I first met Alex in 1993 on Aconcagua. He was guiding a dude and we had a beer at a hut near 15,000' on the Polish Glacier route. He never bragged or chest beated, he was very kool.
We hooked again in Leavenworth by coincidence and climbed a few days together. What separated him from many of the elite climbers was how strong he was mentally - he acknowledged fear, doubt, whatever but pushed it aside every time out with confidence and technique. He had undeniably flawless technique.