climbidaho.com

Mike Stoger is the godfather of hard climbing in Idaho. He was climbing 5.14 when 5.13 was cool. One of my first encounters with Mike was out at Leslie Gulch. I showed up to the wall about 5 minutes before he did and it seems that he was tied in and booted up before I even set my pack down. He then proceeded to crank two back to back laps on a 13c for his warm-up. On paper he has a number of hard ascents, first ascents, and hard-first ascents to his name. In person he is one of the nicest and most driven persons one could ever meet.

Tell us about the early days. How did you start climbing? What type of climbing did you do? Where? What sucked you into the sport?
I started climbing in 1980 in Austria. My PE teacher took me out the first time and my parents made me take a two week mountaineering class up on a mountain hut at 8500′, it was my first time away from home. I was the only kid in the class. I had a difficult time doing any rock climbing sine my climbing shoes were plastic alpine boots. My instructor told me that I will never be a good climber.
I pretty muck took off from there. I figured out that strength would be a great asset to rock climbing. Since there were no training boards or anything like that, I carved a wooden training board out of wood ,- it was great.

I soon climbed all the difficult climbs in my home climbing areas. The real change came when I bought my first rock climbing shoes, EB’s and a pair of HangWags (old German brand). With these shoes there was no more stopping me. I spotted a wall that was deemed to be impossible to be climbed. I went to the hardware store and bought some wood screws and some thin metal that I could bend to create some sort of hanger with. I took my dads hand drill from his tool box (there were no cordless drills back than) and drilled holes for the wood screws into the rock wall. I climbed that route and it went at 5.11c ( it is a 5.12a now days). I could not fall onto the bad bolts, I could just rest on them since they only held body weight. Four years later I pioneered one of the first 5.14a’s in Austria.

After all that training and climbing I moved on from the small cliffs to the “real” limestone walls of the Alps. My friend and I did many early repeats and first free ascents of 1000′ – 2000′, 5.11 and 5.12 XR climbs with too many close calls to write about.

What brought you to Idaho?
During my first trip to the US, 1986, my buddy Thomas and I went to Joshua Tree (our first experience on US rock). During our time in J Tree I met Tedd Thompson (an Idaho climbing icon). He helped me out since I lost my passport and plane ticket. We went to Yosemite together where I hooked up with the Italian climbing star Manollo Zanolla and we climbed the El Cap west face, free in record time, 4.5 hours. My two month trip to the US turned into a six month trip and I got to spend a lot of time climbing in Idaho.

You are one of the pioneers of hard sport climbing in Idaho. What was it like climbing in Idaho in the 80′s and 90′s?
Well, Tedd showed me around Idaho and we were almost the only ones climbing next to Rod Heard, Dave Bingham, Tony Yaniro, Mike Teschner and a handful of others. He took me out to the Black Cliffs, the Dark Side, and told me that he had a project there that was almost impossible. I flashed Chasin’ a Snake to his amazement. The climb had one bolt and a bunch of knife blades back then. The name came from a rattle snake that attacked us on top of the climb. We went after it and took care of business. Soon Dr. D (Daruis Azin) came to town and he worked on God with us, he got the first redpoint of that one. We moved on to the City of Rocks and created the first top down bolted sport climb in Idaho, Power Tools. Dave Bingham was the ranger then and he loved the “new tactics”.

Mike on Colonoscopy (13b) at Table Rock

You climbed a lot of hard climbs at Leslie Gulch, one of them being the ominous Strudel Boy. Can you describe that climb and what it took to climb it?
Strudel Boy is a great route. I was difficult to hang the almost 30 draws up there. It fits my climbing style perfect – long endurance with no boulder moves. Tony did a great job on these climbs. They are manufactured but almost too much fun to be true. I don’t think I trained for it really, I just climbed a lot of steep routes on the Einstein and the Asylum.

Mike on Strudel Boy (5.14) at Leslie Gulch

Mike pulling down on the incredibly tiny holds at the Torture Chamber at Leslie Gulch

Many of the harder sport climbs from the early 90′s in Idaho and the rest of the world are manufactured. What are your feelings on manufacturing routes and altering the rock?
During my climbing career I certainly have been guilty of altering, gluing and chipping holds on some climbs. Now days, I am not proud of it but it was sort of O.K back than. If I had the time today I would fill in those holds and do the climbs without them.

