face. That's going to be a good one."
Lowe's greatest accomplishment so far, however, may not be Trango Tower or Sail Peak in Baffin Island, but his ability to balance his world-class climbing with the demands of being a husband and father. Lowe lives in Bozeman, Montana, with his wife Jennifer and three sons, Max, Sam and Isaac. The man is well and truly torn between his love for his family and his passion to climb.
"It's the hardest thing I do," he says frankly, of the challenge he faces to raise his kids and still take on the unreal risks of the kind of climbing he does. "My family is the most rewarding thing in my life. I think, like so many things in life, it's the ones that require you to give up some of your desires that ultimately you reap the greatest benefits and greatest happiness from. I would let climbing slide away if I had to to maintain my relationship with my family. Because it really is the big adventure."
— Peter Potterfield, MountainZone.com Staff
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prezwoodz
Oct 5, 2004, 3:56 AM
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oh and tthis should about sum it up
Alex Lowe Climbing Resume
send this page to a friend
Alex Lowe 1958 - 1999
* First ascent of the 6000-foot northwest face of Great Trango Tower (5.11 A4), Karakoram, Pakistan, one of the world's longest big-wall climbs, with Jared Ogden and Mark Synnott, summer 1999.
* New route on the east face of Mount Huntington with Doug Chabot, spring 1999.
* "Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash" (5.10, A4+), Great Sail Peak, Baffin Island, with Ogden, Synnott, Greg Child, Gordon Wiltsie, John Catto, 1997.
* First ascent of the 2500-foot Rakekniven in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, with Conrad Anker, Gordon Wiltsie, Mike Graber, Rick Ridgeway, Jon Krakauer, 1997.
* First free ascent of 4000-foot west face of Peak 4810 (5.12b) in the Ak-Su range of Kyrgyzstan, with Lynn Hill, 1995.
* Summited Mount Everest in 1993 and 1990, guiding South Col Route (first to do so as a commercial guide).
* Two hard new routes in Nepal: Kusum Kanguru (20,900, 5.9 solo, in 17 hours), 1990; and Kwangde Nup (20,300, 5.11, A3), with Steve Swenson, 1989.
* Other expeditions: K2, China, 1986; Gasherbrum IV, Pakistan, 1992; Aconcogua, Argentina,1993 and 1994; Kangshung Face, Mount Everest, Tibet, 1994; Annapurna, 1996.
* First ascents of hardest mixed routes in North America in 1996: "Troubled Dreams" ("underrated" Grade 7 start to "Replicant"), Canadian Rockies, with Dave Bangert; "Bloody Mary" (M7, perhaps harder), Adirondacks, New York, with Randy Rackcliffe; "Champin' at the Bit," (Grade 8), "Champney Falls," New Hampshire; "Aberrant Behavior," (M7), Vail, Colorado.
* Winner of the Khan-Tengri Peak Speed Ascent International Competition, climbed up and down a 10,000-foot route on the 23,000-foot Khan Tengri, Kyrghyzstan, in a record 10 hours 30 minutes, 1993.
* First ascent of "Prophet on a Stick" (WI 7), Provo Canyon, Utah, with Mark Twight and George Jamison, 1992.
* Unrepeated ice routes such as "The Mean Streak" (M7 X) in Cody, Wyoming, and "The Matriarch" (5.10+ WI 7 X), in Hyalite Canyon, Montana; many new routes in those areas, such as "Come and Get It" (M7), with Tom Sciolino, Hyalite.
* On-sighted three 5.12d sport routes including "Too Young to Care," American Fork, Utah; also "SuperCrack" (5.12c/d), Shawangunks, New York, and many 5.12c's.
* Over 20 wall climbs including "Lost in America" (A4), "Atlantic Ocean Wall" (A5), "On the Waterfront," and "The Nose" in a day (Grade VI, A2) with George Lowe, all in Yosemite; "Up From the Skies" (A5) at Squamish, British Columbia; and walls in Bugaboos, Canada, and Wind Rivers, Wyoming.
* Record time for the Tetons Grand Traverse, climbing up and down seven peaks (12,300 elevation gain) in 8 hours 15 minutes, 1991; record still holds.
* First winter ascent of the "Northwest Chimney" (IV, 5.9) on the Grand Teton, with Renny Jackson, 1991.
* First ski descent of northwest couloir of Middle Teton, July 17, 1992 with Stephen Koch.
