I learned to climb on real rock, and to this day I don’t spend much time in the gym. In fact, the biggest benefit I get from climbing is fresh air and an intimate connection with nature. That’s what this film is really about, at its core. Centuries turn, and new generations of people fill the shoes left by their ancestors, but some things remain, transcending the fleeting human cycle. What’s still there when all the people on earth have been replaced by their great-great-grandchildren? What is the cost of being unaware of that connection? Creatively, the challenge will be working around lack of footage from the 1950s and 60s. To fill in the gaps, our team of animators will develop a cohesive style that represents the culture, attitude, and timeframe, bringing the textures of the Alpenbock Scrapbook to life. We are lucky to have dozens of key characters alive to pass down their history, a legacy which has only been told around the campfire. It is our responsibility to gather these voices and put them on the record, before their great-grandchildren step into their shoes for good.

- Simon Fraser - Headlamp Studios

To date, Alpenbock has been made possible through the generous support of a broad coalition of partners and individual donors, including:

Foundations & Institutional Partners

Telling this story was made possible by the generous support of:

Kem C. Gardner Family Partnership

John and Marcia Price Family Foundation

Jenny Wilson

National Forest Foundation / Snowpine Lodge

George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation

William and Carol Hodgman

Nicole Drexler & Bonnie Joy

The Kanter Family Foundation

Central Wasatch Commission

Peter Metcalf

George Lowe

James R. & Barbara Gaddis

Court & Kit Richards

Allen Sanderson, Bob Springmeyer, Holly Mullen, Karen Atwater, Marilyn Wallin, Morgan Ray & Jonna Ramey, Nathan Nelson, Ralph Tingey, Robert Irvine, Sara Gibbs, Susan Pett & Mary Mone, Tina Burton, Kandy Richards, Virginia Shearer & Donald Shearer, and additional community supporters.

We are especially grateful to Jenny Wilson for joining the project as a producer and for her leadership in helping guide Alpenbock forward.

Interested in Supporting?

Salt Lake Climbers Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit   / P.O. Box 9157 / Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 / Federal EIN 80-0015850 / Contact: Julia Geisler - Julia@SaltLakeClimbers.org iption text goes here

Alpenbock is a beautiful film that tells the story of the origins of climbing in Salt Lake City and the rise in popularity of the sport.  I loved the young people in the film, from the tiny tots to the young men and women bouldering.  Watching it brought back a thousand memories of the climbs and especially of the great friendships that have lasted a lifetime. The film is so uplifting and filled with enthusiasm from every person in it. I’m so proud to have been a part of it.

– Ralph Tingey, Alpenbock Member

Thanks for sharing the link to the movie.  It surely brought back a lot

of memories. 

– Bob Irvine, Alpenbock Member 

Thank you SLCA, for "Alpenbock." In blending written and oral histories, photos, live climbing, and reenactments, you have brought the early days of Cottonwood Canyons mountaineering alive for us. We see and feel passion for sport and the environment, the forging of lifelong friendships, and the deep trust these young adults placed in one another high above the Salt Lake Valley. It's truly a gift. I have to think my beautiful late husband Ted Wilson--an original "Bock"--is smiling from a high peak in the cosmos. 

-- Holly Mullen, Salt Lake City

I simply wanted to congratulate and thank you for successfully and beautifully pulling off this so appreciated and needed documentary on the history, national importance, and foundational value to our quality of life (& Climbing!)  that Little Cottonwood Canyon represents, as well as for such a touching, heartwarming,  world premiere for the local climbing community and their family members. It will long be remembered in the warmest and most gratifying parts of my memory. 

– Peter Metcalf

Thanks to all for the great premier of the Alpenbock film.  It was great to see the old crowd and all the new faces. Well done!  

– David B George 

Alpenbock is a touching, intimate and tender film on the early days of climbing in Utah and specifically the Little Cottonwood Canyon. The film is a sincere, thoughtful homage of the place and the founding members of University of Utah’s Alpenbock Club. 

– Will and Carol Hodgman

Thank you all for making this event happen. I was just a few years younger than the Bock people. The long-gone Ute Alpine Club learned of their climbs via word of mouth and we would occasionally find their pitons here and there. Some climbs felt like first ascents as all we knew was where to start and occasionally how to get back down.  Guide books soon followed and the climbing became more predictable. I'd heard about the "famous" Bock book since the 60s, but never actually saw it until it was digitized by the Marriott Library people. My main climbing partners in the 60s were Bill Conrod and Dave George and they are friends to this day. Good times.  Cheers.

– Joel Bown 

The film clearly touched a lot of people and will help to preserve an understanding of Wasatch climbing history. 

– David Carter

It was an amazing experience to relive adventures with my father through the film and although I watched through teary eyes, I enjoyed it immensely. It was also such a treat to see many of his old friends, some of whom I spent time in the mountains with during my youth. It made this morning on the rock even more special. You have captured a wonderful piece of history with this project. 

– Dave “Grom” Richards, Son of Alpenbock Club Member Court Richards

Preserving access and climbing history in the Wasatch - The Mountain Life, KPCW, June 17, 2026 — Listen

Radioactive 90.0, June 24, 2026 —

Listen

In August 2024, the Alpenbock Loop in Little Cottonwood Canyon—central to the story told in Alpenbock—became the nation’s first recreational climbing area listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation formally recognizes the cultural legacy captured in the film and reinforces the urgency of protecting these landscapes as climbing continues to grow. The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance serves as a Utah Cultural Site Steward for this historic area, working in partnership with the Salt Lake Ranger District and the State Historic Preservation Office to ensure ongoing stewardship, conservation, and education reflected throughout the film.