Steve House (b. 1970, USA)

2000

Czech Direct aka. Slovak Route 5.9 WI6 M5, Alaskan Grade VI, South Face, Denali, 3rd ascent, in 60 hours non-stop, with MarkTwight and Scott Backes.

Climbing this route left me psychologically drained for over a year. In part due to the stress of being so far out there, and in part due to the realization that I had finished what I had started in the Alaska Range seven years earlier.

I will not disagree with anyone who says what we did was dangerous. If something went totally wrong, we certainly could have killed. For us, it was a better solution to climb the Czech in a single push  than traditional alpine style because it was safer – if for no other reason than because we were on the route only a third time.

1999

Ml6 WI 7+A2, East Face, Howse Peak, 1st ascent, in winter, with Barry Blanchard and Scott Backes, during the epic ascent Blanchard was plummeled by a snow mushroom that broke his helmet, ripped out half his belay anchor, and cracked his tibia.
 

Finishing this route almost took more than we had to give. The best adventure route of them all.

1998

The Gift That Keeps on Giving 5.9 A3 WI6, Alaska GradeVI, South Face, Mount Bradley, first ascent, in winter, with Mark Twight and Johnny Blizz.

Call of the Wild V+ WI6,  King Peak, new route done in 34-hour single push with a total 30 pounds of gear between them, 4th ascent of North America's ninth-highest peak, with Joe Josephson

This would be a classic in the Alps, except that there aren't any faces this big over there...

1997

Mascioli's Pillar 5.10 A0,WI6, Alaskan GradeVI,  South Buttress, Denali, first ascent, 34 hours, with Steve Swenson.

1996

Beauty is a Rare Thing 5.8 AI4+, Alaskan GradeV, Direct West Face of West Buttress, Denali, first ascent, solo.

I did it totally within a spirit of exploration. I didn’t intend to climb a route that day, but looking around the corner led me up 7000 feet of my life’s most incredible journey.

It was a funny day. I slept through the alarm, descended to the Peter’s Glacier and sat for 45 minutes checking out the face. The line I envisioned wasn’t in, so I was going to leave. Then I saw ice in this corner. Normally, I won’t up solo anything that I can’t climb down; that approach worked for a while, then I got to a point where I was just “going”.

1995

First  Born 5.7 AI5, Alaskan Grade V, Fathers and Sons Wall, Denali, first ascent with EH Helmuth.

First Born proved to me it was possible to do major routes in Alaska very fast and light.

Sources:

Dave Pagel, House on Fire, “Climbing” 2002, No. 209, s. 54-61, 110
Pete Tekada, Filling the Gasps, “Climbing” 1999, No. 185, p. 30
Jonathan Thesenga, The A Team, “Climbing” 2000, No. 192, p. 110
Steve House. Showing the Way. “Vertical” 2007, February/March, p. 40-51
http://www.grivelnorthamerica.com/ambassadors.php?id=2