In 2005, Houlding appeared in the BBC television program Top Gear in which he raced presenter Jeremy Clarkson up a cliff face in Verdon Gorge, winning the challenge.
Houlding, joined by Tim Emmett, climbed the canyon whilst Clarkson drove an Audi RS4 to the top using the surrounding roads.
[9] He appeared in the 2010 film, The Wildest Dream, along with Conrad Anker retracing the steps of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine in order to recreate their journey up Mount Everest.
From December 2012 to January 2013, a team led by Houlding and including Alastair Lee, Chris Rabone, Sean Leary, Jason Pickles, and David Reeves made the first ascent of a new route up the north-east ridge of Ulvetanna Peak in Antarctica.
Houlding returned to summit Mount Asgard in 2023, establishing a new 12-pitch line called Loki's Mischief on the mountain's 1200m East Face.