Steve House

Steve House (born August 4, 1970) is an American professional climber and mountain guide.

Biography

House earned a Bachelor of Science in ecology from The Evergreen State College in 1995.^[1] He has been a fully Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagnes-certified guide since 1999, and is the seventh American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) guide to complete the certification.^[2] House has guided for Exum Mountain Guides, the American Alpine Institute, and North Cascades Mountain Guides. He now guides independently and is based in southwest Colorado, near Ridgway, Colorado. His primary work is as an ambassador for the technical outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, where he works with both marketing and product design, development, and testing. He has been a Patagonia ambassador since 1999.^[3]

On March 25, 2010, while lead climbing on Mount Temple, Steve fell approximately 25 meters. He broke six ribs in multiple places, collapsed his right lung, fractured his pelvis in two places, and fractured several vertebrae in his spine. Barely a year later and after months of rehabilitation, House set off for the Himalaya to climb Makalu, the fifth-highest mountain in the world.^[4][5]

Alpine climbing

He is vocal in his support of "alpine style" climbs, which involve travelling quickly with little gear, and leaving no gear on the mountain. When, in 2004, the Russian team won the 14th Piolet d'Or for their ascent of the north face of Jannu, he criticized the team for using months to climb the face while setting up fixed ropes, and for leaving 77 ropes behind on the mountain.^[6]

His book Beyond the Mountain was the 2009 winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.

Notable climbs

• 2000: Slovak Direct, Mount McKinley, Alaska Range, Alaska with Mark Twight and Scott Backes, a fast climb in 60 Hours.^[7]
• 2003 The Talkeetna Standard, Eye Tooth, Alaska Range, Alaska, USA; FA V 5.9 WI5 1000m with Jeff Hollenbaugh^[8]
• 2003 Roberts-Rowell-Ward Route, Mt. Dickey, Alaska Range, Alaska, USA; second ascent VI 5.9 A2 1675m with Jeff Hollenbaugh^[9]
• 2004 Southwest Face, K7, Charakusa Valley, Karakorum, Pakistan (second ascent of the mountain, first ascent of route) (VI 5.10a M6 A2 80 degrees, 2400m), solo. For this ascent he won the People's Award for the 14th Piolet d'Or.^[10]
• 2005 Central Pillar of the Rupal Face, (4100m, M5 X, 5.9, WI4), September 1–8, on Nanga Parbat in northern Pakistan with Vince Anderson. Completed in a little over a week (a very short period of time in comparison with many large alpine climbs), the climb won him and Anderson the Piolet d'Or. Steve House's account was published in Alpinist Magazine-Issue 16, in which he describes the ascent as the culmination of "years of a physical and psychological journey."
• 2007 House-Haley (WI5 M7 1750m), Emperor Face, Mount Robson (3956m), Canadian Rockies, Alberta, Canada. FA of route with Colin Haley, May 25–27, 2007.^[11]
• 2007 K7 West (6858m), Charakusa Valley, Karakorum, Pakistan FA of peak with Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj.^[12]
• 2008 House-Anderson (WI5+ M8 R/X, 1000m), North Face, Mount Alberta (3619m), Canadian Rockies, Alberta, Canada. FA of route with Vince Anderson, March 26–28, 2008^[13]

References

1. "Steve House IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide". North Cascades Mountain Guides. Retrieved 12-06-2008. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
2. "Steve House IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide". North Cascades Mountain Guides. Retrieved 12-06-2008. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
3. "Patagonia Ambassador Steve House". Patagonia. Retrieved 12-06-2008. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
4. "Air Ranger Steve". Skyward Mountaineering. 2010-03-27. Retrieved 10-08-2010. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
5. "Fall Off Mount Temple". Steve House - Training Blog. 09-05-2010. Retrieved 10-08-2010. Check date values in: |access-date=, |date= (help)
6. . 14th Piolet d'Or. URL accessed June 25, 2006.
7. American Alpine Journal |year=2001, pp48 Mt McKinley's Slovak Route by Scott Backes 2001 American Alpine Club ISBN 0-930410-89-0
8. Hollenbaugh, Jeff; John Harlin III, editor (2004). American Alpine Journal. New York City, New York, USA: American Alpine Club. pp. 201–203. ISBN 0-930410-95-5. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
9. Hollenbaugh, Jeff; John Harlin III, editor (2004). American Alpine Journal. New York City, New York, USA: American Alpine Club. pp. 201–203. ISBN 0-930410-95-5. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
10. Hollenbaugh, Jeff (December 1, 2004). "CHARAKUSA VALLEY". Alpinist. Alpinist Magazine. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
11. Haley, Colin (May 29, 2007). "NEW LINE ON MT. ROBSON BY HOUSE, HALEY". Alpinist. Alpinist Magazine. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
12. Bauer, Luke (September 4, 2007). "PREZELJ, HOUSE, ANDERSON TICK K7 WEST". Alpinist. Alpinist Magazine. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
13. Anderson, Vince (April 1, 2008). "New House-Anderson Line on Wintry Mt. Alberta". Alpinist. Alpinist Magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-17.

External links

• http://www.stevehouse.net House's website
• House's ambassador page at Patagonia.com
• Interview with House concerning the K7 ascent
• Steve House - climber's profile