On October 5th 1999, an avalanche on Tibet's 26,291 foot Shishapangma, the world's 14th highest mountain, took the life of Alex Lowe.
The loss of Alex is devastating. He has been a cherished member of The North Face family for over ten years. He is a friend and extraordinary human being whose athletic achievements were exceeded only by his irrepressible zest for life and uncanny ability to touch everyone around him. Alex spoke frequently about his two great passions, his family and the mountains, with a homespun elegance that captivated every audience.
Lowe, is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Max, Sam and Isaac who live in Bozeman, Montana.
Jennifer has created the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation, Inc. (ALCF), which is dedicated to preserving Alex's legacy by providing direction and financial support to the people indigenous to the remote high mountain regions where his expeditions took him.
The Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 6666
Bozeman, MT 59771
Phone: (406) 585-7643
“Alex Lowe Peak”: A Mountain Honoring a Mountaineer
Bozeman, Montana September 12, 2005 -- The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) has approved a proposal to bestow the name “Alex Lowe Peak” on a mountain in the Gallatin National Forest. The commemorative name honors the late mountaineer Alex Lowe of Bozeman, MT, who had a unique association with the mountain (Peak 10,031) which was previously known by its elevation.
“I am pleased and proud that this incredible honor has been given to Alex for his accomplishments as a mountaineer and for the positive, humble spirit that he shared with so many,” said Jennifer Lowe, the widow of the late climber and President of the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. “It is certainly nothing he would have dreamed of but it is wonderful for the people who keep Alex in their heart to know that amongst the millions of mountains on this earth, there is now one right here in the Gallatin National Forest that is named for a mountaineer from Montana. Terry Cunningham, who conceived of the idea and brought it to fruition, has my heartfelt thanks!”
Terry Cunningham of Bozeman, Montana, who submitted the application to the BGN said, “There are hundreds, if not thousands of unnamed mountains, valleys and streams in Montana. The fact that there are still features available to be named for worthy individuals is a gift from previous generations of Montanans.” Cunningham also says, “The published criteria for applying a name to an unnamed feature are fairly straight-forward, and Alex Lowe is a textbook example of someone who fits such standards.”
The BGN will not consider a commemorative name unless the individual has been deceased for at least five years. Further, the person in question should ideally have a direct association with the feature being named in his/her honor. In the spring of 1997, Alex Lowe and Hans Saari climbed up a tremendous north-facing couloir on Peak 10,031: a seldom-visited mountain southwest of Mt. Blackmore in the Gallatin National Forest. Once atop the peak, they clicked into their ski bindings and attempted the first-ever ski-descent of the nearly vertical snow-filled gash which they nicknamed “Hellmouth Couloir.” The ski required them to rappel over a huge chockstone before successfully completing their descent.
It is believed that this feat has never been repeated. “It is fitting,” says Cunningham, “that this beautiful peak would be named after a person who climbed up its slopes, skied down its most challenging feature and appreciated its silent majesty.”
The name-change application submitted by Cunningham also provided evidence of local support: a key requisite for approval by the BGN. The proposal to name Peak 10,031 “Alex Lowe Peak” was endorsed via letters of support from the Bozeman City Commission, the Gallatin County Commission, the Gallatin National Forest Supervisor, the Headwaters Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation.
The proposal also garnered the editorial support from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Alex Lowe’s parents, Jim and Dottie Lowe of Robinsville, NC, said “We believe that everyone who climbs this special mountain will feel Alex’s presence and exhilaration at being there. He was our beloved son, and it gives us tremendous pleasure to know there’s a peak with his name, one that he skied in his adventurous way, and we know he would feel honored and humbled by this recognition”
Alex’s love of wild places - and the native people who inhabit them – was the inspiration for the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation (www.alexlowe.org) which provides direction and financial support to sustainable humanitarian programs in the remote regions of the world where Alex visited.
A formal public dedication of Alex Lowe Peak is in the planning stages. www.alexlowe.org
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Hans Saari, a ski mountaineer who has been on several North Face expeditions, died Tuesday, May 8, 2001, after taking a fall while skiing in the Gervisuiti Couloir on Mont Blac de Tacul, in Chamonix. He was 30 years old.
Hans' was becoming America's premier skiers and writers. He shared many of his accomplishments with others within North Face's athlete family including Alex Lowe, Andrew McLean, Conrad Anker, Rick Armstrong, Jon Griber and Kris Erickson. In the spring of '97, along with Alex and Andrew, he made the first descent of the 60-degree, 4-foot-wide, Beckey Couloir in Montana. Hans' first expedition with The North Face was the '98 Andes Steep Descent Expedition where he established several first descents on 6000 meter peaks which had up to 60-degree pitches. His segment can be seen in the film"Altitude" by Rob DesLauriers. Other expeditions includd Shishapangma in '99, Antarctic in '00 and '01 and El Scudo, Peru in '00 which will be featured in Outside Magazine this June.
Hans was able to translate his passion through writing. He wrote feature articles in Climbing, Skiing, Blue, Couloir, Powder and Rock & Ice. You can read the story of his journey to the Antarctic Peninsula. Although Hans was describing his mother when he wrote, "As she gazed out over the plains, her eyes struck me as fierce. They were Viking eyes that pierced the horizon, beckoning the next challenge. Jeg Skal Frem. I will succeed.", he was also capturing his own intensity and enthusiasm for his passion.
Hans was a successful skier, climber, and writer. He graduated from Yale, Cum Laude. He was extremely popular in his hometown of Bozeman, Montana where his Mother, Father and younger sister live. He will be sorely missed and forever remembered.
A memorial fund has been established by Han's family to support the Friends of the Avalanche Center and to promote avalanche education and awareness.
Friends of the Avalanche Center
Attn: Hans Saari Mermorial Fund
P.O. Box 6799
Bozeman, MT 59771
www.mtavalanche.com
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