Luke Smithwick
Luke Smithwick is the owner and founder of Alpine South. He works for the majority of the year in Tibet, India, and Nepal on his pursuits as a sponsored skier and climber and the other part guiding skiing and climbing expeditions for Himalaya Alpine Guides. Since the age of 18 (27 years), his chief profession has been guiding. His expedition experience includes Everest from Tibet (North, Northeast ridge), 8163m Manaslu, 8013m Shishapangma (Northwest buttress, ski descent), Denali (west buttress, ski traverse), 8167m Dhaulagiri (ski descent), 8035m Gasherbrum Two, 7126m Himlung, and too many Himalayan 6000 meter peaks to mention (and many with ski descents). He prides himself on providing high quality trips at international guiding standards with an emphasis on each members personal goals and levels of risk tolerance.
During the 2014-2018 winter season, Luke was the snow safety director for a Gulmarg ski resort in Kashmir, and the backcountry avalanche forecaster (gulmarg-avalanche-advisory.com) for the region as well. Now, he is best when working in the Himalayan backcountry and is equally comfortable leading on skis or in climbing boots. Luke has logged more than 1500 days backcountry skiing, has first ski descents on 6 different continents and has skied from 8000 meters.
2026 will see him on nine Himalayan expeditions in Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and India.
Read an article about Luke here
Professional and personal experience
- 8848m Everest – North Ridge
- 8013m Shishapangma – Northwest buttress ski expedition
- 8167m Dhaulagiri – Northeast ridge ski expedition
- 8035m Gasherbrum Two – Southwest ridge ski expedition (x2)
- 8163m Manaslu
- Sixty four (64) Himalayan 6000 meter summits that do not have names
- 7135m Mount Nun – west ridge
- 7250m Labuche Kang Three
- 6190m Denali – Ski Traverse
- 6190m Denali – West Buttress Ski Expedition
- 7126m Himlung – west face route (x2)
- 6512m Bhagirathi 2 – northwest ridge
- 6439m Z-1 – west face
- 6330m Saldim Ri – southwest ridge two times
- 6666m Lungser Kangri – west ridge two times (one ski descent)
- 6259m Mentok Kangri 1-6 traverse (18 hours)
- Kang Yatze One (18 hours from base camp, solo)
- 6350m Mount Nirekha – west ridge two times
- 7126m Mount Satopanth – northwest ridge
- 6129m Kyajo Ri – Southwest ridge
- Big Wall – Lost Brother Wall – New route “Call of the Yeti” – Yosemite National Park
- 6529m Mount Hagshu – East Face
- Peak 6410m – “Indifference of the Lammergeier” – North Face
- 7043m Lhakpa Ri Ski Expedition (x2)
- Peak 6080m Ski Expedition – First Descent
- Peak 6110m Ski Expedition – First Descent
- Labuche Kang Three East (the world’s highest unclimbed peak)
- Gangsthang East face – alpine style two times
- Singu Chuli – Southeast ridge
- Nirekha – North face – first ascent in alpine style
- New multi-pitch traditional climbing routes on granite in India’s Zanskar Himalayas
- First ascent – Solitude – Granite North face at 6000 meters in the Pangong Himalayas of India
Credentials
- Bachelor of Arts – Cultural Anthropology
- Bachelor of Sciences – Environmental Biology
- WMA Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician
- AIARE Level 3 Avalanche certification / Pro 2 + AIARE instructor certification
- WMS Wilderness First Responder (current)
- Rescue III Swiftwater Rescue Technician
- 21 Years Guiding Experience
- Professional member – American Avalanche Association
- Professional member – American Mountain Guides Association
- Professional Working Proficiency (Languages): Hindi, Nepali, Tibetan, Kashmiri, Ladakhi, Spanish
Specific Interests in the Himalaya
- Himalayan Pastoralism and it development along the Changtang plateau
- Skiing
- The Ancient Salt Trade routes
- Tibetan language and its dialects
- Tibetan Antelope in the southern plains of Rupshu
- Wolves of the Changtang plateau
- Snow Leopard of Hemis National Park
- Exploratory climbing and skiing in remote Ladakh, Garhwal, and Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal.