No.576 Tom Santoro

Transcript (13 pages) of interview by Matt Driscoll with Tom Santoro on November 10, 2009Santoro is a Michigan native living in Salt Lake City and working for Black Diamond. He discusses his introduction to climbing during his college years at the University of Michigan. Following his freshman year in college, Tom worked for the US Forest Service as a wilderness ranger in the High Uintas Wilderness Area. During his college years, he worked for an outdoor retail store in Ann Arbor, climbed at a local gym, took weekend trips to Kentucky's Red River Gorge and West Virginia's Seneca Rocks, and enrolled in the Colorado Mountain School. His passion for climbing eventually brought him West, first to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then to Salt Lake City. Santoro discusses his experiences working for Black Diamond, the importance of safety in climbing, and the importance of trust between climbing partners. The conversation concludes with his reflections on the uniqueness of climbing in the Wasatch, with specific attention to the access to several different climbing areas. Interview is part of the Outdoor Recreation Oral History Project. Interviewer: Matt Driscol