Alexander Huber

Alexander Huber (born 30 December 1968), is a German rock climber and mountaineer. He became a professional climber in 1997, and was widely regarded as the world's strongest climber in the late-1990s, and is an important figure in rock climbing history. Huber has set records in several different rock climbing disciplines, including extreme free solos, new hardest sport climbing routes, and bold first free ascents in big wall climbing.

For the footballer, see Alexander Huber (footballer). For the Austrian beach volleyball player, see Alexander Huber (beach volleyball).
Alexander Huber
Personal information
Born (1968-12-30) 30 December 1968
Trostberg, Bavaria, Germany
EducationLudwig Maximilian University of Munich (Physics)
OccupationTheoretical physicist, Professional rock climber, and mountaineer
Height176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight62 kg (137 lb) (sport climbing)
Spouse(s)Kristina Huber
RelativesThomas Huber (brother)
Websitewww.huberbuam.de
Climbing career
Type of climber
Highest grade
Known for
  • First to climb sport 9a+ (5.15a), second to climb 9a (5.14d)
  • First to free solo 8b+ (5.14a), second to free solo 8b (5.13d)
  • First individual free ascent of the Salathé Wall (1995)
  • First free solo of the Brandler-Hasse Direttissima (2002)
First ascents
  • Om (9a/5.14d, 1992)
  • Weisse Rose (9a/5.14d, 1994)
  • Open Air (9a+/5.15a, 1996)
  • Tsering Mosong (VII 5.10c A3, W-face Latok II, 1997)
  • El Nino (5.13c/A0, 1998)
  • Freerider (5.12d, 1998)
  • Bellavista (8c, 2001)
  • Zodiac (5.13d, 2003)
  • Voie Petit (8b, 2005)
  • Pan Aroma (8c, 2007)
  • Eternal Flame (5.13a, 2009)
Updated on 16 December 2022.

Early life and education

Huber was born on 30 December 1968, in Trostberg in Bavaria, the second of three children. His father Thomas, already an established climber who had climbed the north face of Les Droites, and his mother Maria, take the children climbing and mountaineering from a young age. Huber's first four-thousand-metre mountain is Allalinhorn in 1981, his first rock climb is Alte Westwand on the Kleiner Watzmann in 1982, and his first full alpine climbing multi-pitch route is Raunachtstanz (VI+, 6a+) on the Wagendrischelhorn in 1984. By 1986, aged 18, Huber and his brother Thomas climb Utopia (VIII+, 7a+) on the Wartsteinwand, and in 1988, they ascend Vom Winde Verweht (X-, 8a+) on Scharnstein in the Berchtesgaden Alps.[1]

By 1992, Huber completes his training to become a fully qualified UIAGM mountain guide (as does his brother Thomas). In 1997, Huber graduated with a Master's in Physics and gets a post-graduate position as an assistant at the Institute for Theoretical Meteorology in the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. In 1998, Huber decides to become a full-time professional climber, one year after Thomas; the pair are known as the "Huberbuam" (Huberboys).[1]

Notable climbs

Sport climbing

Huber was considered one of the world's best sport climbers.[2]

Free solo rock climbing

Huber was one of the few rock climbers who free soloed at extreme grades, in both single-pitch and multi-pitch/big wall routes.[6][7]

Big wall climbing

For a period in the late 1990s, Huber dominated big wall free climbing in Yosemite Valley, as well as in the Alps:[12]

  • 1995 – Salathé Wall (5.13b, VI, 36-pitches), El Capitan, Yosemite, first free ascent by one individual (Skinner and Piana co-led the FFA in 1988).[12][13]
  • 1998 – El Nino (5.13c, VI, A0, 30-pitches), El Capitan, first (almost free) ascent; bar a down-abseil on pitch-13 (A0), was the third route to be freed on El Capitan and the first on the North America Wall. In 2019, Sonnie Trotter avoided the down-abseil to create the Pineapple Express, a fully free variation of El Nino with 3 extra pitches.[14][15]
  • 1998 – Freerider (5.12d, VI, 30-pitches), El Capitan, first free ascent. Huber discovered it while on the Salathe; became an instant classic that Huber called the "Astroman of the new millennium".[12]
  • 2000 – Golden Gate (5.13a, VI, 41-pitches), El Capitan, first free ascent; a combination of the Salathé Wall and Heart Route.[16][17]
  • 2001 – Bellavista 8c (5.14b) (10-pitches, 500-metres), on the Cima Ovest, Dolomites, Italy, first free ascent through the huge roof; first-ever big wall route at 8c;[18] later "treated" to soften grade.[19]
  • 2001 – El Corazon (5.13b, 35-pitches), El Capitan, first free ascent; combination of Salathé Wall, Albatross, Son of Heart and Heart Route.[20]
  • 2003 – Free Zodiac (5.13d, VI, 16-pitches), El Capitan, first free ascent of the overhanging 1972 aid route;[21] considered very hard for the grade (famous "Nipple pitch"), and is rarely repeated.[22]
  • 2004 – Zodiac (5.8, A2+, 16-pitches), El Capitan, speed record on the 1972 aid climbing version of Zodiac in 1:51:34.[23]
  • 2005 – Voie Petit 8b (5.13d) (16-pitches, 450-metres), on the Grand Capucin, Mont Blanc, first free ascent of the 1997 Arnaud Petit route; hardest route in Monte Blanc area.[24]
  • 2007 – Pan Aroma 8c (5.14b) (9-pitches, 450-metres), the Cima Ovest, Dolomites, Italy, first free ascent; follows first 5-pitches of Bellavista, but goes right through Gerhard Baur's huge roof.[25][26]
  • 2007 – The Nose (5.9, A1), El Capitan, Yosemite, speed record with Thomas Huber on the aid climbing version of The Nose in 2:45:45.[27]
  • 2008 – Sansara (6-pitch, 200-metres, east face of the Grubhorn), and Feuertaufe (7-pitches, 250-metres, south face of the Sonnwand), both at 8b+ (5.14a), first free ascents.[10][11]
  • 2012 – Nirwana 8c+ (5.14c) (200-metres), Sonnwendwand, Loferer Alm, Austria, first free ascent of one of the hardest multi-pitch rock climbs in the world.[28][29]

