His first ascents of mixed routes, such as Troubled Dreams in the Canadian Rockies and Bloody Mary in the Adirondacks, have helped to redefine what is possible in mixed climbing. But Lowe is not part of the new breed of mixed climbers who work routes like sport climbs. His new routes are as often not only extremely difficult, but also quite bold.

Trango Tower

Lowe's rock climbing talent is often overshadowed by his dominance in the ice and mixed realm, but his big wall and freeclimbing accomplishments might surprise most people. In Yosemite, he has climbed many difficult A5 routes on El Capitan. Recently, Lowe made the first ascent of a stunning 2,500 foot rock pillar called Rakekniven in the remote Queen Maud Land of Antarctica. In the Ak-Su range of Kyrgyzstan, he made the first free ascent of the 4,000-foot west face of Peak 4810 with Lynn Hill. He has also on-sighted 5.12d sport routes.

Lowe is legendary among climbers for his strength. On Russia's 23,000-foot Khan Tengri, he climbed up and down a 10,000-foot route in little more than 10 hours. He also holds the record for the Teton's Grand Traverse, climbing seven peaks in less than nine hours. While climbing on Denali in 1995, he voluntarily assisted the Park Service rescue team in several risky evacuations, once carrying a debilitated Spanish climber on his back up steep snow slopes, to a waiting helicopter at nearly 20,000 feet.

When he does take a breather from establishing difficult new routes around the world, Lowe can be found at his home in Bozeman, Montana enjoying family time with his wife and three children.