Charles Snead Houston (August 24, 1913 - September 27, 2009) passed away this past Sunday in the presence of his family and beloved golden retriever Pooh Bear. For those of us in the mountaineering community, Charlie is synonymous with K2, having led both the 1938 and 1953 American expeditions. His climbing career began at age 12 with a hike in the Swiss Alps, followed by a half-dozen ascents in the Austrian Alps at age 18. At 19, he made two more Swiss ascents in the company of T. Graham Brown. Major expeditions then followed with an attempt on Mount Crillon with Brad Washburn, Bob Bates, Ad Carter, and others (1933), the first ascent of Mount Foraker with his father, Oscar Houston, and T. Graham Brown (1934), and the first ascent of Nanda Devi with Brown, Ad Carter, Arthur Emmons, W. F. Loomis, Peter Lloyd, Noel Odell, and H. W. Tilman (1936). Prior to K2, Charlie was a member of the teams which made the first ascents of both Mount Foraker (1934) and Nanda Devi (1936). In 1950, along with Tilman and others, he made the first approach to Everest’s south side via the Khumbu region. His leadership during these expeditions exemplified the true spirit of mountaineering – the ‘brotherhood of the rope’.
Charlie’s life was filled with more than just mountaineering. In his 96 years he had many achievements including - first Director of Peace Corps for India (1962-65), Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont Medical College (1966-79), Director of the Arctic Institute of North America's High Altitude Physiology Study at 17,500’ on Mount Logan, Canada (1967-79), and co-founder of the Yosemite Institute (1971). He is regarded as the “father of high altitude medicine and physiology” for his over fifty years of pioneering research studying medical problems caused by lack of oxygen and examining how the body adapts to high altitude.
He authored/co-authored several books - Five Miles High (1939), K2: The Savage Mountain (1954), K2: 8611M (1954), Going High: The Story of Man and Altitude (1980), Going Higher: The Story of Man and Altitude (1983), High Altitude: Illness and Wellness (1993), Going Higher: Oxygen, Man and Mountains (1998), and almost 100 altitude-related papers.
Charlie was an Honorary Member of the American Alpine Club, Alpine Club (UK), and Himalayan Club. Other honors included: the AAC’s David A. Sowles Memorial Award, awarded periodically to mountaineers “who have distinguished themselves, with unselfish devotion at personal risk or sacrifice of a major objective, in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperiled in the mountains”, the AAC’s Angelo Heilprin Citation, awarded annually “to that person who has, in the opinion of the citation committee, shown exemplary service to the club”, and the King Albert Medal of Merit Award from Belgium’s King Albert foundation in recognition of “his contributions to the understanding of mountain sickness and man’s acclimatization to high altitude.”
In his later years, Charlie hosted discussion groups in his home with local teens, displaying his amazing ability to reach across generations. He frequently had several books being read to him at once and enjoyed a steady stream of friends who cared for him. He will be greatly missed.
Charlie’s official obituary may be accessed here - http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/burlingtonfreepress/obituary.aspx?n=charles-s-houston&pid=133670550
