Jeff found climbing at a young age while being fascinated with the feelings of fear and doubt. From his early teens to now, almost 30 years later, that search has led to some of his most influential “life highlights” and his love and utmost respect for the mountains. Jeff doesn’t specialize in any particular style or medium but instead, views each facet of climbing whether sport cragging, long wall routes, frozen waterfalls or mixed nightmares as “training for the big mountains.”
Jeff grew up learning to climb in Washington state. Index and the North Cascades were favorite stomping grounds, but since his first season in Yosemite in ’92, he has been quietly and humbly faithful. Currently and for the last 19 years, he and his family have been living in Montana where there is what he calls “endless rock and ice adventures to be had.”
Although Jeff has had some epic days on amazing routes around the world, it’s the opportunity to find new lines that excites him most. Whether it’s looking for that 5.14 line with perfect flow or an elegant connection of rock and ice on a high altitude objective in the Himalaya, “the beauty of the line is most important.” After a few seasons in Alaska, he and his partner traveled to Eastern Tibet and were lucky enough to do the 1st ascent of “Black Wolves and Blue Poppies” (WI4+ AI6 M5+ 1300m) on the NW face of Mt Grosvenor (aka Ri Wu Qie Feng, 6376m).
Jeff has also raced hang gliders all over the world, representing the US at the World Championships in ’09 and again in ’11. His passion for flight and his love for climbing have led him to learn the art of wing suit BASE jumping, which he practices from exits worldwide. For fun, he likes to run ultra-marathons in the mountains and practice the ancient art of falconry, training hawks and falcons to hunt with him and his dog in the fields of Montana. “I love falconry because it’s quiet time I can share with my daughter.”
This year, Jeff and his partner are the recipients of the Mugs Stump Award and the Copp-Dash inspiration award, to attempt a new route in Kishtwar National Park within the Kashmir region of the Indian Himalaya.
Notable Ascents
- Black Wolves and Blue Poppies (M5+ WI4+ AI6 ca 1300m) - First ascent - 3rd ascent of peak)
- Mt Grosvenor, China Chaos Theory (IV M5+WI5+400m) - First Ascent
- North Face Mt. Edwards – Glacier Park, MT Iron Son (VI 5.9 A4+)
- El Capitan, Yosemite 46&2 (M7+ WI6) - First Ascent
- South Face Mt. Brown - Glacier Park
- MT Relativity (5.13d) - First Ascent, Kootenai Canyon
- MT Pioneered many new wing suit BASE jumps in the US including the massive 5k flight from Mt Persis, Washington State