• 1987, American Alpine Club Underhill Award for contributions to climbing
• 2000, Centennial Celebration 100 best climbers in 100 years, Italy
• 2008, Only climber ever inducted into Utah Sports Hall of Fame
• 2009, Honorary Member American Alpine Club
• 2009, Honorary Member British Alpine Club
• 2009, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Utah Chapter – Man of the Year
• 2010, Nominated for the Eiger Award, Switzerland
• 2013, Annual Jeff Lowe Service Award created, Ouray Ice Festival, Ouray, Colorado
• 2013, Key to the City of Ogden and Joint Resolution by Ogden City Council and Mayor, Ogden, Utah
• 2013, Inducted into Bradford Washburn Museum Mountaineering Hall of Excellence, Golden, Colorado
• 2013 Golden Piton Life Time Achievement award
• 2014 Outdoor Inspiration Life time Achievement award.
• 2015 - American Alpine Club H. Adams Carter Literary Award for contributions to mountain literature.
Guest Speaker Presentations
• 1975 to present, featured guest at climbing events in North America and Europe, such as Mountainfilm in Telluride (US), Banff Mountain Film Festival (Canada), Buxton Mountain Festival (UK), Kendal Mountain Film Festival (UK), Graz Mountain Film Festival (Austria), Poprad Mountain Film Festival (Slovakia), Bratislava Film Festival of Mountain Films and Adventure (Czech Republic), American Alpine Club Annual Meetings, British Mountaineering Council Annual Meetings, Britsh Alpine Club Annual Meetings, Trenton White Wilderness Conference (US), Ouray Ice Festival, Universities and Outdoor Clubs across North America
Instructional/Motivational Books and Published Articles
• 1979, The Ice Experience, Contemporary Books, Chicago, IL
• 1986, Climbing (one of four authors)
• 1996, Ice World (chosen by Outside magazine as one of the 100 best outdoor books of all time, and Colorado Book Award finalist) The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, WA
• Climbing Magazine, Rock and Ice, Outside, Backpacker, Sports Illustrated, LA Times, Rocky Mountain News, and many other US and foreign publications.
• 1978, Bridal Veil Falls, ABC, 30 min
• 1979, Ama Dablam, ABC, 30 min
• 1984, Cloudwalker, BBC, 60 min (winner, Banff Mountain Film)
• 1988, Snowbird International Sport Climbing Championships, CBS, 60 min
• 1989, Snowbird World Cup, NBC, 60 min
• 1990, Free Climbing the Nameless Tower of Trango – A Documentary Film (with Catherine Destivelle), ABC, 50 min
• 1997, ESPN Winter X Games Ice Climbing, 60+ min
• 1996-2001, Ouray Ice Festival, OLN, 60 min each year
Special Events Created by Jeff Lowe
• 1988-1990, International Sport Climbing Championships at Snowbird, Utah
• 1990, World Cup Sport Climbing Championships, Berkeley, California
• 1988-1990, National Sport Climbing Championships in Colorado, Washington and California
• 1996-present, Ouray Ice Festival, Colorado
• 1997, ESPN Winter X Games Ice Climbing Competition (conceived/designed the Holographic Refrigerated Ice Tower)
• 1998-present, Ouray Ice Craft Invitational Exhibition, Colorado
• 2007-2008, ClimbFest – Ogden, a celebration of mountain adventure, art, literature and environment (introducing the LifeClimb Achievement™ Awards)
• 2008, inaugural Utah's High Adventure Mountain Film Festival (introducing the Lowe-MAX™ Awards for Mountain Adventure Excellence)
Jeff Lowe designed and developed clothing and equipment for many companies from 1980 – 2004 including Lowe Alpine, Latok, Marmot, REI, Vau De, La Fuma, Nike ACG, Solomon, Asolo, La Sportiva, Omega Pacific, Trango and more. Landmark designs are listed below.
Significant climbs and new routes across the decades 1950's to 2000's
• 1958, at age 7, the youngest person to climb the Grand Teton, Wyoming
Difficult free climbs
• 1965, began leading new routes (clean, no falls) at 5.10 standard, such as Air Time, Ogden Canyon
• 1967, began leading new routes (clean, no falls) at 5.11 standard, such as the Ross Route, Little Cottonwood Canyon
• 1975, began leading routes (clean, no falls) at 5.11+ standard, such as Pass or Flail, Ogden
• 1980, began leading new routes (1 or 2 falls, max) at 5.12 standard, such as Black Crystal route, Sawtooths, Idaho, grade IV, 5.12A
• 1992, still leading new free routes at a high standard, such as Wind, Sand and Stars, Zion National Park, grade V, 5.12C
Big wall aid climbs
• 1967 - 1971, learned big wall techniques in Yosemite by repeating classics such as North Face and West Face of Sentinel Rock; the Salathe Wall (7th ascent), North America Wall (5th ascent) and Triple Direct (24hrs climbing time, very fast for that era)
• 1968 – 1972, opened up the sandstone walls of Zion and southern Utah with a dozen major routes, such as Timeline, V, 5.9, A4; North Face of Angel's Landing, V, 5.10, A3; Moonlight Buttress, V, 5.9, A4; and The Toad, VI, 5.10, A3
• 1969 – 1973, opened new big walls in the mountains in western North America, such as North Tower of Haystack, Wind Rivers, WY, V, 5.11, A4; the South Face (Jones-Lowe route) of Snowpatch Spire, Bugaboos, Canada; the East Face of Keeler Needle (Lowe-Weiland route), Sierra Nevada, CA
Big wall free climbs
• 1970 – 2000 opened many big walls completely free, beginning with climbs such as East Face of Wheeler Peak, NV (Lowe-Lowe route) IV, 5.10; the N Rib, Mt Slesse, Canada, V, 5.9; the East Face of Mt Gould, MT., V, 5.11. From 1974 onward deciding to climb rock walls completely free or not at all, continued to do the first ascents of many big walls free for two decades, such as Internationale, Glenwood Canyon, CO, IV, 5.10+, Risky Business, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, IV, 5.11+; Sandblaster, Zion, IV, 5.11; West pillar of Squaretop, V, 5.10, and NE Face of Sqauretop, (V.5.11) Wind Rivers, WY. Took big wall free climbing to Pakistan in 1990, where he made the 2nd free ascent, with a new 7-pitch direct start, of the Slovenian Route on Nameless Tower of Trango (VI, 5.12A) with Catherine Destivelle.