High-altitude and expedition climbing

Huber took part in a wide range of "expedition-type" climbing usually with his brother Thomas Huber, but also part of a larger team:

  • 1997 – Tsering Mosong (VII 5.10c A3, 26-pitches), on the 1,000-metre west face of Latok II, Karakoram (starts at 6,100-metres), first ascent with Thomas Huber, Conrad Anker and Toni Gutsch.[30]
  • 1998 – Tichy Route via the northwest ridge of Cho Oyu (8,188-metres), Himalaya, Nepal, Huber climbed the eight thousander to understand the effects of extreme altitude.[2][31]
  • 2002 – In Patagonia, ascends: Cerro Torre (via Compressor Route, V A1), Fitz Roy (via Franco-Argentina, VII), and later Cerro Standhardt (via Exocet, 6b, winter ascent); in 2008, Torre Egger.
  • 2006 – Golden Eagle (5.11, V, A1, 800-metres), on the southwest face of Aguja Desmochada, Fitzroy Massif, in Patagonia, the first ascent, needed aid on an iced pitch (fully freed in 2011).[32][33]
  • 2008 – El Bastardo (5.11, V, A1, 500-metres), on the south face of Aguja de la Silla, Fitzroy Massif, in Patagonia, first ascent; some aid needed (fully freed in 2016).[34]
  • 2008 – Eiszeit (VII+, A4, 24-pitches, 750-metres) on west face, and Skywalk (VII-, 10-pitches, 450-metres) on north pillar of Holtanna, in Antarctica, first ascent and first free ascent respectively.[35][36]
  • 2008 – Sound of Silence (VIII-, 5.11a, A2, 20-pitches, 800-metres) on the west pillar of Ulvetanna, in Antarctica, first ascent.[35][36]
  • 2009 – Eternal Flame (5.13a, 24-pitches, 650-metres), on Trango ("Nameless") Tower, Pakistan, first free ascent with Thomas Huber of the historic 1989 Güllich, Albert et. al. route.[37][38]
  • 2012 – Bavarian Direct (5.13b, 28-pitches, 700-metres), on Mount Asgard, Canada, first free ascent of the 1997 aid climb with Thomas Huber.[39]

Bibliography
Alexander and Thomas on the summit of Mount Asgard, 2012
  • Huber, Alexander; Huber, Thomas (2001). The Wall: A New Dimension in Climbing (English ed.). David & Charles. ISBN 978-0715311783.
  • Huber, Alexander; Zak, Heinz (2002). Yosemite: Half a century of dynamic rock climbing (1st ed.). Bergverlag Rother. ISBN 978-3-7633-7511-0.[40]
  • Huber, Alexander; Schwenkmeier, Willi (2004). Drei Zinnen (Three Peaks) (1st ed.). Bergverlag Rother. ISBN 978-3-7633-7513-4.
  • Huber, Alexander (2009). Free Solo (1st ed.). Bergverlag Rother. ISBN 978-3-8354-0594-3.
  • Huber, Alexander (2010). The Mountain Within (Der Berg in mir) (English ed.). Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-988-4.[41]
  • Huber, Alexander; Huber, Thomas (2011). Eiszeit (Ice Age) (1st ed.). Frederking & Thaler. ISBN 978-3-89405-775-6.
  • Huber, Alexander; Mailänder, Nicholas (2011). Der Weg nach draußen (The Way Out) (1st ed.). Berg & Tal. ISBN 978-3-939499-11-4.
  • Huber, Alexander (2013). Die Angst, dein bester Freund (The Fear, your best friend) (1st ed.). Ecowin Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7110-5090-8.