* First ski descent of Enclosure Couloir of Grand Teton, July 5, 1994 with Andrew McLean.
* First ski descent of Beckey Couloir on Glacier Peak in the Beartooths, Spring 1998, with Andrew McLean.
* Many ski descents in Wasatch * Solo link of "Guides Wall" to Storm Point, Symmetry Spire "southwest ridge," Cube Point "east ridge," and Baxter's Pinnacle, late 1980s. * Soloed the North Face of the Grand Teton in a record 18 hours car to car, winter 1991; beat his own record in 1993, doing a variation of the "Root Canal" up the North Face in 15 hours car to car. Records hold.
* First winter ascents of "South Buttress Right," "South Buttress Direct," and "Laughing Lion Falls" on Mount Moran, Tetons, all with Jack Tackle, in 1984-86.
* Soloed the "Root Canal" (WI 5), at the time one of the most difficult mixed ice routes in the Tetons, 1993.
* Third place in Snowbird International Sport Climbing competition, open class, 1989; semifinalist at national competition, 1991.
* First one-day ascent of the "Andromeda Strain" (Grade V, 5.9 A2 WI 5), with Chris Hassig, Canadian Rockies, 1983.
* Second ascent and first alpine-style ascent of West Buttress of Taulliraju, with Jeff Lowe; soloed new route on South Face of Huandoy Este, Cordillera Blanca, Peru, 1983.
* Soloed the North Face of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc's "Super Couloir," Alps, year unknown at press time.
* Member: American Mountain Guides Association; American Alpine Club (winner of prestigious Underhill award), participated in AAC-BMC Rock Climbing Exchange to England in 1981.
* Nicknames: "The White Knight," "The Lung with Legs" (actually "El Puman con Piernas," so named by a Spaniard after Lowe climbed the 2300-foot Aconcogua in two days while carrying heavy loads), "The Mutant," "The Secret Weapon."
* Best description: from Barry Blanchard in 1985, to Dave Cheesmond, worried that their North Pillar of North Twin goal might get scooped. "George [Lowe] is comin,' man! George is coming and he's going for the Pillar and he's bringing Alex! If you bring Alex, it's cheating!"
* Recent highlight: a three-day ascent of Grand Teton with son Max, 10, summer 1999: "We had a ball ... He made me mighty proud and I look forward to many more such days in the mountains."
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mbg
Oct 5, 2004, 4:09 AM
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Alex Lowe is and was a legend because, more than being one of the world’s best all around climbers into his 40's, he was also one of the nicest people you could ever meet. There aren't many people who climb 8,000 m peaks with ease, solo laps on rock up to 5.12, make exceptionally serious big wall FAs in remote locations and are pace setters for the ice/mixed climbing crowd. Still, with all his talent, he'd happily tie in with climbers of all abilities and enjoy it just the same.
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coylec
Oct 5, 2004, 4:25 AM
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This bears repeating: "* Best description: from Barry Blanchard in 1985, to Dave Cheesmond, worried that their North Pillar of North Twin goal might get scooped. "George [Lowe] is comin,' man! George is coming and he's going for the Pillar and he's bringing Alex! If you bring Alex, it's cheating!""
And, unlike a lot of 'good' climbers I've met who are complete douches, I've never heard anyone say that Alex Lowe was anything less than an exceptional person.
coylec
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epic_ed
Oct 5, 2004, 4:28 AM
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Mountainzone.com was covering the ascent he made with Jared Ogden and Mark Synott of Trango Tower just about the time I was getting into climbing. Reading Alex's candid insight and perspective while in the middle of such an incredible challenge was like seeing through a window into his soul. The nature of his character was very clear, and I have never been inspired by anyone as much before or since. I had never cried over the loss of someone I never met, but I did on October 6th, 1999 when I heard the news.
From the indications of every eulogy I've read about Alex, his humility and character dwarfed his climbing ability and physical talents. He inspired a lot of people to challenge themselves, to push their limits and, most importantly, suck the marrow out of life. He's a man who I've never met whose influence played a large part in the direction my life has gone the past several years.
Ed
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gottarock
Oct 5, 2004, 4:35 AM
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according to your signature - WHAT and HOW you climb has become very important.
Alex Lowe used to say that the best climber is the one having the most fun.
too many climbers seem to be only concerned with numbers anymore...
I agree with the late Mr. Lowe... its more important to have fun.
