No. 644 Neal Carroll

Transcript (43 pages) of an interview by Matt Driscoll with Neal Carroll on 20 July 2010. Part of the Outdoor Recreation Oral History Project, Everett Cooley Collection tape no. U-3015Neal Carroll (b. 1971) was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the University of Utah in 1990. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in British/American Literature at the University of Utah. Neal describes working at Alta during his college years, detailing the developments to the Alta facilities and culture since he began to work there and sharing some general observations on Salt Lake City ski culture. Neal also worked for the Alta Ski Patrol in 1997 and worked full-time as a ski patroller until 2002. Neal was introduced to climbing at a fraternity rush event, but then began to develop a passion for climbing while working at Alta, learning to trad climb at the Hellgate in Little Cottonwood Canyon with friend Tony Calvert. Neal describes his development as a climber, explaining how he came into route development, and also sharing stories about his employment at Salt Lake climbing shop IME. The interview concludes as Neal tries to articulate why climbing remains an important part of his life.Outdoor Recreation Oral History Project. Interviewer: Matt Driscol