Ueli Steck

What MH are you wearing now?
Right now I am sitting in the office and answering your questions. I am wearing Rannoch ½ Zip and a Runout pant.
After, I will get out and go for a run, wearing Transition Zip T and the Lago knit tight.

Which season do you enjoy most?
I like every season. This is the season for nice rock climbing on sunny rock. This is always like holidays. But then, at one point you're going miss the adventure and you will want to go up in the mountains. In Winter, you have fun Ice climbing until you get sick of the cold, and you looking forward again to rock climbing.

Beer or Wine?
Wine.

One guilty pleasure?
The last real pleasure was when I was standing on the Eiger after I climbed the North Face in 3 hours and 54 minutes. After, my whole year was a little bit of a disaster. The accident on Annapurna was not so easy for me. The trip to Canada was also a great experience, we climbed almost every day.

Do you have a dream project?
There are so many dreams!! In spring I will go back to Nepal. Try to climb some new Routes. But its better not to publish them, otherwise there will be maybe some other teams. That’s the little secret that climbers have. I'll let you know before we fly over.

Any advice for folks wanting to become involved in alpinism?
Just first figure out what you like the most. Then figure out if you like to focus on this. If yes, then get really focused and you will have a lot of fun and your skills getting very good. I focus on alpine climbing, so for my sport climbing and ice climbing is just the second option. But sport climbing, ice climbing, and running is the basic of a good mountaineer...
So get in good shape and you don't have to climb with the whole crowd of climbers on a regular route. After you can really feel the mountains.

What can you tell today’s youth about life in the outdoors?
There are many possibilities to go climbing or hiking or whatever. The important thing is that you chose your own goals. If you want to try to push the limits, it should be always to be like pushing your personal limit, maybe ones it will be also pushing the today’s climbing limits..

Personal Highlights:
Free Soloing Excalibur
Free Soloing many hard Routes on the Crag up to 5.12d
“Blood from the stone,” Mount Dickey Alaska
“Ten Years after” Wi 5 + in very thin conditions, free Solo

Career Highlights:
April 2008: while preparing for Annapurna Southface, Ueli Steck and his teammate, Simon Anthamatten, summit Tengkampoche climbing in a first ascent through Tenkampoche’s technical difficult and demanding Northface (6500m), 2000m high, in Khumbu Valley, Nepal. They called this new route “Checkmate”. Difficulty: VI/85 degrees, ice M7+ / 6A0.
February 13, 2008: almost a year to the day since he first broke the speed record for climbing the North Face of the Eiger, Ueli Steck sets a new fastest time soloing the face in 2hr 47min 33sec.
February 2008: mental and physical perfectionism. Several routes free solo, such as Hot Tuna (7c), Schweizerhalle (7b+), combination Hot Tuna/Quasar 8a. All routes were climbed in the climbing region of Leen near Interlaken
April 2007: during his acclimatization time for his Annapurna project, he climbed solo the West Face of the 7161m Pumori in only 24 hours up and down. His attempt to climb the Annapurna south face (8091m) on a direct route was stopped all of a sudden. A stone hit him straight on his head. He had to interrupt the expedition immediately.
May 2007: Ueli Stecks attempt to summit solo Annapurna Southface (8091m) on a direct route was stopped all of a sudden. A stone hit him straight on his head. He had to interrupt the expedition immediately.
2007 Pumori Westface New Route 1400 meter M6
February 2007: he sets a new record climbing solo the classic Heckmair route in 3h 54minutes. He broke the old record, which was held by Christoph Hainz since 2003
July 2006: Ueli summited with two companions the 7710m East Peak of Gasherbrum 2 after having completed the first ascent of Magic Line.
Early 2006: Ueli completed the second and this time solo ascent of his route “The Young Spider” on the Eiger. During 5 days, Ueli climbed through the Diretissima on the North Face.
2005: nomination for the “Piolet d’Or” (comparable to the Oscar in the film industry)
2005: Spring, two weeks after Tawoche, attempt to summit Ama Dablam. Due to bad weather, Ueli Steck had to back off from his summit attempt.
2005: Cholatse Northface 6440 Meter, First solo ascent
2005: Spring, two weeks after Cholatse: first solo-ascent of Tawoche (6506m).
2005: Spring, first solo ascent of 1500 meter high Cholatse Northface (6640) in only 37 hours.
2004: Winter solo-ascent of Eiger Northface and several other shorter routes, all solo
2004: Second ascent, letzte Ausfahrt Titlis 8a+ 500 meter
2004: Free Solo ascent Excalibur, Wendestoeke, 6b 250 meter
2004: Free Solo ascent Silberfinger 6b 8 pitches
2004: North faces of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in only 25 hours together with alpinist Stephan Siegrist
2003: first freeclimb of “La Vida es Silbar” in the Eiger Northface. Length 900m, difficulty 7c
2003: Punta Heron Patagonien
2002: first ascent Mount Dickey, Alaska (1700 meter M7+/Ai6 5.9/A1) Alpine Style
2001: first ascent Eiger Northface “The Young Spider”, one of the most demanding routes through the wall, a Superdiretissima (1800 meter M7/Wi6;7a/A2)
2001: Pumori (7165m) first ascent Westface (1400meter M4/80 degree Ice) Alpine Style
2001: Winter ascent Walker Spire, Grand Jorasse
2000: Yeti Route Eiger Northface , second ascent (7c/ A0) 00 Mönch Nordwand Express, first ascent 1000 meter M5/Wi5
1999: Lauper Route Eiger Solo in 5h
1998: Haston Couloir Mönch Solo in 3.5h
1995: First Time Eiger North Face Heckmaier Route


Bio:
Born on October 4, 1976 in Emmental he first started to play ice hockey, but he stopped once he got in touch with climbing and mountaineering. He soon gains a name in the scene of climbers and alpinists not only because of his extraordinary talent but also because of his spirit to take high risks. Today’s he is considered to be one of the world’s best alpinists. Ueli, a skilled carpenter and today professional mountain climber and Opinion Leader of New Rock (www.newrocksport.ch) emphasizes himself through his great self control. Although he likes to run with his head against a brick wall, he is capable of catching other people with his joy of life. He lives a philosophy, which does not only encourage sportsmen to live their lives more intensively. For his extraordinary performances in alpinism he was nominated in 2005 for the „Piolet d’Or“, comparable to the Oscar. His palmarès includes extremely difficult classic faces, some solo routes, ice- und mixed routes, sport routes, big walls, first ascents.