.jpg) Huber in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 December 1968 Trostberg, Bavaria, West Germany |
| Education | Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Physics) |
| Occupation(s) | Theoretical physicist, professional rock climber, and mountain guide |
| Height | 176 cm (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) (sport climbing) |
| Spouse | Kristina Huber |
| Relative | Thomas Huber (brother) |
| Website | www |
| Climbing career | |
| Type of climber | |
| Highest grade | |
| Known for |
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| First ascents |
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| Updated on 17 July 2023 | |
Alexander Huber (born 30 December 1968) is a German rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of rock climbing. Huber came to prominence in the early 1990s as the world's strongest sport climber after the passing of Wolfgang Güllich. He is the second-ever person to redpoint a 9a (5.14d) graded route by ascending Om in 1992, and has come to be known as the first-ever person to redpoint a 9a+ (5.15a) graded route from his 1996 ascent of Open Air.
For a decade following the mid-1990s, Huber, often partnered with his brother Thomas, also came to be regarded as the strongest big wall free climber of his generation, with groundbreaking first ascents in Yosemite (El Nino in 1998, and Zodiac in 2003), the Karakoram (Latok II in 1997, and Eternal Flame in 2009), and in other notable big wall locations around the world. Huber’s 1995 ascent of the Salathé Wall in Yosemite was the first-ever redpoint of an 8a (5.13b) graded big wall in history. His 2001 ascent of Bellavista in the Dolomites was the first-ever redpoint of an 8c (5.14b) graded big wall in history.
Huber is also known as one of the greatest free solo climbers for both big wall and sport climbing routes. In 2002, he free soloed the first-ever grade 7a+ (5.12a) big wall in history, the 580-metre Brandler-Hasse Direttissima in the Dolomites. In 2003, he free soloed the second-ever grade 8b (5.13d) sport climbing route in history with Der Opportunist in Austria, and in 2004, he became the first-ever person in history to free solo an 8b+ (5.14a) graded sport route with Kommunist, also in Austria.