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The Stettner brothers, Joe and Paul, were admired pioneers in American mountain climbing, putting up routes on Longs Peak and the Grand Teton that no one had climbed before.

"The Stettner Way ... The Life and Climbs of Joe and Paul Stettner," a new book by John D. Gorby, published by Colorado Mountain Club Press of Golden, describes how the brothers rose to prominence and even establishes a link to Steamboat Springs.

Paul Stettner spent the last 21 years of his life here, until his death in 1994. His son, Paul Jr., and his family continue to live in Steamboat.

In the 1920s, from their home in Chicago, the Stettner brothers set out to push the limits of American climbing.

The Stettners came of age in Germany during the World War I era. They experienced the tragedy of their father's murder in the post-war years when the Nazi party was on the rise.

Paul Stettner Jr. said his father and uncle overcame many hardships in their childhood.

The brothers began their climbing careers in Europe, but left Munich to escape the rise of fascism, and made a new home with an aunt in Chicago. They joined a German American hiking club and soon located desirable rock climbing at Devil's Lake, Wis.

They longed for something more challenging than Midwestern rock bluffs, and in 1927 set out on a pair of Indian motorcycles for the Colorado Rockies.

Gazing upon the daunting east wall of Longs Peak, they resolved to establish a new route up the mountain that would later be known as "Stettner Ledges." Modern climbing ropes had not been invented, and the brothers climbed alternately in hobnailed boots or felt-soled climbing shoes as they made their way up the 1,600-foot wall.

Gorby quotes Paul Stettner's recollection of the climb:

"Slowly we made our way over smooth slabs. The view down the steep wall to the snowfield far below was wonderful. All around us was deep silence, broken only by a call from one of us to the other, or the sound of the hammer being used on a piton. Occasionally there was a bombardment of rocks and ice chunks, which called for extra caution. Often it was necessary for me to rid myself of my knapsack in order to scale an overhang or a spot with only a few holds.

"Joe then had both knapsacks to carry, or we pulled them up on the rope. On one of the overhangs, he had been overloaded and warned me to that effect. I held the rope taut and he swung in midair."

Gorby's book is filled with vintage climbing photos showing the brothers on memorable pitches. There alsoa are images overlaid with diagrams to show their pioneering routes.

Paul and Joe both served the American military with distinction during World War II.

The two brothers continued establishing new climbing marks into the 1950s, although for much of their adult lives, they pursued climbing independently of one another.

Joe made a living through his expertise in working with copper. Paul worked in the printing industry and was an expert photo engraver, his son said. He was also an accomplished artist and produced pen and ink drawings. Both brothers lived into their 90s.

"The Stettner Way" is a book that will interest a broader audience than just technical climbers -- it describes a way of life sometimes punctuated by war and tragedy, but also marked by great humility and strong family ties.

Anyone who has hiked the Colorado Rockies and gazed in awe at the peaks will enjoy this recollection of two men who dared to climb where no one had climbed before.

-- To reach Tom Ross call 871-4205

or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com