Stories at Storm Mountain: Alpenbock film showing RECAP

The SLCA community gathered beneath the towering walls of Storm Mountain Amphitheater on September 3 for a special return of Stories at Storm Mountain. With the cliffs glowing in the evening light, nearly a hundred climbers, families, and longtime Wasatch locals came together to celebrate the canyon’s climbing legacy and the people who shaped it.

Executive Director Julia Geisler opened the night by welcoming attendees to a place deeply tied to Wasatch climbing history. Storm Mountain has long been a hub of exploration, mentorship, and community — from Harold Goodro’s landmark 1949 ascent of Goodro’s Wall, one of the earliest American climbs rated 5.10, to the formative years of the Alpenbock Club, whose members helped define modern climbing in the Wasatch.

A huge thank‑you went to Glen Kaplin, whose sound and IT setup made the evening possible.

The program began with historian Kirk Huffaker, of Kirk Huffaker Preservation Strategies who shared stories from both Cottonwood canyons and explained the importance of historic nominations for climbing landscapes. Kirk prepared the successful nomination that made Little Cottonwood Canyon the nation’s first climbing area listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and he is now working with SLCA toward similar recognition for Storm Mountain.

The crowd also honored Bob Irvine, an original Alpenbock Club member, along with friends and climbers who helped carry the club’s legacy forward. Their presence made the evening especially meaningful.

As dusk settled, attendees enjoyed a screening of Alpenbock, the 27‑minute film capturing the passion, grit, friendship, and ethics of the young climbers who formed the Alpenbock Club in the 1960s. The film’s success continues to grow — accepted by PBS and multiple film festivals both national and international, helping share Wasatch climbing history with a wider audience.

Following the film, Eric Harris, a motion designer who worked with the production company Headlamp Studios, offered a behind‑the‑scenes look at the animation process, describing how archival photos, maps, trip reports, and the Alpenbock scrapbook informed the film’s visual language. A short Q&A closed out the night.

The event was a powerful reminder of why SLCA exists: to protect access, maintain anchors and trails, steward historic climbing areas, and preserve the stories that define our community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Storm Mountain — and to our partners, volunteers, and supporters who make this work possible.