Stephen Shobe

Stephen Shobe is among the miniscule number of humans who have scaled four of Earth’s Seven Summits, standing on the highest point of four continents. He is well on the way to achieving his goal of leading the first African American team to the summits of the world’s tallest peaks on each continent having already scaled Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, Mt. Elbrus in Russia and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa as well as the Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest mountain between the Americas and the Himalayas in central Asia. A leader of the first African American team to attempt to summit Mount Denali, Shobe reached the 19,600-foot point on North America’s highest mountain in June 2013 before being turned back by weather approximately 700 feet from the crest.

Shobe’s questing spirit developed as a child when he probed the subterranean “caves” in his urban neighborhood, flashlight in hand, and engaged in exciting adventures in the open waters. His “caves” and waterways were open storm drains on construction sites, but no less exciting to his childhood imagination. By age 16 he had become an advanced scuba diver, certified by multiple agencies. He fought fires from helicopters for the USDA Forest Service, and subsequently learned to fly the machines.

Shobe’s interest in climbing developed after he observed people taking a climbing class. He promptly signed up for the class and found it second nature. In a lifetime of climbing he has gained invaluable expertise and commanded international attention. The French Government hired him as a technical climbing instructor for The Corsican Mountaineering Team.

After each climb, his team conducts outreach clinics at schools throughout the United States and Canada. They promote outdoor activities such as mountain biking, kayaking and repelling along with the value of world physical geography and the opportunity to scale a portable wall.

Shobe is dedicated to teaching young people the sport of climbing as a way to develop their personal drive and illustrate how obstacles may be met, overcome and turned into opportunity.