Filmography
  • To the Limit (2007) − Speed climbing The Nose, El Capitan, Yosemite.
  • Center of the Universe Climbing in Yosemite [42]

See also

References
  1. Huber, Alexander (2010). The Mountain Within (Der Berg in mir) (English ed.). Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-988-4.
  2. Hobley, Nicholas (30 October 2008). "Alexander Huber interview". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  3. Hobley, Nicholas (19 June 2009). "Alexander Huber, Om and Adam Ondra". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  4. Oviglia, Maurizio (23 December 2012). "The evolution of free climbing". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  5. McDonald, Dougald (15 June 2012). "Open Air: Groundbreaking 5.15 Gets Second Ascent". Outside. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  6. Osius, Alison (4 June 2022). "Free Solo Rock Climbing and the Climbers Who Have Defined the Sport". Climbing. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  7. Editorial (16 July 2008). "Solo, Part IV: Alexander Huber". Alpinist. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  8. "This is Still a Gripping Free-Solo Video – Alex Huber on a 20-Pitch 5.12a". Gripped Magazine. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  9. MacDonald, Dougald (7 May 2004). "Huber Solos 5.14". Climbing. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  10. Lambert, Erik (2 September 2008). "Alex Huber on Fire: Free Solo and New 5.14s". Alpinist. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  11. Nelson, Peter (17 September 2008). "Alex Huber's Magic Summer". Alpinist. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  12. "El Capitan Freerider: Alexander Huber Yosemite masterpiece celebrates 20th anniversary". PlanetMountain. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  13. Huber, Alexander (1996). "Freeing the Salathe, the greatest rock climb in the world". American Alpine Journal. 38 (70): 69–70. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  14. Trotter, Sonnie (11 December 2019). "Pineapple Express: Inside the First Ascent of an All-Free El Capitan 5.13". Climbing. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  15. "Sonnie Trotter frees North America Wall variation on El Capitan". PlanetMountain. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  16. Huber, Alexander (2001). "El Capitan: Golden Gate". American Alpine Journal. 43 (75): 172.
  17. "Golden Gate, the Huber brothers free climb El Capitan". PlanetMountain. 10 April 2001. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  18. "Bellavista, Alexander Huber climbs 8c on Cima Ovest di Lavaredo". PlanetMountain. 23 July 2001. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  19. "Huber's Dolomite routes repeated". British Mountaineering Council. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  20. "Alexander Huber finds and frees El Corazon on El Capitan". PlanetMountain. 12 November 2001. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  21. "Alexander and Thomas Huber free the Zodiac". PlanetMountain. 16 October 2003. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  22. Franz, Derek (30 November 2016). "Zangerl and Larcher make the third free ascent of Zodiac on El Capitan". Alpinist. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  23. MacDonald, Dougald (15 June 2012). "Zodiac Record". Climbing. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  24. Huber, Alexander (1 December 2005). "Grand Capucin, Voie Petit". Alpinist. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  25. "Alexander Huber frees Pan Aroma 8c on Cima Ovest di Lavaredo, Dolomites". PlanetMountain. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  26. McDonald, Dougald (10 August 2007). "Huber Climbs Dolomites Mega-Roof". Climbing. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  27. "The Nose speed record by Alexander and Thomas Huber". PlanetMountain. 18 October 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  28. "Alexander Huber, Sonnwand Nirwana above the Loferer Alm in Austria". PlanetMountain. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  29. Fernández, Isaac (20 November 2014). "Fabian Buhl: «Nirwana (200 m, 8c+) is one of the biggest multi-pitch challenges of the world»". Desnivel. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  30. Huber, Alexander; Huber, Thomas; Anker, Conrad; Gutsch, Toni (1998). "The West Face of Latok II: El Cap on top of Denali". American Alpine Journal. New York: American Alpine Club. 40 (72): 34–42. ISBN 0-930410-78-5. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  31. Geldard, Jack (14 June 2009). "Alex Huber Interview". UKClimbing. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  32. Huber, Alexander (1 September 2006). "Aguja Desmochada". Alpinist. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  33. "Golden Eagle, first free ascent in Patagonia". PlanetMountain. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  34. Lambert, Erik (30 January 2008). "Weather Window Triggers Patagonia Frenzy". Alpinist. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  35. "Antarctic, new routes for Huber, Siegrist and Richl". PlanetMountain. 4 February 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  36. McDonald, Dougald (28 January 2009). "Hubers, Siegrist Pioneer Huge Antarctic Walls". Climbing. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  37. "Eternal Flame, Nameless Tower, first free ascent by Huber brothers". PlanetMountain. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  38. Lambert, Erik (1 October 2009). "Hubers Redpoint Eternal Flame". Alpinist. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  39. Huber, Alexander; Huber, Thomas (2013). "Mount Asgard, South Tower, Free Bavarian Direct". American Alpine Journal. 55 (87): 180. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  40. Davis, Steph (2004). "Yosemite: Half a century of dynamic rock climbing". American Alpine Journal. 46 (78): 460.
  41. Bauer, Luke (12 August 2010). "Book Review: The Mountain Within". Alpinist. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  42. "Archived item". Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2010.

Further reading
  • Carrel, François (2017). Alexander und Thomas Huber: zwei Brüder, eine Seilschaft (two brothers, one rope team) (German ed.). Malik Verlag. ISBN 978-3-89029-483-4.
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