Thomas Huber

Thomas Huber, a certified mountain and ski guide and the older of the two Huberbuam–Bavarian for Huber Boys–lives for his passion: mountaineering. Together with his brother Alexander, he forms one of the most successful climbing partnerships of our time. His curiosity and spirit of exploration—qualities he has carried with him since childhood—continue to drive him to discover the unknown in the mountains of the world. Whether speed climbing on steep walls, ascending some of the world’s most challenging peaks, or embarking on expeditions to extreme regions, Thomas seeks out challenges and meets them with determination and athletic ambition.

Highs and lows, setbacks and success

Thomas has experienced everything the mountain has to offer. Over the years, his fighting spirit has taught him that even the boldest vertical visions require accepting failure as part of the path to success. As a father of three, he has always remained deeply aware of the responsibility that comes with his pursuits.

Beyond mountaineering, Thomas continues to captivate audiences with his adventures through intense, humorous, and passionate presentations—now numbering well over 1,000 talks worldwide. Together with his brother Alexander, he has authored several books, starred in numerous films, and become a popular guest on television talk shows.

Today, Thomas is also a trained hunter. Since 2021, he has served as an ambassador for chamois conservation, supporting the preservation of these remarkable Alpine animals and their habitat under the motto “Climbers for climbers.”

A quiet village in the Chiemgau region. A farmhouse. Two mischievous boys. A mountain-loving mother and father. And a sister. That was the Huber family—or rather the Riedls, the name of their family farm. Their father Thomas, the head of the family, spent much of his time in the mountains with his climbing partners, experiencing great alpine adventures from Berchtesgaden to Mont Blanc and even Mount McKinley. Even today, well into his eighties, he still climbs routes up to the sixth grade of difficulty.

And the “Riedlbuam”—Bavarian for Riedl Boys—were full of ambition from the very beginning. As children, they spent most of their time in the mountains: ski tours in the Western Alps during winter, long mountain hikes, and their first climbing routes alongside their father. Before long, they became inseparable in the mountains. At first, though, their training ground was the apple tree in the family garden, where they practiced rope techniques. They climbed their first routes in the crumbling Nagelfluh quarry near Palling, and bouldered at the Steiner Burgmauer.

Soon came their first climbing trip to the Kaiser Mountains—without their father. There, they conquered the sixth grade. But repeating existing routes quickly became too boring. What fascinated them was the unknown, the uncertainty, the adventure of exploring untouched vertical terrain.

Their first new route, Rauhnachtstanz on the south face of Wagendrischlhorn, became the foundation of their climbing lives. First ascents—the unknown world of vertical rock—became and remain their greatest passion to this day. At the Karlstein climbing garden, they tackled many new routes in no time and steadily pushed their climbing level higher and higher. Before long, their reputation extended far beyond their hometown, and the Riedlbuam became the Huberbuam: synonymous with demanding first ascents and wild stories from the vertical world.

They share this passion unconditionally. And as different as they may appear outwardly, together they carry the name of the Huberbuam across rock faces around the world, forming a perfect partnership in the most extreme environments. Thomas repeatedly faced injuries that set back his athletic career. Yet these setbacks forged an iron will. Giving up was never an option. Later, alongside climbing, he discovered skydiving and began combining it with mountaineering—after climbing a difficult rock face, he would make a rapid descent using a parachute.