Steph Davis

Stephanie Davis

Steph Davis BASE jumping with a wingsuit
Personal information
Name	Stephanie Davis
Residence	Moab, Utah and Yosemite Valley, California
Education	B.A. University of Maryland M.A. Colorado State University
Occupation	Rock climber
Climbing career
Type of climber	Trad climber, Free soloist

Steph Davis is an American rock climber, BASE jumper and wingsuit flyer.

History

Steph Davis was born in Georgia, lived in New York, New York and was raised around Columbia, Maryland, the daughter of an aerospace executive. She started rock climbing when she was 18 and "had a hard time wanting to do anything else." ^[1] She is perhaps the only woman to have free-soloed at the 5.11+ grade. Steph also practices yoga and is a vocal vegan activist.^[2]

In 2003, Davis became the second woman to free climb El Capitan in one day. Two years later, she became the first woman to freeclimb the Salathé Wall, on El Cap, and to climb Torre Egger, a difficult summit in Patagonia, of which she made the first one-day ascent, with her then partner Dean Potter.^[3]

Davis has soloed routes on Colorado's Long's Peak's east face, The Diamond, a thousand-foot granite wall at 14,000 feet. In the summer of 2007, she free-soloed the Diamond four times, with the final solo recorded by Peter Mortimer, of Sender Films. Soon afterward, she free-soloed and BASE jumped Castleton Tower, in Moab, Utah.^{[citation needed]}

Davis has made first ascents around Moab including the Tombstone. In 2008, she climbed Concepcion, one of the hardest pure crack climbs in the world. Steph has been on successful international expeditions to climb new routes in alpine, big wall, and solo styles, including in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Baffin Island, Argentina, Italy, and Patagonia. Davis was the first American woman to summit Fitzroy in Patagonia and to summit all seven major peaks of the Fitzroy Range. ^{[citation needed]}

In 2011 she married BASE jumper Mario Richard, who died wingsuiting 18 August 2013.^[4]

Early life

She grew up playing the piano from the age of three. In 1990, when she was a freshman at the University of Maryland she first began her love with climbing, learning the sport at Carderock^[5]

While at Maryland, Davis spent her summers at Devils Tower in Wyoming. She became an exchange student for a year at Colorado State University to improve her climbing skills; and enjoyed it so much she moved to Colorado where she graduated from Colorado State University with a master's degree. She attended University of Colorado's law school, but after five days of law school she quit and moved to Rifle, Colorado, against the will of her parents, to pursue her passion for climbing.

For the next seven years, she lived out of her vehicle, first in a Cutlass Ciera and later out of a Ford Ranger pickup, driving around to climbing areas, guiding, and waiting tables for cash. Before she started going to the mountains of Patagonia, she spent her winters in Hueco Tanks, enjoying its bouldering.^{[citation needed]}

She soon found Long's Peak in the nearby Rocky Mountains and over two summers made 15 ascents. Eventually, she made Moab her home by "acquiring a storage unit and a library card."^[6]

Davis's book High Infatuation: A Climber's Guide to Love and Gravity (ISBN 1594850658), has been translated into multiple languages. She is a blogger and photographer at highinfatuation.com.

Notable ascents

• Freerider (VI 5.12.d/13a). El Capitan. 2003. Second woman to free El Cap in a day. First freed it wall style, then returned a month later to free it in under 24 hours.
• Salathé Wall (El Capitan) (VI 5.13 b/c) El Capitan. 2005. First woman to free the Salathe Wall.
• Concepcion (5.13b/c) Moab. 2008. Third ascent of the route, first woman to redpoint it. The free ascent links the full pitch, bypassing the anchors partway up the route. The redpoint was filmed by Peter Mortimer for The Sharp End.
• The Tombstone (5.13) Moab, 2005. First free ascent, team style with Dean Potter.
• The Crackhouse, Moab. 2004. First female ascent.
• Shipton Spire, Pakistan. Inshallah VI 5.12 A1. 1998. Third ascent of Shipton Spire, new route climbed all free except for a blank 10 foot section. With Kennan Harvey and Seth Shaw.
• Tahir Tower, Pakistan. All Quiet on the Eastern Front (VI 5.11 A3). 2000. First ascent of the tower in the Kondus Valley with Jimmy Chin, Brady Robinson and Dave Anderson.
• Jushua Tower, Baffin Island. Zen and the Art of Leadership (VI 5.11 A4) 1999. First ascent of the tower with Russ Mitrovich and Brandon Kannier.
• Peak 3850, Kyrgyzstan. Big Yellow Moon. (V 5.12) 1997. First free ascent with Kennan Harvey.
• Peak 4520, Kyrgyzstan. “A Thousand Years of Christianity” (V 5.9) 1997. Solo ascent.
• Poincinot North Face, Potter-Davis Route (V 5.11 C1 WI4) 2001. First ascent with Dean Potter, alpine style.
• Torre Egger, Titanic. 2003. (East Pillar) (UIAA VI+ A2) First one-day ascent of Torre Egger, with Dean Potter.
• Cerro Standhardt, 2003. New route with Dean Potter.
• Fitzroy, Franco-Argentine, 2002. First American woman to summit Fitzroy.
• Poincinot, Whillans Route. 2001.
• Guillaumet, 3 ascents.
• Mermoz, Red Pillar (V 5.12) and the standard route. Also linked Mermoz and Guillaumet in a day with Dean Potter.
• L’Aiguille de l’S. Two times. With Charlie Fowler and Laurence Monnoyeur.
• Innominata.
• Saint Exupery. The Englishman’s Route.
• The North Tower of Paine, with Charlie Fowler.

Notable free solos

• The Diamond (Longs Peak), 2007. First free soloed the Casual Route (V 5.10) two times, then proceeded to free solo Pervertical Sanctuary (V 5.11-) two times. Both solos of Pervertical Sanctuary were filmed by Peter Mortimer for The Sharp End.
• North Face, Castleton Tower (5.11). 2008. Free soloed the route and descended by base jumping.
• Coyne Crack (5.11+) Indian Creek. 1997.
• Scarface (5.11) Indian Creek. 1997.

See also

• Lynn Hill
• Lisa Rands
• Beth Rodden

External links

• Steph Davis's Website

References