Alpinist Steve Swenson Receives High Honour
From pushing the limits in the Himalaya to repeating classic routes in North America, he was just awarded the President's Award from the American Alpine Club
American alpinist Steven Swenson has received the 2024 President’s Award from the American Alpine Club for extraordinary accomplishments in the climbing world.
About the award, Swenson said, “Being given such a prestigious award is very humbling, and I’m thankful for my friends and family who have offered tremendous support since I started climbing with Boy Scouts in 1968 at age 14. I’m also indebted to all my climbing partners whose friendship and caring deeds have been an integral part of any success I have had as well as surviving some difficult situations. My goal now is to put in the effort to maintain my climbing skills to the best of my ability, give back to mountain communities in places that I have frequented, and to cultivate my relationships with the wonderful people I have encountered on this journey.”
Swenson grew up in Seattle and started climbing in the nearby Cascade Mountains. He has been climbing for over a half-century with over twenty expeditions to South Asia, including ascents of K2 and Everest without supplemental oxygen. He was part of a team that won the 2012 Piolet d’Or award for the first ascent of Saser Kangri II (7,518 m), and a team that won the 2020 Piolet d’Or for the first ascent of Link Sar (7,041 m).
Since his retirement, he has served on several nonprofit boards and has expertise in governance, fundraising, and strategic planning. His book titled Karakoram: Climbing Through the Kashmir Conflict was published by Mountaineers Books in 2017; it was shortlisted for the 2017 Banff Mountain Literature Award. He spends his winter in the Canadian Rockies climbing test-piece ice routes.
Award Ceremony
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