No. 744 Mike Beck, 2011

File — Box: 72, Folder: 17

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Born in San Francisco, Mike Beck (b. 1969) moved to Salt Lake City with his mother when he was a small boy, after his father died. His stepdad introduced him to the outdoors, and he skateboarded and snowboarded extensively before embarking on his climbing career. Mr. Beck first climbed with Danny Kohlert and Conrad Anker, hung around the old North Face climbing shop, and acquired an immense respect for the climbers he met, particularly Merrill Bitter, Mugs Stump, Doug Heinrich and others. He competed at Snowbird and Castle Rock in the 1980s, and spent a lot of time climbing in France, where he also decided to go back to school. After a semester at INSEAD in France, he applied at the University of Utah, where he received a law degree in 2004. During law school Mr. Beck co-wrote the Bouldering Guide to Utah, with Jeff Baldwin and Mark Russo. At the time of the interview he did outdoor recreation-related legal work, including representing climber Chris Sharma. Mr. Beck talks extensively about the people he climbed with and knew between the 1970s and 1990s, and documents climbing’s shift from a rougher, surfing-type atmosphere to its current position as a sport encompassing a wide range of people with an industry backing it. He delves into the evolution and changing locations of Utah climbing, discusses climbers’ clothing styles, and notes the enormous increase in female climbers in the last thirty years.
Project: Outdoor Recreation.
Interviewer: Matt Driscoll.

Dates

2011

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.