Jeff Lowe (September 13, 1950 - August 24, 2018) was an American

alpinist Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large routes (e.g. multi-pitch or big wall) in an alpi ...

from

Ogden, Utah Ogden ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the United States Census ...

who was known for his visionary climbs and first ascents established in the US and Canadian Rockies,

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. He was a proponent of the

Alpine style Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large climbing route, routes (e.g. multi-pitch climbing, ...

, where small teams travel fast with minimal gear. He is also credited as the inventor of

mixed climbing Mixed climbing is an ice climbing discipline used on climbing routes that do not have enough ice to be regular ice climbs, but are also not dry enough to be regular rock climbing, rock climbs. To ascend the route, the mixed-climber uses ice-cli ...

. Lowe made over 1000

first ascents In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...

. Lowe was a co-founder of Lowe Alpine along with his brothers Greg Lowe and Mike Lowe. Jeff Lowe is the cousin of George Henry Lowe III. Lowe suffered from a neurological disease similar to ALS for approximately 18 years, until he died on August 24, 2018, in Colorado, United States.

Career achievements

Lowe is credited with bringing modern

ice climbing Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that involves ascending routes consisting entirely of frozen water. To ascend, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes (or the more modern ice tools) and rigid crampons. ...

to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

as well as pushing the limits of

. He was the founder of companies such as Latok Mountain Gear and Cloudwalker. He helped to invent the world's first softshell jacket while at Latok Mountain Gear. Lowe was featured ice climbing on the cover of the December 11, 1978 issue of Sports Illustrated. Lowe worked for the Colorado

Outward Bound Outward Bound (OB) is an international network of outdoor education organisations that was founded in the United Kingdom by Lawrence Holt in 1941 based on the educational principles of Kurt Hahn. Today there are organisations, called schools, i ...

School in his earlier years. Lowe is credited with introducing ice climbing in the

Winter X Games Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Diffe ...

as well as starting the

Ouray Ice Festival Ouray may refer to: Places in the United States * Ouray County, Colorado * Ouray, Colorado, a small city * Ouray Peak, Colorado * Mount Ouray Mount Ouray is a high and prominent mountain summit in the far southern Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mou ...

. He also was the organizer in Snowbird (Utah) in 1988, of the first international rock climbing competition ever held in the US. Lowe received an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the

American Alpine Club The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 26,000 members. The club is housed in the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden, Colorado. Through its members, the AAC advocates for American climbers d ...

, the club's highest honors, for his climbing achievements, contributions to the climbing community, and vision. He was also awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership in the

Alpine Club Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...

of the United Kingdom. Lowe is the subject of the Award Winning 2014 biographical documentary film '' Jeff Lowe's Metanoia'' Produced by Connie Self and Directed by Jim Aikman. In 2017, he won the

Piolets D'or The Piolets d'Or (, "Golden Ice Axe") is an annual mountaineering and alpine climbing award organized by the (GHM), and previously with co-founder ''Montagnes Magazine'', since its founding in 1992. Golden ice axes are presented to the annual w ...

Lifetime Achievement Award in France and was inducted into the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame in Colorado.

Notable ascents

*1958

Grand Teton Grand Teton is the highest mountain of the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park at in Northwest Wyoming. Below its north face is Teton Glacier. The mountain is a classic destination in American mountaineering via the Owen-Spalding rout ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

with father *1971 Moonlight Buttress,

Zion National Park Zion National Park is a national park of the United States located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a ...

, Utah, USA. FA with Mike Weis *1972 First Winter Ascent of Grand Teton's West Face with

George Lowe George Edward Lowe (November 10, 1957 – March 2, 2025) was an American voice actor and comedian whose voice roles included Space Ghost on the animated series ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' and its spin-off, '' Cartoon Planet''. He continued ...

*1973 ''North Face'',

Wetterhorn Peak Wetterhorn Peak (, literally "weather horn") is a fourteen thousand-foot mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of the northern San Juan Mountains, in northwestern Hinsdale County and southea ...

(Colorado),

San Juan Mountains The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. FA with Paul Hogan *1973 ''Northeast Corner'', Keeler Needle,

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, California USA; NCCS V F9 or F10 A2, FA with John Weiland *1974 Bridal Veil Falls, Telluride, Colorado, FA with Mike Weis; *1974 ''Green River Lake Dihedral'', Squaretop,

Wind River Range The Wind River Range (or "Winds" for short) is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW–SE for approximately . The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and incl ...

, Wyoming, USA - NCCS V F9, FA with Greg Lowe *1975 Mount Kitchener's Grand Central

Couloir A couloir (, "passage" or "corridor") is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p. 121. . Geology A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissure, o ...

with Mike Weis *1979

Ama Dablam Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Eastern Himalayas range of Koshi Province, Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (''ama'') protecting he ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

solo *1980

Skyang Kangri Skyang Kangri (), or Staircase Peak, is a high mountain peak of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It lies on the Pakistan–China border, about northeast of K2, the world's second-highest mountain. The name "Staircase P ...

- attempt *1982 Kwangde Ri's north face, Nepal with

David Breashears David Finlay Breashears (December 20, 1955 – March 14, 2024) was an American mountaineer, filmmaker, author and motivational speaker. In 1985, he reached the summit of Mount Everest a second time, becoming the first American to reach the summi ...

*1985 ''Bird Brain Boulevard'',

Ouray, Colorado Ouray ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 898 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The ...

*1989 Tawoche, Northeast Face, Nepal with

John Roskelley John Roskelley (born December 1, 1948) is an American mountain climber and author. He made first ascents and notable ascents of 7,000-meter (22,966 ft.) and 8,000-meter peaks (26,247 ft.) in Nepal, India, and Pakistan. In 2014, he became the 6t ...

*1990 Trango (Nameless) Tower, Yugoslav route with

Catherine Destivelle Catherine Destivelle (born 24 July 1960) is a French rock climbing, rock climber and Mountaineering, mountaineer who is considered one of the greatest and most important female climbers in the history of rock climbing, history of the sport. She c ...

*1991 ''Metanoia'', a new direct route on the

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends ...

's north face, that he opened solo and without bolts *1994 ''Octopussy'' (WI6, M8),

Vail, Colorado Vail is a Home rule in the United States, home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the ...

; Lowe's climb was considered the birth of modern

. His attempt on the north ridge of

Latok The Latok () group is a cluster of large and dramatic rock peaks in the Panmah Muztagh, part of the central Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. They lie just to the east of the Ogre group, dominated by Baintha Brakk. To the immediate south of ...

I with

Jim Donini James "Jim" Donini (born July 23, 1943) is an American rock climber and alpinist, noted for a long history of cutting-edge climbs in Alaska and Patagonia. He was president of the American Alpine Club from 2006 to 2009, and a 1999 recipient of the ...

, Michael Kennedy, and George Henry Lowe III in 1978 is considered by many to be the most difficult unfinished climb in the world.

Publications and instructional videos

*''The Ice Experience'' (1979) *''Climbing'' (1986) * *''Waterfall Ice'' (1996) *''Alpine Ice: Jeff Lowe's Climbing Techniques'' (1997) *''Clean Walls'' (2004)

References

External links

"Jeff Lowe: The Genius"

"Latok I, North Ridge, Attempt"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Jeff 1950 births 2018 deaths Ice climbers American mountain climbers American rock climbers Sportspeople from Ogden, Utah Piolet d'Or winners Climbing and mountaineering writers