Jeff Lowe entered the Squamish hotel suite Friday afternoon in his wheelchair, pushed by his life partner, Connie Self.
He held a bottle of mineral water in his stiff left hand and intermittently took short sips from a gigantic straw.
No longer able to talk, Lowe’s movements and ability to communicate are limited. He punched keys on an iPad with a stylus and used Self, who has an uncanny ability to understand Lowe’s grunts and gestures, to express himself.
“I wish I could talk,” he said.
After a climbing career that spanned four decades, Lowe, 65, is a legend in climbing circles, from his home in Colorado to the Sea to Sky Corridor and around the world.
“He’s a heavy hitter,” said Squamish veteran climber Brian Moorhead.
Lowe made more than 1,000 first ascents climbing rock and ice around the world, including the Himalayan peaks, the Swiss Alps and the Wasatch Mountains in the western United States.
In 1980, he spent a few days in Squamish climbing with B.C. alpinist Don Serl.
During his climbing days, Lowe also designed or improved climbing gear, such as his design of the first soft-shell pullover and a lightweight, sophisticated backpack that has inspired gear used by climbers these days.
Lowe is now on what he calls his final and most difficult ascent – he is dying from a rare, not fully understood ALS-like disease.
“I like to joke Jeff has to do first ascents, even with disease,” Self said.
According to Self, Lowe has defied doctors by continuing to live. He is currently under hospice care and has been for about three years.
On Saturday, Lowe’s documentary film, Metanoia, which was produced by Self and focuses on Lowe’s ascent of the 1,800-metre north face of the Eiger in Switzerland, won juror’s choice at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival. The film is the reason Lowe was in Squamish on the weekend. He returned to his home in Boulder, Colorado on Monday for the American debut of the documentary.
The necessity of being in the moment while climbing has helped Lowe deal with his illness and mortality.
“Jeff’s idea of embracing reality is… you do the best you can with what you’ve got, from where you are right now. That is what you do in climbing – you aren’t thinking about your grocery list or your mom or the fight you had with your spouse, you are right there in that moment and focused on that, and that is a tool anybody can use, in any arena, and it will make it better for you,” said Self.
At peace with his pending death, Lowe’s thoughts are about the environment and ensuring that it is protected for future generations. His environmentalism grew from his alpine climbing.
“You take what you need and you bring it all back,” Lowe said, through Self.
“You are adapting to the environment, rather than forcing yourself onto the environment.”
That is the legacy Lowe would like to leave, he said.
“Climbers should be leading the way and speaking out so other people can catch the passion for the outdoors and preserving the environment and the planet,” he said, adding that speaking out is not an option anymore, but a necessity.
After he tours his documentary, Lowe plans to focus on completing a book that will highlight some of his best climbs.
For more on Lowe and his documentary, go to jeffloweclimber.com.
Sunniva Sorby of Squamish is planning a local screening of the documentary. Contact her to help or for information at [email protected].
