Duluth Explorers Club: Climbing Scotland’s “Old Man of Hoy”

Rising 450 feet from the North Sea in Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands, the “Old Man of Hoy” is perhaps the world’s most iconic sea stack. After attempts to climb the Old Man in 2022 and 2023, Duluthian Adam Schwartz-Lowe successfully summitted this past summer. At this season’s inaugural meeting of the Duluth Explorers Club, Adam details the geological history of the towering and precarious sandstone formation, the rich rock climbing history here by legendary UK mountaineers and his own “third-time’s the charm” determination to top the monolith.

Science, adventure history, and a personal narrative about what it takes to persevere and realize a dream. Social time at 7 p.m., presentation begins at 7:30 p.m.

Adam Schwartz-Lowe is an accomplished climber, cross country skier, and ultra runner. He recently helped coach and pace Olympian Jessie Diggins to her incredible 5th place finish in the Superior 100 ultramarathon—a race Adam has previously won.