He was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, and his family emigrated to the United States when he was three, ending up in Seattle, Washington. He started climbing in the Cascades as a teenager, learning the basic concepts from the The Mountaineers[?] but quickly going on to harder climbs.
He attended the University of Washington and received a degree in business administration, but worked as a delivery truck driver, which left him more time for climbing. In between climbs, he wrote several books, most importantly the Cascade Alpine Guide[?], the 3-volume definitive description of the mountains north of Oregon.
Some of his first ascents:
Other notable feats:
Unlike Jim Whittaker, a fellow Seattleite and the first American to reach the top of Mount Everest, Beckey has always shied away from the large team efforts, preferring smaller alpine-style undertakings.
As of 2003, he continues to climb all over the world.
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