Bio:

Iker Pou spent his childhood following his big brother, Eneko, all through the Pyrenees Mountains near their home in the Spanish Basque Country. Iker's natural talent for advanced rock climbing was evident: as a young teenager with only two years experience under his belt, he scaled his first 8b+ (5.14a.) Iker became heavily involved with competitive climbing, undertaking more than 70 ascents of 8c (5.14b) to 9a (5.14d) level in the following years, and along the way winning the second World Action Direct competition.

Soon though, Iker expanded his climbing vocabulary to include sport climbing, big wall free climbing and ski mountaineering. As his parents and brother instilled in him, Iker felt that it was essential to “enjoy the competitive part, but never forget about the mountains and their adventures.”

In 2002, Iker's brother approached him about an idea for a joint effort: the Seven Walls-Seven Continents project. Together, Iker and Eneko conceived a plan to free climb a significant and characteristic big wall on each of the world's continents, starting in 2003 with the El Niño route on Yosemite's El Capitan.

The planet's climbing elite has long recognized both Pou brothers as superb climbers and mountaineers. The pair has a reputation as daring, safe and swift free climbers, with a litany of both renowned and obscure routes under their belts. In 2007, Eneko and Iker successfully completed their Seven Walls-Seven Continents project with two climbs that bookended the calendar year. In January, the Pou brothers ascended the Supercanaleta route of Fitz Roy in Argentina's Patagonia region. And, on Christmas Day 2007, Eneko and Iker celebrated the climax of their project with the successful free climb of an important new route on the Antarctic Peninsula: the first ascent of Three Pigs via a new route the brothers named Azken Paradisua.

Hometown:

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain

Favorite Destinations:

All the world is a nice place

Favorite Food/Drink:

Rice/Red Bull

Theme Music:

Punk

Favorite Movie:

The Name of the Rose