OLYMPIAN AND FIRST CLIMBERS JOIN TO PROTECT LITTLE COTTONWOOD CLIMBING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact
Julia Geisler
Executive Director, Salt Lake Climbers Alliance
Julia@SaltLakeClimbers.org
415.695.4502, SaltLakeClimbers.org
OLYMPIAN AND FIRST CLIMBERS JOIN TO PROTECT LITTLE COTTONWOOD CLIMBING
Salt Lake City, Utah August 19th, 2021 - The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA), First Rock Climbers in the Canyon - Alpenbock Club Members, and Salt Lake City native and Silver Medal Olympian - Nathaniel Coleman join together for a speaking engagement at the Gate Buttress climbing area in an effort to save iconic and irreplaceable Little Cottonwood Canyon climbing from Utah’s Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) proposals of a gondola and additional lanes in the canyon that would forever alter the landscape.
What: A speaking engagement and observation of the sport of bouldering and the climbing landscape at the Gate Buttress in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
When: Monday, August 23th, 2021, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Gate Buttress Parking Lot and Gate Buttress Boulders, 5295 Little Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Sandy, UT 84092 - One mile up Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Why: Bouldering and the overall climbing experience will be forever altered by UDOT’s plans for a gondola and additional lanes in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Less destructive options exist.
About The Alpenbock Club First Ascensionists
“We, the Alpenbock Climbing Club, were among the first to discover the magnetism and specialness of the canyon for rock climbing that was next to a city of million people. That uniqueness of the canyon can not be found elsewhere. HIstorically, the Whitmore family worked with Salt Lake City to save the lower canyon from the building of 500 homes to keep the canyon unblemished. Salt Lake City then bonded to purchase the Whitmore land to keep it natural as a watershed.” -- Ted Wilson, Alpenbock Club Member
About Nathaniel Coleman
"Copperhead (V10) was a milestone in my climbing progression. It and many other boulders motivated me to improve my climbing, and taught me skills I still rely on in competition to this day. How to focus on the positive aspects of failing. How to question my assumptions and open my mind to a creative solution. Most importantly, how to trust my feet. These roadside boulders are incredibly special to me and many other climbers around the country. They are irreplaceable." -- Nathaniel Coleman, Salt Lake’s Silver Medal 2021 Olympian
About the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance
The mission of the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance is to serve as the unified voice of all climbers in the greater Wasatch region, engaging as an advocate to protect outdoor climbing access and as a steward to maintain sustainable climbing resources in the Wasatch and surrounding regions.
Media Content
● Save Little Cottonwood Climbing Action Alert
● Learn More - UDOT’s Proposals and Impacts on Climbing
● Olympic climber Nathaniel Coleman’s path to Tokyo started in Utah’s canyons — places he hopes to protect as his sport’s popularity grows, Julie Jagg, Salt Lake Tribune
● Video by Jon Vickers of Danny Parker climbing The Offwidth, just one of the hundreds of boulders that will be affected by UDOT's transportation proposals of the gondola and additional lanes. ● Instagram