Alexander Huber
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Huber (born 1968 in Bavaria), is a German physicist, climber and mountaineer. He lives in Traunstein am Chiemsee.
When they were still young Alexander Huber and his brother Thomas Huber were taken into the mountains by their father, Thomas Huber, himself a noted climber known for early fast ascents of now classic climbs. Together with his brother Thomas, he became interested in extreme alpine climbing.
Since 1992 Alexander Huber has been a state-certified mountain and skiing guide. He first studied physics, then became a full-time professional mountaineer in 1997 and is now one of the most successful climbers and mountaineers. While being an all-round climber, Alexander is most famous for his bold free ascents of big walls.
Notable Achievements:
- 1992 Route Om (5.14d/XI/9a) and four other first redpoint ascents of grade UIAA XI.
- Five first redpoint ascents on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley: 1995 Salathé, 1998 El Niño and Free Rider, 2000 Golden Gate, 2003 Zodiac (5.13d/X+/8b+)
- 1997 Expedition to Pakistan, with first ascent of the route "Tsering Mosong" (VII+,A3+) on Latok II (7108 meters),
- Bellavista at the Cima Ovest: 2000 winter solo (X-/7b A4), 2001 redpoint (5.14b/XI-/8c)
- 2002 Hasse-Brandler North Wall-Direttissima (5.12b/VIII+/7a+) at the Cima Grande (18 pitches in 4h), free solo
- 2004 Kommunist (5.14a/X+/8b+) and several 5.13 free solo
- 2004 Speed record on El Capitan, Zodiac in 1:52h
Reinhold Messner about Huber: Alexander Huber, currently the best of all rock climbers, has free soloed the Zinnen-Direttissima, with only a chalk bag and rock shoes on his feet. 500 meters of absolute exposure, without protection and possibility of return, a brilliant deed, which can hardly be surpassed in elegance. With this, Huber shows that he isn't a gambler, but a great master. Safety always only comes from skill.
[edit] Literature
- Alexander Huber und Thomas Huber: The Wall. BLV, 2000
- Alexander Huber: Yosemite. Ottobrunn : Bergverlag Rother, 2002
- Alexander Huber und Willi Schwenkmeier: Drei Zinnen. Bergverlag Rother, 2003