Climbing
This is why Leo Houlding is one of the world's top adventure climbers
We chart the ever-evolving career of the British climbing star of the award-winning film Spectre Expedition: To the End of the Earth.
22 min
Mission Antarctica part 1
British explorer Leo Houlding leads an unsupported mission to summit Antarctica's remote Spectre.
For 61 days, Leo Houlding, Jean Burgun and Mark Sedon kite-skied 2,000km across Antarctica to climb the difficult Mount Spectre, the world's most remote mountain. During that time they pushed to the limit, enduring -40°C temperatures, massive storms and the constant threat of crevasses.
20 min
Mission Antarctica part 2
We pick back up at the Spectre basecamp in Antarctica as the crew attempt to climb the north side of Spectre.
"No one's ever attempted such a complicated, multi-staged expedition before. It's 21st century exploration," Houlding said. "It was a huge trip, next level. The Trans-Antarctic Mountains are four times the size of the Alps and we were the first independent climbing expedition to go there."
Watch part 1 and 2 of Mission Antarctica, the story of that Spectre expedition in the videos above.
Things didn't run smoothly. Deep into his kite-ski expedition, chaos erupted all around Houlding and his team. Having entered the wrong valley and now fighting their way out, katabatic winds – ferocious gusts blasting down the glacier – battered them.
Leo Houlding during the Spectre expedition
© Leo Houlding
Then, a near disaster occurred for Houlding. "We were a kilometre away and it was the last crevasse before reaching the mountain," Houlding recounted. Abruptly, his sled weighing 200kg began dragging him backward out of nowhere. Houlding's sled had broke through a crevasse and dropped several metres into an abyss, slamming hard onto a ledge of ice chunks.
Houlding's sled being rescued from a crevasse in Antarctica
© Sender Films/Red Bull Content Pool
Had it gone any further, he would have slid to his death. Instead of giving up after his near miss, he dusted himself off, hauled out his sled and headed toward his climbing objective.
The Spectre mountains of Antarctica
© Sender Films/Red Bull Content Pool
They completed their goal and it was captured in all its glory on film for Spectre Expedition: To the End of the Earth.
Houlding's been a professional climber and adventurer for over now 20 years. Learn more about him below.
Houlding, Burgun and Sedon make it to the top of the Sceptre
© Sender Films/Red Bull Content Pool
1. He was a teenage climbing phenom
Raised in the Lake District in the United Kingdom, at age 11 Houlding summited his first adventure route, a teetering sea stack off the coast of Scotland called The Old Man of Hoy. A cold wind blew and sea-spray coated him as he climbed, but instead of giving up, the schoolboy became energised by the wild setting.
As a teenager, Houlding routinely visited the Gritstone, a world-famous climbing area in the UK. He trained obsessively at the climbing gym and at 15 was crowned the British Junior Indoor Climbing Champion. At 16, he made headlines worldwide for climbing the 5.13 X Master's Wall in North Wales on his first go. (X stands for death-fall potential.) Making it even harder, because his own shoes were worn out, Houlding climbed the route in his friend's pair that were two sizes too big.
That's when he earned his reputation as the world’s boldest climber.
Houlding is always intrepid and ready for a challenge
© Leo Houlding
2. Landmark ascents make him tick
Master's Wall may have made headlines, but it was a warm-up for Houlding's next objective. At age 18 he set out to free climb the 900m El Capitan in Yosemite, California on his first try, which had never been done before. However, 30m up the climb and unwilling to risk a 20m ankle-shattering fall, Houlding grabbed a protection bolt, which ended his on-sight attempt. Despite the setback, he and 'Patch' Hammond finished the climb with no further falls, nabbing its second ascent.
Leo Houlding at El Cap
© Jimmy Chin
3. He's not one to give up on his aims
Four years later in 2002, Houlding attempted the 'Impossible Mountain', Cerro Torre in Patagonia, however partway up the line he fell 20m, badly breaking his foot. Doctors said he might never climb again, but a few years later he returned to Patagonia and climbed the biggest tower in the area, the North Pillar of Cerro Fitz Roy. His ability to return even stronger after he's down has become his trademark.
For 21 years, despite injuries and setbacks, Houlding's made a living climbing the most significant, remote objectives in the world. He's summited Everest, twice visited Antarctica and twice climbed walls in the Arctic Circle, including Greenland's Mirror Wall. He’s also ventured deep into the Venezuelan jungle to ascend Cerro Autana.
Leo Houlding shows the fun of big wall climbing
© Alastair Lee/posingproductions.com
4. When Houlding climbs, a camera crew isn't far behind
What sets Houlding apart from other top adventure athletes is two-fold. First, it's his grand plans. Second, he makes sure he gets the shot. Partnering with filmmaker Alastair Lee, the two have made the award-winning films The Prophet, The Asgard Project, Autana, Ulvetanna, The Last Great Climb and The Spectre.
The adventure of reaching a destination is just as good as the climbing
© Leo Houlding
Related
5. There's still climbs to conquer all over the world
When we caught up with the 39-year-old Houlding, he told us he's returning to the jungle this November. He plans to climb a massive 400m face on one of the highest tepui plateaus in South America, Mount Roraima. The trip will take 30 days and will include 50km of jungle thrashing to reach the massive climb. Once on top, a helicopter will pluck them from the summit.
Mount Roraima – the Lost World
© Klaus Fengler/Red Bull Content Pool