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funtimes
Oct 5, 2004, 5:35 AM
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"the green mutant", super strong, 400 chin ups
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sandbag
Oct 5, 2004, 7:28 AM
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In reply to: So what's so good about this guy? Why is he so famous/admired/considered "world's greatest" by so many people? I've read his climbing resume at www.alexlowe.org and it's impresive, but why does he stand out so much? His attitude? Any stories, anecdotes, resources, reasons.... anybody??
At the risk of sounding like a complete tool, (mind you now in harmony with you my friend)
Because you cant do most of what he did, just like the rest of us....
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alwaysforward
Oct 5, 2004, 10:22 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: So what's so good about this guy? Why is he so famous/admired/considered "world's greatest" by so many people? I've read his climbing resume at www.alexlowe.org and it's impresive, but why does he stand out so much? His attitude? Any stories, anecdotes, resources, reasons.... anybody?? At the risk of sounding like a complete tool, (mind you now in harmony with you my friend) Because you cant do most of what he did, just like the rest of us....
Ahhh... it was an honest question, not trying to doubt the guy. I'd read his climbing resume, interviews, etc etc - whatever showed up on google - and asked for more. I've read about prolific, bold and succesful climbers before but Alex Lowe seems to have a special place in the psyche of North American climbers. I wondered why.
Now, onto more productive things. Anyone know of any literature about his expeditions? He was in Antarctica with Krakauer and Baffin Island with Greg Child - did those guys maybe right anything?
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mbg
Oct 5, 2004, 1:07 PM
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There were a couple National Geographic articles published in the late 90's on expeditions he was part of. One was on a trip to Anatarctica (written by Krakauer, I think) and another was about a wall he did on Baffin.
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fitzontherocks
Oct 5, 2004, 1:37 PM
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I certainly never met the guy, but was amazed by everything I read about him. The last paragraph of that story really stands out to me, as a husband and father. I know how difficult it is to balance climbing and family (I'm feeling guilt pangs right now about a trip to Eldo this weekend).
I was also impressed with the friendship between Anker and Lowe. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Conrad witness that avalanche kill Alex? And didn't Conrad end up marrying Alex's widow... and starting the Alex Lowe Foundation? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?
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usmc_2tothetop
Oct 5, 2004, 3:24 PM
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Definately buy "Into Thin Air". I'm reading it right now. John explains the "resume" of some of these people and the things they have done are just amazing. Alex Lowe is right up there if not the top. His passion for exploration was just amazing. Outside magazine did an article on Anker and his best friends death. but yea check out that book.
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atpeaceinbozeman
Oct 5, 2004, 4:03 PM
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There has been recent news articles about naming an unnamed peak after him in the hyalite area here in Bozeman...
link:
http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/09/07/news/02lowe.txt
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funtimes
Oct 5, 2004, 4:24 PM
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"I was also impressed with the friendship between Anker and Lowe. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Conrad witness that avalanche kill Alex? And didn't Conrad end up marrying Alex's widow... and starting the Alex Lowe Foundation? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?"
yes, yes and yes (anker was the only member of the team that survived the avalanche)
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mbg
Oct 5, 2004, 4:29 PM
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In reply to: "I was also impressed with the friendship between Anker and Lowe. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Conrad witness that avalanche kill Alex? And didn't Conrad end up marrying Alex's widow... and starting the Alex Lowe Foundation? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?" yes, yes and yes (anker was the only member of the team that survived the avalanche)
Actually, Alex and a guy from Aspen, CO (Dave Bridges, if I remember correctly) were the only two on the Shisha Pangma expidition who perished.
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funtimes
Oct 5, 2004, 8:37 PM
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it was a 6 man team, which split int two groups of three to do some reconnaissance, the avalanch struck the group of Lowe, Conrad Anker, and Dave Bridges.
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alwaysforward
Oct 5, 2004, 9:04 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: "I was also impressed with the friendship between Anker and Lowe. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Conrad witness that avalanche kill Alex? And didn't Conrad end up marrying Alex's widow... and starting the Alex Lowe Foundation? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?" yes, yes and yes (anker was the only member of the team that survived the avalanche) Actually, Alex and a guy from Aspen, CO (Dave Bridges, if I remember correctly) were the only two on the Shisha Pangma expidition who perished.
Bingo. It was a large expedition and during the avalanche Lowe, Bridges and Anker were out as a trio, and were walking in that order. A mature serac calved and caused the avalanche, they all ran in different directions and Anker was the only one to survive, albeit not without injuries.
