Ascent Archive: Oral Histories with Rock Climbers

Portia Menlove

Portia Menlove was born and raised in Salt Lake City. She spent time doing outdoor sports with her family. Portia was immediately draw to climbing as an ADHD kid and started climbing all the time at the Wasatch Front Climbing Gym and going on trips with older climbers. Portia competed in youth and adult bouldering competitions, including the Junior Competitive Climbing Association, Professional Climbers Association, Mammut Bouldering Championships, and Nationals. In 2005 Portia won Nationals and was on the US Climbing Team. Portia discusses inspirational female climbers, friendships surrounding competitions, the pressures of competition, and disordered eating. Portia now focuses more energy into trail running, but still loves to climb and be a part of the community. Portia is an ICU nurse at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. View Portia Menlove's Oral History in the Marriott Digital Library [https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6qek55x]

Larry Love

Larry Love was born in Oroville, California where he grew up playing outdoors and enjoying sports. His dad was a plumber and his mother was a cook. After his parents were divorced, he and his mother moved to Salt Lake City where he attended the Sherman Elementary, Granite Junior High, Granite High, and Olympus High Schools. Right after high school he entered the Army Reserve, where he served for eight years. He attended the University of Utah and Brigham Young University, graduating in 1968 in physical education with a coaching emphasis and a minor in German. He played volleyball for the "Y" for four years and substituted the deep powder skiing class. He first climbed in Jackson Hole at age sixteen and was one of the originators of the Alpenbock Club. He talks about climbing with Ted Wilson and discusses the advancement in equipment. Outdoor Recreation Project. Interviewer: Erik Solberg View Larry Love's Oral History in the Marriott Digital Library [https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6xh18jx]

Cerre Francis

Cerre Francis was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and suffered from hip dysplasia. Treatment for her condition involved multiple surgeries and a body cast during her first year. Her family was not particularly oriented to the outdoors so early in her life she was limited to taking lessons that her parents signed her up with. Her high-energy nature led her to more adventures in the outdoors when her family moved out of urban St. Louis. She first experienced climbing when a friend, who was an experienced climber, took her to a cliff. She surprised her friend by making the climb without any falls on the first try. From that point her desire to climb played a larger part in shaping her life. To get around her parents' restriction against overnight trips she fabricated a high school sponsored climbing club. At eighteen she convinced her parents to let her go to school in Steamboat Springs to be closer to the mountains of Rifle. Shortly after she moved on to Salt Lake and the climbing opportunities it offered. Her experience and drive led her to enter into competitive climbing. Cerre believes that climbing is losing its label as an extreme sport as it becomes more popular with people left with fewer available activities. Utah Interview is part of the Outdoor Recreation Project. Interviewer: John Worsencroft View Cerre Francis' Oral History in the Marriott Digital Library [https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s67h32zc]

Jessica Taverna

Jessica Taverna developed a love for the outdoors when she spent a semester working on a farm in Vermont during junior high school. In college, a friend of hers took her climbing and she loved it. She moved to Washington DC to work and became involved with the climbing community there. Jessica chose to come to graduate school in Salt Lake City because of climbing. She talks about her climbing experiences in Utah and the climbing community. She describes the climbing industry´s impact on the sport and on the environment. Outdoor Recreation Interviewer: John Worsencroft.   View Jessica Taverna's Oral History in the Marriott Digital Library [https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6kw7b4b]

John Cronin

John Cronin grew up in New York City and Long Island. He started rock climbing in 1987 and quickly left to live by the Shawangunks, NY, to climb. Within a year, John started doing climbing competitions, including a few international World Cups. John really enjoyed the mental and physical aspects of competitions. In 1992, John moved to Salt Lake City to continue training for competitions and climbing locally at American Fork Canyon, Little Cottonwood Canyon, and other areas. John recounts memorable first ascents and repeats during a very intense 12 year climbing career. John left Salt Lake City and stopped climbing, but continues to visit to see family and friends. John now plays table tennis and surfs in his free time in California.