Oral history interview of Jonathan Smoot, conducted by Tallie Casucci (transcript)

Jonathan Smoot (b. 1960) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to a family of five children. He recounts many outdoor adventures (hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, & horseback riding) at the family's cabin in the Uintas on the Provo River in the summers. His older brother, Richard, taught him outdoor skills and introduced him to rock climbing and mountaineering. Quickly, Jonathan and his other brother, Brian, repeated many Little Cottonwood Canyon climbs and establishing their own first ascents. Jonathan discusses both environmental and human impacts on the Wasatch and how much it has changed since the 1970s (e.g. the number of people, amount of snow and ice, vegetation and brush). Jonathan recounts many memorable climbs, like the Dorsal Fin, Ventral Fin, and The Pawn area (Little Cottonwood Canyon), and on Mt Moroni and backside of Great White Throne (Zion National Park, UT). Jonathan discusses 1970s climbing scene, including bouldering and Timberline Sports. With their ground-up route development, Jonathan is now concerned about the safety for future climbers, so he has added more bolts to better retroactively protect the climbs. Jonathan has a deep appreciation for the Wasatch Mountains and continues to steward the land.