Still I don't think my question has really been answered yet. I would like to state again I am aware of his abilities, his climbing resume etc - high level rock onsights, hard aid, cutting edge mixed climbs and alpine prowess etc - but I don't think that's why he's so famous. Hell, there are other climbers who have obscene ticklists as well but they just don't the recognition and admiration that Lowe does.
What is it that makes him so much more important or ntoable than other strong climbers?
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fitzontherocks
Oct 5, 2004, 9:16 PM
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My guess is that he was "just one of those people." Just an incredibly nice, humble, friendly, giving, talented, warm, accomplished, wicked-bad climber. Isn't that enough?
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bishopclimber
Oct 6, 2004, 8:46 PM
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there is also the story of Alex's rescue of some Koreans(I think) on Denali. He actually carried one of the injured people on his shoulders.
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eekeek
Oct 6, 2004, 8:52 PM
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In reply to: Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Conrad witness that avalanche kill Alex? And didn't Conrad end up marrying Alex's widow... and starting the Alex Lowe Foundation? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?
From what I've read, I think Conrad and Alex were on the same trip. As to him marrying his widow (he gave a slide show and he spoke about it in brief), they waited two years and got married. When you think about it, why not? It's the love of life and exploration that brought them all together.
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petsfed
Oct 6, 2004, 9:04 PM
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Alex Lowe is remembered for a synergy of things: ability, personality, and drive. And he's dead. Marc Twight is an incredibly skilled and driven climber. He's also an ass and not a corpse. If Steve House died in the mountains, he'd be celebrated the same.
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anykineclimb
Oct 7, 2004, 5:09 AM
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I cannot think of ANY other climber that excelled in every aspect of climbing like Alex did.
On top of that, like many have already stated, Alex's personality was what truly made him stand out.
I remeber about that rescue of the Korean team on Denali. From what I remember, he descended to where the were, carried one of the injured further down to a rescue helicopter and then proceeded to the summit.
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slobmonster
Oct 7, 2004, 5:58 AM
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Registered: Jul 28, 2003
Posts: 1586
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To be honest it feels like you're (alwaysforward) digging for anecdotes for an article, something to publish. I hope I'm wrong.
I recall meeting Alex in a bakery in Bozeman in the late nineties; I was visiting a friend in town, we climbed a little ice. He was as nice as can be, a real person, and not a wanker. Famous? Yes. But unlike some folks currently in the climbing media, I don't think Alex ever had the need for an agent. He was a math wonk, an engineer, and when that was all done he was just a really good climber, better than any of us, who happened to make friends all over the place. He was a professional climber who was also a positive member of his local community, a mentor to those younger, and to those farther away an inspiration.
Do I have more anecdotes that are more personal? Yes. But they're mine.
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alwaysforward
Oct 7, 2004, 7:18 AM
Post #27 of 32
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Registered: Oct 22, 2002
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In reply to: Alex Lowe is remembered for a synergy of things: ability, personality, and drive. And he's dead. Marc Twight is an incredibly skilled and driven climber. He's also an ass and not a corpse. If Steve House died in the mountains, he'd be celebrated the same.
Yeah that's kind of what I'm thinking. Super strong achievements combined with a death at his prime made deification. I suppose I just had trouble reconciling the fact that he was illuminated so much brighter than other climbers. I suppose being American and spending alot of time with the media didn't hurt.
Well good on him either way. For the skeptics - I'm not writing an article, I'm not trying to detract from the man or anything - just learn a little more about an important figure in climbings recent past. You can't deny that his pedestal is high - I thought it to be abnormally high for climbers to put another climber and wanted to know why.
As for anecdotes about the man - why not more? Kicks and giggles.
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jurch
Oct 26, 2004, 11:32 PM
Post #28 of 32
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Registered: Mar 5, 2003
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i believe that an early death at the height of his career made his name even bigger. just look at james dean or ayrton senna for example...
actually, we in Slovenia have a climber, Nejc Zaplotnik, who died in avalanche on Manaslu. That was in 1983 and he is still one of the greatest legends here. Among other, he climbed new routes on Makalu, Everest and G1. He also wrote the most sincere book i've read in my life. It's a sort of a bible here. So, I guess it's a combination of exceptional achievements and charisma...
found a piece of it in english on the net:
"The people, who scramble for fistful of rice and wretched roof above their heads on the other side of the world, have taught me many things.
