Let’s dig into the hard alpine climbs of Steve Swenson as he sits down for an interview with Geoff Powter. Steve is known for his kind and warm personality and advocates for mentorship systems in the outdoors. His climbing achievements are top-notch, and he is one of only a handful of people to have won the coveted Piolets d'Or twice. In 2012, Swenson along with Mark Richey and Freddie Wilkinson, made the first ascent of Saser Kangri—at the time, the peak was the second-highest unclimbed mountain in the world. It was Swenson’s first win at the Piolets. In 2019, Swenson, along with Graham Zimmerman, Mark Richey, and Chris Wright, made the first ascent of Link Sar, which earned them the 2020 Piolet d'Or prize. Check out his book entitled Karakoram: Climbing Through the Kashmir Conflict at your local bookstore.