Alpine face climbs
• 1967 – 2000, opened many new alpine faces in the mountain ranges of western North America, such as North Face of London Spire, UT, IV, 5.9; North Face of Mt Temple, Canadian Rockies, IV, 5.8, AI 5; Ramp Route and Grand Central Couloir on Mt Kitchener, Canadian Rockies, both V, M5, AI4
Winter climbs
• 1971, first winter ascent of Black Ice Couloir, Grand Teton, V, AI3,M5 (winter grade)
• 1972, first winter ascent of West Face, Grand Teton, V, 5.8, AI3, M5 (winter grade)
• 1976, first winter ascent D1 route, Long's Peak, CO, V, 5.9, A2
• Many others up to 2002
Pioneering Waterfall Ice Climbs
• 1974, first ascent of Bridalveil Falls, CO, III, WI 5+, free without hanging from leashes on tools to place protection. Set the standard for the era.
• 1974 – 2002, first ascents of dozens and dozens of waterfall ice climbs around the world, such as Stewart Falls, UT, AI5; Keystone Green Steps, AK, III, WI5; Curtain Call, Canada, III, WI6; several new routes in Scotland up to III, WI5, M6; Blind Faith, France, V, WI6+, A1
Pioneer of alpine style in the great ranges
• 1974, first ascent N Face Peak 19, Tajikistan, IV, AI2
• 1978, almost complete ascent of N Ridge of Latok 1, Pakistan. Climbed 75 pitches to within 150m of summit, turned back by storm, sickness and no food. More than 200 attemps in the years since and the next best high point is still 800m below Lowe's.
• 1979, first ascent, solo, of the South Face of Ama Dablam, Nepal, VI, AI5, M5, 9 hours. The first solo ascent of a major new route in the Himalaya.
• 1980, first ascent (to junction with Japanese E ridge @ 7,400m), South Face Skyang Kangri, Pakistan, VI, AI3, M5
• 1982, first ascent, Hungo Face of Kwangde, Nepal, VI, WI6, M6. First application of waterfall ice techniques in the Himalaya.
• 1983, first alpine style ascent of the Italian SW Pillar route, Taulliraju, Peru, VI, AI6, M6
• 1983, first solo ascent (2nd overall) and first winter ascent of the French route on the SE Pillar of Nuptse, Nepal, VI, AI3, M4
• 1986, first ascent NW Face Kangtega, Nepal (to lower, NW peak), VI, AI5, M7. Followed by two attempts on the South Pillar of Nuptse, Nepal. Unsuccessful
• 1989, first ascent (in winter) East Face Tawoche, Nepal, VII, 5.11, AI6, M6
• 1993, attempt to solo a new direct route on the West Face of Makalu, Nepal. Stormed off at 7,300m
Pioneer of modern M-climbing
• 1994, first ascent of Octopussy, CO, the first M8. Lowe introduced the M grades with this climb, and pictures of the climb were published around the world, sparking interest in this new way of climbing.
• 1995 – 2001, dozens of new Mixed climbs throughout North America, up to M9. Routes such as Gorillas in the Mist, NY, III, M6+, and Deep Throat, CO, III,M7+,WI6+ have already become legendary – seldom climbed but much sought after.
Soloist
• 1965 – 2000, although Jeff Lowe never considered himself a dedicated soloist, among his thousands of climbs over the years, he was alone on a few hundred of them. Beginning at age 14, with a new route on Mount Ogden (III, 5.6) behind his home; two years later on the SW Pillar of London Spire (IV, 5.9) and continuing in ever-larger circles around the globe, over the decades he amassed a significant record of solo climbs. Most of the following examples were done on-sight and had never been climbed by anyone. Lowe's ideal perfect style: an unclimbed route, on-sight, solo (free solo if possible but at least no bolts if protection is needed).
• 1971, N Face Swiss Peak, Canada, III, AI3
• 1971, West Shoulder Direct, Mt Andromeda, Canadian Rockies, III, AI3, M4
• 1972, Simpleton's Pillar, IV, 5.10, N Face Grand Teton
• 1975, several routes in Scotland
• 1979, S Face Ama Dablam as above
• 1979, Asteroid Alley, IV, AI5,M6, Canadian Rockies
• 1983, first solo ascent and first free ascent of the Italian Route on Putscanturpa Norte, Peru. Lowe was not aware the Itallians had climbed the route the previous year until he saw the evidence on the climb. The Italians fixed ropes, employed aid, and spent two weeks. Lowe free climbed and made the ascent in 6 hours. Grade V, 5.10
• 1983, solo of SE Spur of Pumori, as above.
• 1986 to 2003, many solos in the Mt Blanc Range, including the Super Couloir, free climbing the direct start, in two hours to the end of the ice difficulties below the summit. V,M6, WI4
• 1991, Metanoia, Lowe's tribute to the pioneers of the Eiger N Face. VII, 5.10, M6
