Ascent Archive: Oral Histories with Rock Climbers

Beloeil grew up in France and climbed for the first time when she was 12 years old. Although she was involved in many sports as a child and adolescent she did not consider herself very good at them. She did not like the rules and restrictions that were a part of organized sports. The natural rhythm of climbing and the freedom it offered over other sports were what attracted Cathy. The clarity requ...

Victor Copeland was born in Iowa and grew up in California. Victor was drawn to climbing at an early age after being completely enamored by Boreal Firé climbing shoes at an REI store. Victor's climbing quickly progressed and he travelled internationally to France at 13 years old, in addition to climbing in the western United States (Bishop, Yosemite, Rifle, Joe's Valley, Hueco Tanks). While in hig...

Nancy Feagin was born in Washington, D.C., but spent her formative years in San Francisco, California, and Jackson, Wyoming. When she moved to Jackson, she competed as a ski racer for her high school, and around the same time, she learned to climb in the Tetons. After graduating from Duke University with a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, she returned to Jackson, worked briefly for a software com...

Reese graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, then joined the army reserve and served active duty in response to the Berlin crisis. He worked for the National Park Service as a climbing ranger at Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. His first great climbing experience was Mount Rainier, where he was a part of the youngest unguided climb up to that date. He became a part of the...

Andrea Ramos Campos moved to south Florida from Peru when she was 6 years old. Her family moved due to racial challenges for her Black and White parents in Peru and for more opportunities for Andrea and her sibling. Andrea recounts growing up with a very loving family, a vibrant community, and a love for nature. Andrea enjoyed dance, including salsa, Afro-Peruvian music - festejo, color guard in h...

Zack DiCristino grew up in rural North Carolina in the Appalachian mountains. Zack spent a lot of time outdoors playing in the woods; and he loved school and sports. While attending the University of North Carolina, Zack's best friend and roommate introduced him to climbing. After his graduation, Zack moved to Denver, CO, to attend the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center for his Masters...

Cheryl Pirozzi grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, outside of Los Angeles. She recounts an impactful experience going the Mojave Desert with the Girl Scouts as her first experience in wilderness and an introduction into climbing. As a teenager, Cheryl and her dad would go to Yosemite and find climbers to take them out. For her undergraduate studies, Cheryl went to Dartmouth College to study ec...

Ronald McKay grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In high school, Ron's school had an outdoor program class, which took students to the Shawangunks in New York to top-rope. After a few years, Ron began to lead climb at the Gunks and continue to boulder there and in PA with his friends on the borrowed high schools' gear. After one year of college, Ron took a climbing road trip out West an...

Priyam Patel grew up in Bayonne, outside of New York City. She recalls the significant role of her family and education played in her childhood. She recounts large family gatherings and playing with her sisters and cousins in the streets. Priyam discusses several challenges of being a first generation Indian American, including growing up in a predominately White community, pursuing her mathematic...

Mike Call was born and raised in Salt Lake City. As a kid, he spent time hiking with friends by Olympus Mountain. In his older teenage years, Mike discovered climbing. He created his own home climbing wall and was a member of the Body Shop, a co-op climbing gym. In the 1990s, Mike worked for IME, Black Diamond Equipment, and Pusher Holds, all while starting his filmmaking career. Mike described th...

Leandra H. Hernández grew up in Houston, Texas, in a tight-knit multigenerational Mexican-American family. At a younger age, Lea spent time roller skating, participating in organized sports, and reading. Lea attended the University of St. Thomas (undergraduate), University of Houston (Master), and Texas A&M in College Station (PhD) in health communication, journalism, and media studies. Lea discus...

Merrill Bitter (b. 1953. d. 2022), born in Salt Lake City, was first introduced to the outdoors in Michigan in the Boy Scouts. He got into climbing in the mid-1970s with a course at Timberline Sports instructed by Dave Smith and Mark Freed, and was hooked for life. In a lifetime of climbing he has climbed with numerous well-known Utah climbers, from Bret and Stuart Ruckman, to Jeff Newsome and man...

Katey Blumenthal grew up in Manhattan, New York, and was introduced to rock climbing at a young age was interested in both the movement and the culture of climbing, such as the independence, silliness, satire, and creativity. Beginning in college, Katey spent time doing anthropology work in the Himalayans and volunteering with NGO's such as the dZi Foundation, where Katey was inspired by local hea...