Steve Swenson
Steve Swenson (born 14 February 1954) is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author. Swenson served as the President of the Board of Directors for the American Alpine Club from 2009 until 2012.[1] Swenson is known for his big-mountain climbing expeditions to the Karakoram range[2], about which he wrote the book Karakoram: Climbing Through the Kashmir Conflict, published by Mountaineers Books. Swenson has taken part in over 15 expeditions to the area.[3]
In 2012, Swenson along with Mark Richey and Freddie Wilkinson[4], made the first ascent of Sasser Kangri II. At the time, the peak was the second highest unclimbed mountain in the world. For their climbing, the team was awarded the Piolet d’Or.[5] In 2019, Swenson, along with Graham Zimmerman, Mark Richey, and Chris Wright, climbed Link Sar, for its first ascent. Swenson had attempted to climb it twice before, in 2000 and 2017.[6] Along with his climbing career, Swenson had a 35-year career as a water resources consulting engineer.[7]
Notable ascents
- K2, without oxygen (1990).[2]
- Mount Everest, without oxygen (1994).[2]
- Nanga Parbat, ascent of the Mazeno Ridge to Mazeno Gap, 2004
- K7 West, North Ridge, 2004
- Sasser Kangri II (2012), a climb for which he was awarded the Piolet d’Or.[5]
- Link Sar, first ascent, with Graham Zimmerman, Mark Richey, and Chris Wright in 2019.[6]
Writings
Karakoram: Climbing Through the Kashmir Conflict, published by Mountaineers Books in 2017.
References
- "Past Presidents". The American Alpine Club.
- "Steve Swenson: What I've Learned". Rock and Ice. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- April 14, Dana Gee Updated; 2017 (2017-04-14). "Climber Steve Swenson takes readers on a journey through Karakoram | Vancouver Sun". Retrieved 2019-08-26.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "Saser Kangri II In Alpine Style - Alpinist.com". www.alpinist.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- Swenson, Steve. "Steve Swenson". The Mountaineers. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- "American Team Makes First Ascent of 7,041-Meter Link Sar". Rock and Ice. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
- "Board of Directors". The Mountaineers. Retrieved 2019-08-26.