Stephanie "Steph" Davis (born November 4, 1973) is an American rock climber, BASE jumper, and wingsuit flyer.

[7] In the documentary A Perfect Circle, Davis said that she learned "discipline" and "how to project things" from her 15 years of playing the piano.

In one Outside profile, for example, her "greatest assets" are described as "sheer will and a brainy, methodical work ethic" rather than "natural athletic talent and flawless technique".

[1] Her thesis focused on the canon of mountaineering literature and "the ways in which reality can be so disparate and shifting for each individual who is living through extreme circumstances", as Davis describes it.

[1] She read throughout her journeys, from novels by Gabriel García Márquez to an autobiography by Kirstie Alley, to French short stories in the original language.

'"[1] As Davis became more well-known and successful at climbing, however, she was able to make a better living, particularly from sponsorships from major companies such as Patagonia, Five Ten, Clif Bar, and Black Diamond.

Two to three times a week, she would hike 10 miles to the summit, rope solo 1,000 feet (300 m) to the lower parts of the route and climb up alone.

[1] In May, with the assistance of Heinz Zak, she became the second woman, after Lynn Hill, to execute a one-day free climb of El Capitan.

[2] One year later, in October 2005, she became the first woman to free climb the Salathé Wall, on El Capitan,[2] The route is rated 5.13b/c, is 35 pitches, and approximately 3,200 feet (980 m) long.

"[1] She is also the first woman to climb Torre Egger, a difficult summit in Patagonia, of which she made the first one-day ascent, with her then partner Dean Potter.

They next attempted Torre Egger, but half-a-rope-length from the top had to turn back because of a melting ice mushroom that would have made it dangerous to continue.

Once colder weather returned, the couple climbed Titanic on the east side of Torre Egger, a feat that took them 23 hours.

[15] In September 2007, Davis free-soloed Pervertical Sanctuary (5.11a), which was her goal, a difficult route on the east face of Longs Peak (14,255 feet [4,345 m]), a thousand-foot granite wall known as "The Diamond" in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

[17] Famous among climbers, Ryan Minton explains in his article about Davis' achievement that "The Diamond is one of the most revered alpine walls in North America" and all of the climbing routes on it are extremely difficult.

[17] To be fully prepared and be sure she was not bothered by other climbers, Davis slept close to the peak itself on 3 September and began climbing at 4:15am.

Interviewed after the climb, Davis said that positive thinking was central to her success, as well as knowing that she was carrying very little gear and the conception of herself as a crack climber.

[20] However, while climbing she accidentally stepped on the cuff of her pants, which she unusually had unrolled due to cool temperatures and slipped; because she had such good hand and arm placement, however, she did not fall.

[22] Davis has been on successful international expeditions to climb new routes in alpine, big wall, and solo styles, including in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Baffin Island, Argentina, Italy, and Patagonia.

As one article describes it, "the ascent is one of the few big-wall expeditions to have pushed the limits of free climbing in a hostile, high-altitude environment".

[28] Davis returned to the Karakorum in 2000, this time to the Kondus Valley, making a first ascent of Tahir Tower via All Quiet on the Eastern Front (VI 5.11 A3) with Jimmy Chin, Brady Robinson, and Dave Anderson.

[28] Davis has written in the past about the hurdles she faced being a woman in a male-dominated sport, but in 2009 she commented to an interviewer that she felt much of that discrimination had disappeared.

[22] Ultimately it was BASE jumping that made her "comfortable with falling, feeling afraid and responding to fear with deliberate action instead of hesitation.

[31] Davis's book High Infatuation: A Climber's Guide to Love and Gravity (ISBN 1594850658), has been translated into multiple languages.

In it, according to Michael Robinson, professor of history who specializes in exploration and adventure, she "asks difficult questions about high-risk climbing, examining her own motives, personal relationships, and the broader meanings of her life's work".

[32] After four years of working on the project, Davis published Learning to Fly: An Uncommon Memoir of Human Flight, Unexpected Love, and One Amazing Dog in March 2013.

[33] Written after her difficult break up with Potter, it is about how she recovered from the loss of her partner and financial stability and used her developing love of skydiving to overcome her fear of falling.

As she said in an interview, "A big part of the reason I wanted to write the book is that most people have had experiences like this [fear in climbing], or will, whether it's a relationship or a career or whatever.

[1] In 1995, Davis and Potter made Moab, Utah their home by "acquiring a storage unit and a library card.

[1] In 2006, Davis' marriage to Potter ended after he controversially climbed Delicate Arch, which caused the couple to lose sponsorships.

[31] In 2018, Davis married Ian Mitchard, a tandem instructor at Skydive Moab, and a wingsuit flyer and BASE jumper.