Carlos Buhler
Carlos Buhler (born October 17, 1954 in Harrison, New York) is one of America's leading high altitude mountaineers. Buhler's specialty is high-standard mountaineering characterized by small teams, no oxygen, minimal gear and equipment, and relatively low amounts of funding; yielding first ascents of difficult routes in challenging conditions, such as the Himalayan winter season.
Buhler is a graduate of The Putney School and is a 1978 graduate of Western Washington University, one of only 66 recipients of the school's highest honor (Distiniguished Alumni Award), and currently resides in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. He is married and the father of two.
Notable ascents
- 1983 Kangshung Face / Lowe Buttress, Mount Everest, Nepal/Tibet. FA of route: summited 8 October 1983 with Kim Momb and Louis Reichardt. George Lowe, Dan Reid and Jay Cassell summited the next day.[1]
- 1985 Northeast Face on Ama Dablam, Nepal. FA of route with Michael Kennedy, Dec 1-7, 1985.[2]
- 1988 North Face, Kangchenjunga, Himalaya with Peter Habeler (Austria) and Martin Zabaleta (Spain/Basque).[3]
- 1989 West Ridge (repeat), Cho Oyu with Martin Zabaleta (Spain/Basque).[4]
- 1990 Northeast Ridge Dhaulagiri, Nepal. Summit reached with Nuru Sherpa (Nepal) and Dainius Makauskas (Lithuania), October 31, 1990. Dainius disappeared on the descent. Buhler lost half a toe to frostbite.[5]
- 1997 The East Face (Alaska Grade 6-, 8500'), University Peak, Saint Elias Mountains, Alaska USA. with Charlie Sassara, April 29-May 5, 1997.[6]
- 1999 The Lightening Route (VII 5.9 A4 WI4, 1580m), north face of Changabang, Garhwal Himalaya, India. FA with Andrei Volkov, Andrei Mareiv, Ivan Dusharin and Pavel Chabaline (all Russian). April 16 - June 6, 1998.[7]
Notable honors
- Fulfilled dying wish of Russian composer, Alexander Scriabin, to have his last composition, Mysterium , performed in the Himalayas (at Milarepa base camp).
- Selected by the American Alpine Club at age 23 to join a prestigious, high-profile Soviet-American team to climb in the Pamir Range of Central Asia.
Honors in American mountaineering
- 2007 Robert and Miriam Underhill Award, American Alpine Club
- 2004 Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Award (awarded for cutting edge “bold first ascents or difficult repeats of most challenging routes”)
- 2002 Ranked “Best of the Best”, and only American among the top four for all international high altitude climbers, by Everestnews.com. (2002 was the last year ranking was compiled.)
- 2001 Polartec Challenge Award, for “vision, commitment, credibility and respect for the local culture and environment [which] serve as role models to outdoor enthusiasts worldwide.”
- 1988 Mugs Stump Award, first year awarded. (Award honors “climbers attempting alpine climbing objectives that exemplify fast, light and clean tactics.”)
- 1988 American Mountain Foundation Award, for 1st American ascent of Kangchenjunga, world’s 3rd highest mountain.
- Western Washington University, Distinguished Alumni Award (1 of only 66 recipients, out of about 87,000 alum).
- Keynote speaker at leading mountain and wilderness film festivals:
- 2002 Telluride Mountain Film
- 2003 Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival
- 2004 Banff Mountain Film Festival
- 2006 Juror, Trento Mountain Film Festival
Writings
- Buhler, Carlos (1989). "Kangchenjunga's North Face". American Alpine Journal 1989 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 31 (63): 23–30. ISBN 0930410394.
- Buhler, Carlos (1998). "University Peak, The wild card of the Wrangell-St. Elias". American Alpine Journal 1998 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 40 (72): 78–87. ISBN 0930410785.
- Buhler, Carlos (1999). "Russian Style on Changabang". American Alpine Journal 1999 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 41 (73): 106–113. ISBN 093041084X.
References
- ^ Unsworth, Walt (2000). Everest, The Mountaineering History. Seattle, WA, USA: Mountaineers Books. pp. 501. ISBN 978-0898866704.
- ^ Kennedy, Michael (1987). "A Hidden Gem - Ama Dablam's Northeast Face". American Alpine Journal 1987 (NYC, NY, USA: American Alpine Club) 29 (61): 32–41. ISBN 0930410297.
- ^ Buhler, Carlos (1989). "Kangchenjunga's North Face". American Alpine Journal 1989 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 31 (63): 23–30. ISBN 0930410394.
- ^ Buhler, Carlos (1990). "Cho Oyu". American Alpine Journal 1990 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 32 (64): 237–238. ISBN 0-930410-43-2.
- ^ Buhler, Carlos (1991). "Dhaulagiri Ascent and Tragedy". American Alpine Journal 1991 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 33 (65): 242–244. ISBN 0930410467.
- ^ Buhler, Carlos (1998). "University Peak, The wild card of the Wrangell-St. Elias". American Alpine Journal 1998 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 40 (72): 78–87. ISBN 0930410785.
- ^ Buhler, Carlos (1999). "Russian Style on Changabang". American Alpine Journal 1999 (Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club) 41 (73): 106–113. ISBN 093041084X.
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October 17, 1954 |
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