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Luke Smithwick

@luke_smithwick

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big mtn climber & skier. 108 Himalayan expeditions in past 15 years.
trango climbing | moment skis | scarpa | LEKI | julbo | PRET | intuition | g3

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Luke Smithwick is an American professional alpinist, ski mountaineer, and mountain guide who is recognized as one of the most prolific modern-day explorers of the Himalayan range.
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Sanu Sherpa is a Nepalese mountaineer from Makalu. On 21 July 2022, he became the first person to climb all 14 of the eight-thousanders, twice. He has two peaks remaining, Shishapangma and Cho Oyu, to complete all fourteen 8000 meter peaks three times. No one else is even close to his record.
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This image a few days ago flying out of the Manaslu region ahead of approaching cyclone weather. After they left more than one thousand people followed them and cancelled their expeditions, essentially bringing Manaslu season to a close and saving the lives of many. Luke and Sanu come together to work at Himalaya Alpine Guides (@himalaya_alpine_guides) when their schedules align, while they both pursue many other interests. #Nepal #Himalaya #8000ers taken in Nepal by @luke_smithwick

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12 days ago

Earlier this month I spoke with Dave Roos at the @history channel about unclimbed mountains.You can read that article here: https://www.history.com/articles/mountains-never-climbed. The link is also in my bio. #history #unclimbed #peaks #mountaineering by @luke_smithwick

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5 months ago

This morning I spoke with the BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) about perspective, knowledge and the real world of skiing off piste / in the backcountry. The link to listen is in my stories and in my bio. #powderskiing #backcountryskiing #skitouring taken in Himalayas by @luke_smithwick

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8 months ago

If you’re new to this feed I want to say hello. Feel free to write in about exploration. My focus is South America and Asia, specifically natural history (charismatic megafauna), alpine pastoral cultures (particularly nomadic), language evolution, high and extreme altitude skiing and climbing, ethnobotany and culinary history. Extreme altitude is defined as any terrain above 5500 meters (18,000 feet), high altitude is defined as any terrain above 1500 meters (5000 feet). #Asia #SouthAmerica #indigenous #alpinism #research taken in Nepal by @luke_smithwick

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19 hours ago

Forty-six-year-old American climber Luke Smithwick flies largely under the mainstream radar. That is no small feat given that over the past 15 years he’s completed over 100 climbing and skiing expeditions in the Himalaya, accumulating ascents of over 60 peaks above 6,000m, alongside climbs of Everest, G2, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Shishapangma, and a long record of exploratory mountaineering and ski descents across the region.
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Born and raised in North Carolina, Smithwick began guiding in Colorado at the age of 18. By 2026, he has more than three decades of skiing and almost four decades of climbing behind him. He’s currently working his way through a personal quest to ski 500 aesthetic new ski lines throughout the Himalaya.
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Read about it via the link in bio. Caption and article: @ashrouten at his publication @attheedgeofthemap taken in Nepal by @luke_smithwick

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2 days ago

Kashmir geographic. @momentskis @casttouring #freeride taken in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir by @luke_smithwick

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3 days ago

The less trodden path. #Karakoram by @luke_smithwick

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4 days ago

Gasherbrum dreams. In July and August 2027 we will return to the Karakoram to climb 8080m Gasherbrum One and 8035m Gasherbrum Two. Small team with the best logistics. Why? Because we like small and high quality. Skiers are also joining. You can write to me on here or email world 🌎 headquarters at info@himalaya-alpine.com. Be there or be square. #gasherbrumii #gasherbrumi #karakoram @himalaya_alpine_guides #8000ers by @luke_smithwick

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8 days ago

Just a head shot. For those of you that are new here, I am a Tetons 🇺🇸 based big mountain skier, alpinist and mountain guide that is focused on the Greater ranges. I am the owner and founder of @himalaya_alpine_guides, @alpine__south and @alpine__central as well. 🎥: Sharad Chandra (@khiyalisharad) #Himalaya #Karakoram #Andes #TianShan #Pamirs by @luke_smithwick

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8 days ago

The world is a mountain. If you look closely you can see 8848m Chomolungma (Everest), 8516m Lhotse and 7861m Nuptse in this image I snapped in 2018 on a first ascent attempt in alpine style of 6792m Khangri Shar. Days later we (@fredrik.strang and I) made a first ascent on the North face of 6169m Nirekha, seriously cold, late November in the Mahalangur Himal of northeast Nepal. 🏔️ #Nepal8thwonder #Everest #Lhotse #Nuptse ༄ taken in Kathmandu, Nepal by @luke_smithwick

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14 days ago

Yes, what exactly is going on with @thehimalaya500? Some of you started subscribing to this feed because of the HIMALAYA 500 project, a ski project I started in 2010 to ski five hundred unique lines in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.
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Yes, it continues. And yes, I’m more than halfway done with it. It’s a sizable project to say the least, it’s not 50 ski lines in the highest mountain range on Earth, it’s 500 ski lines. This takes time, the right preparation and also the right mindset. This Winter was productive.
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I take breaks when I need them. I pursue other interests in language, culture and natural history (skiing and climbing is what I do, yet it isn’t what fuels my mind). It’s important to always feed the creative fire, and also understand where I stand and where the Himalayan region stands on the globe. Context.
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So yes, all is well with that project. Yet I won’t be burning myself out on it. Because I want to do it right and hopefully share something with humanity (cartography, visuals) when the time is right. Skiing and snowboarding community continues to grow in the Himalayan region and that’s what’s more important than anything.
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If you’re unfamiliar with the term “Hindu Kush Himalayan region”, it is defined as the 3500 kilometer stretch of mountains from Afghanistan to Myanmar (including all of the mountains of Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan).
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Feel free to DM me or luke@lukesmithwick.com to learn more about the project, its synergies, its contrasts and its parallels. And in the meantime, make a trip to the Himalayan region, it will change your life.. @thehimalaya500 #study | art: @francoislebeau taken in Kathmandu, Nepal by @luke_smithwick

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13 days ago

I got a phone call just now about an avalanche on 7126m Himlung. Fourteen people are missing. I just got another call about an earthquake overnight in Samagaon, a landslide occurred. Some animals passed away yet it sounds like all people are okay there. I’m currently in Kathmandu. If you have avalanche probes reach out to @nnmga to assist in rescue / recovery efforts on Himlung.
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@himalaya_alpine_guides currently has no teams in the mountains, we are all safe. As I said a few days ago, when cyclone weather is approaching the Himalaya, you leave the mountains. My thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved. #Nepal 🙏🇳🇵 taken in Nepal by @luke_smithwick

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11 days ago