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A portrait of Stefan Glowacz

Stefan Glowacz was born March 22, 1965 in Dittmoning, Bavaria, is one of the world’s leading climbers.
At the age of 15 he took an Alpine Club climbing course and during the following years climbed extensively in the local Wettersteingebirge. In 1985 Stefan won Sport Roccia in Bardoneccia, Italy – the first sport climbing competition ever held. Three times he was the winner of the Arco Rock Master event (1987, 1988, 1992). He placed first in the unofficial demonstration competition in the Albertville Winter Olympics, and won victories in countless master tournaments. In 1993 he became vice world champion in Innsbruck and decided to end his competitive career with this success.

Since then, Stefan has been focusing on the challenges of natural rock. In 1994 he could claim the first ascent of Des Kaisers neue Kleiderz in the Kaisergebirge, one of the most difficult alpine sport climbing routes in the world which is still waiting for a repetition.

But it was through a series of exceptional expeditions to the most remote and difficult mountain walls on the globe that Glowacz managed to draw attention to his activities. On the approaches to his goals, Stefan and his friends consciously renounced all means of motorized transportation such as helicopters, planes or skidoos, even doing without airdrops for food and equipment.

In Canada Stefan and his team covered 1000 kilometers – partly along the South Nahanni River in an inflatable canoe and partly on foot. Their goal was the 700 meter spire of Mt. Harrison Smith, where the four adventurers completed a demanding first ascent.

In 1999 Stefan Glowacz and five other team mates set off for Antarctica. On board of the 14 meter yacht “Santa Maria” the “Rock and Ice Expedition” negotiated the notorious Drake Passage, one of the world’s most challenging crossings for a non-motorized sailboat. This did not stop the team from completing the first ascent of the Renard Tower via its 900 meter high north face (5.12 b).

In Baffin Island Stefan and his team fought their way in sea kayaks along the coast against high swells, strong winds and polar bears. They accomplished a fantastic first ascent on the 700 meter high Polar Bear Spire.
The vast ice fields of Patagonia were the scene for Stefan’s latest success. Accompanied by the professional ice climber Robert Jasper and the photographer Klaus Fengler, Stefan pulled off the first ascent of The Lost World on the north pillar of Murallòn in December 2003.

In addition to his athletic accomplishments and the numerous printed and televised documentations of his expeditions, Stefan Glowacz played one of the lead roles in Werner Herzog’s Schrei aus Stein; he also acted in Fire Ice and Dynamite directed by Willy Bogner as well as in Kletterkrieg, a sequel of the Wildbach series.

Together with his friend, the photographer Uli Wiesmeier, Stefan coauthored Rocks around the World; the same duo shot The Race in 2003, an award winning short film. With Wolfgang Pohl he wrote the instruction manual Richtig freiklettern. Stefan’s most recent book project was Hoch hinaus, written with business consultant Kai Pfersich. At present Stefan Glowacz is working on a book that will be published in spring of 2005.