Mick Fowler

Michael Fowler (born 1956) is a British rock climber, ice climber, mountaineer and climbing author. He is internationally noted for his alpine climbing and was awarded the Piolet d'Or three times, with Paul Ramsden, in 2003, 2013, and 2016, for alpine-style first ascents of faces in the Himalayas. Fowler was one of the first British rock climbers to free an E6-graded traditional rock climbing route (Linden, 1976), and the first ice climber to free a consensus grade VI mixed Scottish winter route (The Shield Direct, 1979).

In the British Isles, Fowler is also noted for unusual and esoteric climbing including crumbling sea cliffs and sea stacks and using mixed climbing techniques on chalk cliffs. In 1989, Fowler was voted the "Mountaineers' Mountaineer" in a poll of his peers by The Observer. Fowler stayed as an amateur climber and maintained a full-time job in the HM Revenue and Customs for almost forty years. Many of Fowler's awards were earned climbing Himalayan peaks during his annual holiday leave from the Revenue.

Climbing career In 1976, Fowler became one of the first climbers in Britain to make a first free ascent (FFA) of a traditional climbing route at the E6-grade of difficulty when he freed Linden on the "Eliminates Wall" at Curbar Edge. In 1979, Fowler also became the first British climber to ascend a mixed climbing route at a consensus Scottish winter grade VI of difficulty (i.e. formally registered in the guidebook) when he freed The Shield Direct with Victor Saunders on Ben Nevis; it later turned out to be grade VII/7 route. Fowler famously ice-climbed a frozen water icicle from a broken toilet at St Pancras. By 1987, Fowler and Victor Saunders, won international acclaim for their groundbreaking alpine-style ascent of the "Golden Pillar" on Spantik in the Karakoram (Fowler called it the "Walker Spur" of the Himalaya), as a milestone in high-altitude climbing. In 2014, Fowler was appointed as a Patron of the British Mountaineering Council. Bonington said Fowler had delivered on this early vote of confidence by becoming "one of our greatest mountaineers".

Fowler married his wife Nicki, they have two children.

In 2017, Fowler underwent treatment for anal cancer which required him to use a colostomy bag; however this did not stop him from climbing in the Himalayas in 2019, and on make first ascents of new routes on sea stacks off the Irish coast in 2023.

Notable ascents

Traditional climbing

1976: Linden E6 6b at Curbar Edge; First free ascent (FFA) of Drummond's controversial aid route, and one of the first E6 routes in Britain. 1978: Ludwig (3-pitches) E6 6b at Gogarth South Stack; First ascent but with 3-points of aid, FFA by Andy Pollitt in 1984. 1987: West Central Gully (VII 8) on Beinn Eighe. First ascent and for a time was one of the hardest mixed climbing routes in Britain. 1983 Western Gully of Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), with Caradog Jones. 1986 West Face Direct of Ushba (Rus 5b, Scottish V, 1,600m, Caucasus). FA with Victor Saunders. 1987 Golden Pillar Buttress of Spantik (2,200m, Scottish V/VI, Pakistan). FA with Victor Saunders and Fowler's first major Himalayan ascent; 1991 Southwest Ridge of Hunza Peak and Bublimating (Pakistan). FA of Hunza with Caradog Jones. 1993 Northwest Face of (ED+, A3 Scottish VI, 1,300m, India). FA with Steve Sustad. 1995 Northeast Buttress of Taweche (ED+, VI E3 A2, Nepal). FA with Pat Littlejohn; considered a major alpine style Himalayan ascent that further cemented Fowler's credentials in high-altitude alpinism. 1997 North Face of Changabang (TD+, Scottish VI, 1,600m, India). FA with Brendan Murphy and Andy Cave (summit); with Fowler and Steve Sustad climbing to the summit ridge. Murphy was hit by an avalanche and swept off the face to his death on the descent; the only death Fowler experienced on his expeditions. 1999 Northwest Face of Arwa Tower (ED+, VI 5b A3 Scottish V/VI, 1,000m, India). FA with Steve Sustad; a major alpine style Himalayan ascent of a much-admired face. 2000 North Buttress of Mount Kennedy (TD+, 1,800m, Yukon US). FA of 1968 aid route with Andy Cave having retreated from the Northwest face. 2002 Northwest face of Siguniang (ED+, VII AI6 M6, 1,500m, Sichuan). FA with Paul Ramsden; they won the 2003 Piolet d'Or for this climb. 2005 West Face of Kajaqiao (TD+, Scottish V, 1,100m, Tibet). FA with Chris Watts; a permit mixup led them to Kajaqiao instead of Manamcho. 2007 Northwest Ridge of Manamcho (TD, Scottish V, 700m, Tibet). FA with Paul Ramsden; known as the Matterhorn of the Nyenchen Tanglha. 2010 North Face of Sulamar (TD+, 1,600m, Xinjiang, China). FA with Paul Ramsden. 2011 West face of Mugu Chuli (or Mt. Gojung) (ED, 1,200m, Nepal/Tibet). FA with Dave Turnbull. 2012 Northeast Buttress ("Prow") of (ED+, 700m, India) with Paul Ramsden; they won the 2013 Piolet d'Or for this climb, their second. 2014 Northeast Face (ED, 1,300m, India). FA with Paul Ramsden. 2015 North Face of Gave Ding (ED+, 1,600m, Nepal). FA with Paul Ramsden; they won the 2016 Piolet d'Or for this, which was their third.

Awards and honours

For climbing

(Alpine) in 2002 for Siguniang. Appointed as a Patron of the British Mountaineering Council in 2014. Honorary Fellow of University of Cumbria in 2016.

For writing

W.H. Murray Literary Prize in 2002 for his essay Climbing in the Cold on Scottish winter climbing. John White Award, Banff Mountain Book Festival in 2005, for his book On Thin Ice: Alpine Climbs in the Americas, Asia and the Himalaya. Grand Prix Award, Passy Book Festival in France in 2015, for compilation of Fowler's writings by Eric Vola as Les Tribulations de Mick et Vic.