Alpenbock - A Short Original Film
The Alpenbock film is a legacy story that honors the rich history and enduring spirit of rock climbing in Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons in Utah.
As climbing continues to grow in numbers and evolve, the routes and the passion for where we climb remain the same. We have a challenge and responsibility to preserve and protect these iconic climbing landscapes, rich with historical value. Because we can save a place a thousand times, but lose it only once.
This is the story of University of Utah first ascensionists in the 1960s and the respective group they formed– The Alpenbock Club. This is a story of passion, grit, culture, and climbing ethics.
It’s more than just climbing, it’s our legacy.
Bring this story to the BIG screen!
Supporters
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
2026 premieres
monday, july 6 at industry slc
There will be two showings of the original short film minute film on July 6th. See evening agenda below.
Tickets SOLD OUT
monday, july 6th 2026
industry slc -650 S 500 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
6:00 PM - Doors open for first showing
6:30 PM - First showing of film starts
7:00 PM - Doors open for second showing & small reception
8:00 PM - Second showing of film starts
8:45 PM - Event end
Thursday, September 3rd at Storm Mountain Ampitheater
tickets avalible below on event page
Thursday, September 3rd 2026
Storm Mountain Amphitheater - 5685 E Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121
7:00 PM – Doors Open
7:00–7:30 PM – Historic Climbing Gear Display & Social Hour
7:30–8:30 PM – Alpenbock film showing
8:30–9:00 PM – Q&A with the storytellers, filmmakers, and SLCA
media coverage
KPCW
The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance is premiering "Alpenbock," a new film that tells the story of the pioneering climbers who established many of Little Cottonwood Canyon's classic routes in the 1960s and helped shape the climbing community we know today. Executive director of the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, Julia Geisler, discusses the film, the legacy of the Alpenbock Club, and how stewardship, access, and a love of wild places continue to define climbing in the Wasatch more than half a century later. She also previews the August 22, 2026, Salt Lake Climbers Alliance Festival.
In 2024, Little Cottonwood Canyon became America’s first recreational climbing area to be listed in the National Register of Historical Places. A new short film from the Salt Lake Climbing Alliance (SLCA) brings the history of Little Cottonwood Canyon to life through the voices of those who lived it: The Alpenbock Club, a group of first ascensionists at the University of Utah in the 1960s. SLCA director Julia Geisler and film director Simon Fraser explain why this story of passion, grit, culture, and climbing ethics matters to everyone, not just climbers.
krcl radiotactive
Behind the Scenes
Made in partnership with Headlamp Studios
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
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
Team
Jenny Wilson, Julia Geisler
Executive Producers
Simon Fraser
Director
Sandra Salvas
Producer
Emily Trombly
Coordinator
Fall 2025 Progress
Thank you for your continued interest in the Alpenbock film. The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance is in the final push to bring this story to the BIG screen and inspire Utahns to protect the historic and cultural landscapes and climbing heritage that define the Wasatch.
This past fall, the project reached an important milestone with successful on-rock filming in both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. We captured present-day climbing footage and interviews with Pitt Grewe, Toya Eastman, Karli Maynes, and Jaden Aland, alongside more legendary Alpenbock figures Milt Hokanson and George Lowe. We are thankful to all the Bocks for their willingness to share their story. These intergenerational perspectives—filmed on the same stone where Wasatch climbing history was forged—form the emotional and narrative core of the film.
Alpenbock Reels
TRIBUTES
Little Cottonwood Canyon Becomes a Historic Climbing Area
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.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.