Sense of adventure helped push climber to the top

A deep sense of adventure and the thrill of discovering new routes up all kinds of mountains and jagged peaks fed Jeff Lowe’s passion for climbing for decades.

His alpine ascents, vertical ice climbing and mastery of mixed climbing ‘ those involving routes laced with ice and snow ‘ made him a legend in the field and a mentor to many world-class climbers.

Lowe, 53, spoke about his career at a presentation and slide show Tuesday night that was part of the Base Camp Series at Colgate University.

He also spoke about having to climb out of the depths of depression after neurological problems struck him three years ago, forcing an end to his climbing and most other outdoor sports that he so loved.

Speaking before and during his presentation, Lowe said the first year and a half after being stricken were extremely difficult as he tried to come to grips with the symptoms ‘ somewhat similar to those caused by multiple sclerosis ‘ that center on the nerve endings along his spinal cord and reduce his mobility.

Lowe says he now feeds his passion for the outdoors through his numerous projects, including three books about climbing he is writing over the next several years.

‘The commitment to the books has helped me keep engaged with other climbers,’ said Lowe. ‘It helps me stay in contact with things I really love.’

Lowe’s love of climbing was evident as he showed slides and short video clips of some of his most memorable ascents. Students in the audience chuckled when Lowe would offhandedly describe what would appear to any other person as a harrowing and incredibly dangerous climb.

There was Lowe digging into the face of a frozen waterfall that had formed ‘ at least for him, an interesting route to the top of a granite-faced peak. A video clip showed him in a pair of plain shorts and a T-shirt ‘ he conceded gear has changed dramatically over the years ‘ as he used his hands to grip small crevices and cracks and pull himself 1,400 feet up to a summit.

Lowe said he would constantly be searching for new routes up mountains and would revisit sites during different times of year, saying that weather conditions could present new challenges that would make an ascent a fresh challenge.

And it was the overall experiences, the adventure of finding a new route and being in the mountains, or the simple pleasure of hiking through alpine meadows to do a climb, that were as important to Lowe as actually getting to a summit.

Lowe has climbed all over the world, from the western United States to the Himalayas to Alaska and the Canadian Rockies. But growing up, his ‘personal playground’ was the Wasatch Mountains and the Snowbasin ski area behind his home in Ogden, Utah.

One slide showed Lowe and two of his seven siblings high up a rocky peak with their father, with just a simple rope among them. He said his early experiences helped lay a ‘foundation of confidence’ that would help him throughout his climbing career.

‘There was a kind of freedom that came with a sense of responsibility,’ Lowe said.

The techniques developed by Lowe and the gear he and his brothers designed over the years are well known in the climbing world. Lowe has written two books and co-authored several others, and he has helped produce several videos.

Besides his new book projects, Lowe is now working on designing climbing gear for the Trango company, which co-sponsors his slide presentations.