Back in the 1970s when I started to climb, it seemed as though every climber was associated with some sort of climbing club. Some of these clubs were organized with large memberships and others were amorphous amalgamations of small groups of climbers who came up with a club name when they signed a register, but after a climb or several … Continue reading
Lou Florence served in Africa and Italy in WWII. He moved to Boise with his family in 1972. He and his son Frank started Sawtooth Mountaineering, Boise’s first dedicated climbing and Nordic ski shop. An avid hiker and scrambler himself, Lou used Sawtooth Mountaineering as a venue through which to promote outdoor recreation. Throughout the 1970s, the shop offered introductory rock … Continue reading
The late Chuck Ferguson (1940-1998) is not as well known as one would expect, considering his accomplishments as an Idaho climber with a peak (at least unofficially) named after him. I met Chuck in the early 1980s during my working at the Idaho Falls YMCA. I was organizing community fun runs in Idaho Falls and Chuck ran in all of … Continue reading
Evilio Echeverria was on a personal quest to explore the world when he arrived in Sun Valley from Chile in 1953. He took a job as a waiter at the lodge where he met Louis Stur. Stur quickly invited him into his climbing circle and the two shared many adventures over the next 3 years. The following photos were provided … Continue reading
The following is extracted from Page 21 of the book. In 1951, Louis Stur came to Sun Valley to act as a ski instructor. The Hungarian immigrant was destined to become the most prolific climber among the European guides who worked at Sun Valley. Stur, occasionally with Fred Beckey and often with Jerry Fuller, raised the standards of Idaho mountaineering … Continue reading
ARTICLE INDEX The North Face of USGS Peak I wrote this article about the first ascent of the North Face of USGS Peak for the Idaho State Bar magazine, The Advocate. They wanted me to write an article to demonstrate that attorneys could have a life apart from their legal practice. This article recounts the first ascent of the North … Continue reading