alias

Luke Smithwick

hometown

Victor, Idaho

motivation to climb

Climbing is a lifelong pursuit. I enjoy all disciplines of climbing and bringing it all together in the Himalayas on alpine routes. Alpine climbing is my focus as a climber. Climbing brings together people from all walks of life and backgrounds and I really enjoy learning about other cultures and ways of life. What keeps me going climbing are the discoveries in the mountains and the views as we pursue.

most memorable climb

Establishing the first ascent of Call of the Yeti on the Lost Brother Wall in Yosemite National Park, California. Call of the Yeti isn’t the most technical route, it weighs in at 5.8 A2+ V. However what you put into a route is what makes it the most rewarding. What we easily achieve isn’t the most memorable. Yeti took a lot of work to establish. In the Himalayas, I have many memorable alpine first ascents, there isn’t really one that stands out in my mind at the moment.

favorite climbing spot

Anywhere in the Himalaya’s!