David Lama is one of the cutting-edge young alpinists with his bold free climbing and aid soloing taken him to rarely visited areas and up many unclimbed walls.He was a climbing prodigy from age five. As a teenager, Lama won the a number of world cups and in 2008 he became the first person to win lead and bouldering. During his years as a competitive climber. In 2009, while on a trip to South America, he made the first free ascent of Cerro Torre.In April 2019, American Jess Roskelley and Austrians David Lama and Hansjörg Auer, all members of The North Face's Global Athlete Team, were attempting a difficult route up Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies when they were hit by a massive avalanche and rescuers presumed died.