Leo Houlding pushes the limits of exploratory adventure by taking the ultimate in extreme sports to the most extreme environments.
A British climber and adventurer, Leo became the first Briton to free climb El Capitan in Yosemite at the age of 18. He has since gone on to climb many of its toughest lines.
In 2004, Leo began BASE jumping and has also been a pioneer of para-alpinism, a climbing method he demonstrated on Top Gear when he and Tim Emmett climbed to the top of the Verdon Gorge then base jumped back to the bottom of the route.
He is a veteran of a score of epic ascents, including Everest with Linde Werdelin in 2007, but specializes in free climbing the most technical peaks and biggest walls in the world.
“I’ve taken my LW from the depths of the Amazon to the high Arctic, across ice caps and up the highest mountains and worn the same watch when introduced to the Queen in Buckingham palace or the Prime minister in 10 Downing street.”
– LEO HOULDING
EXPEDITIONS WITH LINDE WERDELIN
In June 2007, The Linde Werdelin Biformeter and Land Instrument made history by guiding world leading climbers Leo Houlding and Conrad Anker to become the first to free climb, unaided, the famous North East Ridge of Everest.
The Linde Werdelin Land Instrument measured heart rate, temperature, altitude, weather and compass readings, principally keeping the expedition team safe whilst measuring how the body reacts to such extreme conditions.
Leo’s feedback and testing with LW led to the development and launch in 2009 of the Spido, an example of extreme weight reduction – where everything possible has been stripped down – without losing any strength in the construction. Where the balance of lightness with functionality is critical to success.
Leo continues to test the Spido and inform new editions, including most recently in 2020 when he summitted Mount Roraima. He successfully led an expedition to complete a new big-wall free climb in the Amazon rain forest in Guyana, taking his SpidoLite 3DTP along for the adventure.
In summer 2023, Leo (this time sporting his SpidoSpeed Carbon) and fellow climbers Waldo Etherington and Wilson Cutbirth embarked on a challenging expedition to Mount Asgard, facing obstacles like frozen fjords, treacherous ice, and unpredictable weather conditions. Despite initial setbacks, they persevered and successfully pioneered a new route – Loki’s Mischief - on the mountain's 4000ft tall east face, culminating in a triumphant ascent.
– BY LEO HOULDING
ANECDOTE 16
LEO’S TIMEPIECES
A clear transformation through meticulous skeletonisation across the outer case, dial, and movement.
LEO’S TIMEPIECES
An example of extreme weight reduction, just 75 pieces crafted from 3DTP carbon
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