“There are two kinds of climbers,” esteemed alpinist Conrad Anker once said. “Those who climb because their heart sings when they’re in the mountains, and all the rest.”

Peter Lev — a lifelong climber, mountain guide, first ascensionist, avalanche forecaster, grandfather, CU graduate and much more — was unquestionably that first kind of climber. Anker knew Lev, in the same way Lev was known by most serious alpinists of his generation.

He was best known as a guide and eventual co-owner of Wyoming-based Exum Mountain Guides, the oldest, most well-known guide service in America. He began guiding in 1960, back when guiding was rather unconventional. But that suited Lev perfectly. “He followed his interests, he did what made sense for him and didn’t necessarily get weighed down by what society tells you you ought to do,” said Kim Geil, his niece.

Glen Exum, who started the company in 1930, figured guiding should be a temporary job, ending once a young man found a career and a wife. But even as a 20-year-old, Lev felt differently. He would soon be among the first generation of Exum employees to make the radical claim that guiding is, in fact, a career.

Before guiding, Lev simply loved climbing and being in the mountains, so he enrolled at CU in 1958. To meet other climbers he joined the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, where he befriended the highly experienced Stan Shepard, who became a mentor.

Lev also met Dave Dornan, with whom he made the first ascent of Vertigo, one of Eldorado Canyon’s classic climbs. In the style of the day, they aided the three-pitch route, hammering pitons and standing in slings. Today, Vertigo is a sought-after 5.11 free climb.

During the spring semester of 1963, Lev took a leave of absence to climb a new route on Denali (20,310 feet), North America’s highest peak. After a five-day drive to Alaska, he and his partners were flown onto the Ruth Glacier where they set up camp and began scaling the virgin East Buttress.

After more than a month, Lev, Al Read and Rod Newcomb finally stood on top at 3 a.m. on May 25, with a temperature of minus-20 degrees. But their adventure wasn’t over. A long descent ensued, followed by 10 days trapped at base camp in a storm. On June 6, the day before flying back to civilization, Lev wrote, “50th day in this icebox.” Theirs was among the longest stints on Denali at the time.

Lev graduated in 1964 with a bachelor of arts in philosophy. He then dove headfirst into guiding for Exum, never to live in Boulder again. He still frequented Boulder to see his sister, Louise, who followed him there in 1962 and never left. On one visit in 1966, Lev returned to Eldorado Canyon with larger-than-life Layton Kor, to establish the Northwest Corner of The Bastille. As on Vertigo, they employed aid techniques, paving the way for another coveted 5.11 free climb.

Among numerous climbing accomplishments, Lev established new routes on the Grand Teton (13,775 feet), Mount Robson (12,972 feet — the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies), and Chulu West (21,300 feet) in Nepal. He participated in major international trips including the American Dhaulagiri Expedition (1973), the U.S.-USSR Pamir Expedition (1974) and the American-Indian Nanda Devi Expedition (1976).

Yet most of his climbing was spent guiding in the Tetons, where he logged more than 300 ascents of the Grand Teton over his 46 years at Exum. And while his demeanor could be gruff — even abrasive, his leadership proved exemplary. “He was so strong and capable and fit,” explained Geil. “His clients were always inspired by him and able to do things that they thought they couldn’t.”

Lev continued to climb and ski into his late 70s before his health began to decline. He passed away on April 27 at the age of 85.

Alexandra, his beloved daughter and only child, described him this way in Alpinist magazine in 2018, “His hands were always rough with scabs on his knuckles … and cracks in his skin … His calves looked like tree trunks, but I glimpsed a softer, interior side in the crinkles around his eyes when he grinned and hugged me.”

Visit the Exum History Project (exumhistory.com) for an in-depth, three-part profile of Peter Lev written by his niece, Dr. Kimberly Geil.

Contact Chris Weidner at cweidner8@gmail.com. Follow him on Instagram @christopherweidner and X @cweidner8.