mark twight

Born on November 2, 1961, in Yosemite National Park, California, Mark Twight established prominence as a mountaineer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He gained recognition for his challenging and hazardous alpine climbs across various global ranges. Twight’s approach to alpinism incorporated radical, lightweight methods, positioning him as a significant figure in the single-push climbing movement. His notable ascents include the first ascent of “The Reality Bath” on the White Pyramid in 1988 with Randy Rackliff and establishing a speed record of 2 hours 4 minutes on the 925-meter-high “Slipstream” on the east face of Snowdome in the same season.

In the Mont Blanc massif, Twight made first ascents such as “Richard Cranium Memorial” on the northwest face of Les Droites with Barry Blanchard in 1990, “Beyond Good And Evil” on the north face of the Aiguille des Pelerins with Andy Parkin in 1992, and “There Goes The Neighborhood” on the northwest face of the Aiguille Sans Nom with Scott Backes in 1993. His Himalayan expeditions included attempts on the South Pillar of Nuptse with Jeff Lowe and a retreat from Nanga Parbat due to a storm. He successfully completed the first ascent of the northwest face of Kangtega with Alison Hargreaves, Tom Frost, and Jeff Lowe. In the Alaska Range, he and Scott Backes climbed “Deprivation” on Mount Hunter in 72 hours in 1994, a significant achievement in single-push climbing. His climbing career culminated with a 60-hour ascent of the Slovak Direct on the south face of Denali in June 2000, alongside Scott Backes and Steve House. Twight also participated in high-profile mountain rescues during his time in the Alaska Range and was nominated twice for the Piolet d’Or, in 1993 and 1995. In February 2017, he received the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award from the American Alpine Club for his mountaineering skills, courage, and perseverance.

After retiring from professional climbing around 2000, Twight founded Gym Jones, a strength and conditioning facility where he trained athletes, military personnel, and actors. He served as the technical director of Mountain Mobility Group, LLC, providing training and research and development for the Department of Defense, and contributed to the Protective Combat Uniform (PCU) for special operations. In 2005, he trained the cast and stunt crew for the movie “300,” and continued to train actors for films including “Man of Steel,” “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Batman vs. Superman,” “Wonder Woman,” and “Justice League.” In 2018, Twight co-founded Nonprophet with Michael Blevins, launching “The Dissect Podcast.” He is also an accomplished writer, with his books “Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, Fast and High” (1999) and “Kiss or Kill – Confessions of a Serial Climber” (2001) receiving awards. His third book, “Refuge,” was published in 2019, reflecting on his journey after climbing.