The household pasture is a new alternative grazing pattern, replacing nomadic way. The study on the response process of household compound system to extreme climate has not been reported. Taking "extreme climate sensitivity-impact way-response mode" as the analysis framework, the herders' response process to extreme climate is conducted in the northern slope of Tianshan Mountain by means of questionnaire. The results show that: 1) The risk index of winter snowstorm and autumn drought increased with years in 1980-2009. Moreover, the less forage and feed structure driven by market economy make the household pasture more sensitive to extreme climate; 2) Drought and snowstorm are the main extreme climate types which influence households by livestock and pasture; 3) Self-adaption and external adaption are the main response model of herder to extreme climate, and buying forage is the main response strategy; 4) Probit model shows that the herders' adaptive behaviors have significant relationship with extreme climate perception by herders, family characteristics and properties. The results indicate that the short-term response and feedback of household to extreme climate events primarily involved two factors, grass and livestock. In addition, the long-term response of herder to the periodic precipitation fluctuations promotes the formation of production cycle of household pasture.