EXECUTIVE: Stefan Stein, a patent attorney at Tampa law firm GrayRobinson.
DIVERSION: Along with his sons, Stefan Jr., 29, and William, 27, the 62-year-old Stein has scaled dozens of peaks around the world, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Rainier and, most recently, Mount Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Russia — with an elevation of 23,000 feet.
URGE TO ASCEND: Stein and his sons became interested in mountaineering in 2005 during a family trip to Colorado. Stein read an article in Backpacker magazine about the “14ers” — peaks in the Colorado Rockies that exceed 14,000 feet. An obsession was born. They started by climbing Mount Massive (elevation: 14,421 feet) in the Sawatch Range and Mount Sherman (elevation: 14,036 feet) in the Mosquito Range. “We tried to climb as many of the 14ers as we could,” says Stein. But he and his sons soon craved greater challenges.
TOUGHENING UP: Those challenges, such as Class 4 and 5 mountains, involve ice axes, crampons and significant amounts of rope work.