​Mike Lewis started rock climbing as a teen in the late 70’s, which at the time was considered a very unusual hobby in Texas. Learning the ropes at Enchanted Rock and Hueco Tanks, he has since climbed all across North America including the Arctic but has remained committed to Texas climbing. He was a founding member and served 20 years on the Central Texas Climbing Committee (CTCC), which advises the State on climbing management at Enchanted Rock and was a founding member of the non-profit Friends of Enchanted Rock (FOER) that performs conservation efforts and special projects at Enchanted Rock. Mike’s climbing and mountaineering interests led to active participation in the American Alpine Club (AAC) where he served as the conservation committee chair for 10 years and was on the board of directors from 2003 to 2007. In 2004, he received the AAC’s David Brower Award for his conservation efforts with the club.
 
Mike is currently the Executive Director of Environmental, Safety, and Quality Systems at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas where he oversees several important programs. His research experience earned him a doctorate degree in environmental science & engineering in 2010, studying the geophysical properties of snow, ice and sea ice for the improvement and validation of satellite remote sensing algorithms. He participated in several multidisciplinary sea ice field programs conducted in the Bellingshausen and Weddell Seas of Antarctica, including the 2007 Sea Ice Mass Balance in the Antarctic (SIMBA) during the International Polar Year and 2010 ICEBell program with the British Antarctic Survey.

Common Climber Stories

• ​A Tale of Oso Madre (New Mexico, USA) - (by Mike Lewis) -  "I slumped at my desk on Monday morning in complete dysfunction before the first cup of coffee. The hearty aroma of fresh brew forced my eyes to open as I raised the mug to drink. One sip of the magic elixir jump started the chemical motor in my brain.  I noticed a photograph laying on my desk which had eluded my uncaffinated vision a moment before. The photograph contained the image of a distant mountain with impressive rock walls." That image kickstarted an impressive adventure for a first ascent in the remote Capitan Mountains of southern New Mexico.