They've taught me to wait for love and love waiting, for it is more beautiful than deed itself.
They've taught me to take pleasure from small things, that at first seem common, and not just yearn for big events on the verge of existance.
I have realised that I can achieve what looks endlessly far, beyond the reach, if only I can be so immensly patient, if only I can subject myself to equally immense yearning."
(Nejc Zaplotnik, Pot - The path)
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helmut
Nov 2, 2004, 9:23 PM
Post #29 of 32
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Registered: Feb 14, 2002
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OK, so I get that he was an incredible rock climber, sick mixed climber, great ski mountaineer, top notch aid climber, amazing ice climber who did first ascents on just about every corner of the globe, and was also revered by his peers as not only the greatest climber alive but also as an exceptional human being with a great perspective on life and a love of family, but what is it about him that makes him famous?
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Alphaboth
Jun 3, 2008, 2:10 AM
Post #30 of 32
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Registered: Apr 2, 2008
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I got to meet Alex at a very young age, before I realized whose presence I was in. I couldn't learn to tie a figure 8 untill alex showed me one day in fact. At the time of is death I was far away from the climbing community and when I heard the name years later, I only thought, "I know that guy". That simple recalection brought me back into climbing in fact when I realized that one persons tiny impact on another could realy have a very significant impact.
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skiclimb
Jun 3, 2008, 7:40 AM
Post #31 of 32
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Registered: Jan 11, 2004
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No his death did not increase his stature. He was actually an understated climber..better than his resume indicates. Only reason we know much about him is because his friends told the world and he also was hired by northface and thy promoted him. Working for NF allowed him to do more of the stuff he wanted than just guiding so thats what he did..He never had a compulsion to spray about his accomplishments ...infact more the opposite.
Great guy. Fantastic climber in all areas. Got to know him a bit on his trips to Alaska. I'd pick him up at the airport. He stayed at my palce a couple times. Did a bit of climbing together. Good stories.. he could be pretty focused on a project without seeming to be.
One thing always stuck out with him..He knew he was hanging it wayout there pretty regularly and he seemed almost disturbingly (to me anyway) comfortable with the idea that climbing stood a likely chance of ending his life.
It did and it's a real loss..while he was exceptional he never once gave the impression that it mattered. he was just doing hat he loved to do and could easily appreciate anyones interest at any level.
(This post was edited by skiclimb on Jun 3, 2008, 7:47 AM)
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skinner
Jun 6, 2008, 6:39 PM
Post #32 of 32
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Registered: Nov 1, 2004
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prezwoodz wrote: His hard-won climb in early August of Great Trango Tower by the Northwest Face adds yet another layer to the growing and almost mythic legend of Alex Lowe. In four weeks of climbing, Lowe led the small team of Mark Synnott and Jared Ogden up more than 6,000 feet on one of the world's most daunting big walls, in Pakistan's Karakoram Range. The feat left many climbers shaking their heads and asking, "Is there anything that guy can't climb?"
Not to belittle the man in any way as I have the utmost respect for Alex and his accomplishments, it's rather the reporting itself that causes one to raise an eyebrow. I could be wrong, but the video documentary of the Trango expedition painted a much different picture. Alex was suffering from some sort of affliction and after spending the first week in the tent, left camp descending on his own in the hopes that a lower altitude would speed his recovery.
Meanwhile, Mark Synnott and Jared Ogden began pushing the route up the highly technical face (5.11-A4) on their own. Also noteworthy, (although also not well documented), is the fact that the route was climbed almost simultaneously in parallel with the Russian team of Potan'kin Igor, Alexandr Odintsov, Ivan Samoilenko and Yuri Koshelenko.
The American team had an uneasy tension brewing between Alex Lowe and Mark & Jared. It had been more then Alex's not feeling well that had caused him to detach himself from the two close friends (Mark & Jared). Alex eventually stated openly that he felt like an outsider. The building tension eventually came to a head and everything was put on hold with the possibility of scrapping the entire expedition.
Thankfully, the differences were sorted out enough that Alex joined the duo in pushing the route to the summit. Unfortunately this was to be Alex's last summit.
This is my own personal observation, but Alex just appeared to be somehow distant/detached throughout the Trango expedition, even after the team had pulled together, right up to and including summit day. He just didn't seem like the super positive - optimistic Alex that we'd grown used to seeing in the past.
As far as the OP's question, it looks like it has been answered several times.
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