There are a few areas at the Black Cliffs that you developed in the late 90′s (Dead Cow Cliff, Far Side, etc.) that host practically only 5.13 and harder. being the only climber climbing 5.13 and harder at the time, how were you able to convince people to go to these crags with you?
Yes, for a long time I was the only Boise climber climbing at such a level. It was difficult to find climbing partners to come out and spend time with me on these climbs. I was pretty creative in rigging up self belay set ups to work the moves. This way it only took a couple of tries with a belayer to climb the routes. I was alway a bit bummed living in Boise, in regard to climbing that is. I am from Austria and grew up in the heart of the Alps. I was used to having thousands of climbs in biking distance from my house.

Mike on Black Angus (13a) at the Black Cliffs

Monkey Juice (13a) at the Black Cliffs

Drunken Sailor (14a) at the Black Cliffs

Your most recent Idaho climbing adventures were in 2004 at Jughandle Mountain near McCall. Tell us about those routes.
Jughandle will always be a special place for me. I noticed this wall on a hike with my family. Two years later I went up there with Jeff Smith to climb a line to the summit of Jug. Some of the routes that I was able to climb up there, thanks to me partners, Mike Teschner, Adam Chittwood, Brad Heller and Sean Wolff, are some of my most precious climbs. Every route was climbed ground up. I went back and installed protection bolts later on on some climbs to make them not so scary. Mike Teschner was the one that supported me most up there with long hours belaying while I was leading the pitches. I refused to use sky hooks to drill bolts on the climbs. I climbed until I was able to place some pro, often knife blades, and drilled bolts from those places. The results are some challenging pitches, some I won’t repeat myself. The third pitch traverse on the Wall of the Oceanman (the name has something to do with my son Andrew) is so scary that I will never lead it again. During the first ascent of the Renegade I had to blindly toss a wild dyno at the lip of the 13a crux overhang, catch a hold and pound in a piton from the climbing position. These moves were protected by a questionable cam, now days I placed a bolt there to make it safe. Not all the climbs are that scary though, some a quite good and challenging if you are up for the grade. I want to go back up there and retrieve some slings and stuff that I left behind (clutter) and do another line.

Jughandle Mountain near McCall, ID

Jughandle Mountain near McCall, ID

What are some of your most memorable sends in Idaho, the US, and the World?
In Idaho I’d say most of my Jughandle climbs. It was good to do some pure climbing not knowing what is coming up next. My most memorable climb in the US? maybe it’s The Flake 5.7 in J-tree. This was the first time I have touched US rock during my first trip over here in 1986. I was a 5.12 sport climber and found a nasty chimney with flaky rook and horrible protection – I almost had to change my shorts. Or maybe it was Fish Crack (12b) in Yosemite. This was my first finger crack and I on-sighted it with one set of slider nuts (invented by Metolius). I did not know how to jam (still don’t really) I just lay-backed the entire climb. Or maybe it was Red Zinger (11d) in Yosemite. Manollo Zanolla and I on-sighted that thing with 3 cams each as the only pro. The locals where so jealous they called us damn Euro-fags, since we wore colorful Lycra and climbed those guys into the ground.

My most memorable climb in the world? It must still be out there, since I have not climbed all over the world yet. Of the places that I have climbed, it would be, Didi (my trusted Austrian climbing partner) and my 2000 ascent of the Genfer Pillar (5.13b) on the Eiger North face in Switzerland, during almost winter conditions.

Genfer Pillar (13b) on the North Face of the Eiger

Genfer Pillar (13b) on the North Face of the Eiger

Was there anything you left undone in Idaho? Any last great projects? What do you think the future of Idaho climbing holds?
I want do climb more in the Sawtooth mountains. I don’t have any specific projects but I know they are out there. There are many new talented climbers in Idaho now. It is a great state with some good rock to be explored. Get out there and find the king lines.

Elephants Perch in the Sawtooths

Crux pitch of the Seagull (13+) on the Elephants Perch in the Sawtooths

Who were some of your inspirations when you began climbing? Who inspires you now?
My inspiration was without a question the worlds greatest climber, Wolfgang Gullich. Most climbers these days in the US don’t know him anymore. He was not just an exceptional climber but a visionary and an honest, good person.

Today I am not really inspired by too many climbers I have to say. Since I have climbed close to the top level, for the time, I know that what it takes to do this is no problem if you have the talent and the time. I am inspired by climbers that run a full time job, have a balanced family live with their kids and still kick it on the rocks. Tommy Caldwell on the US side is a great climber I think, well rounded, let’s see what he can do once he gets a real job.

What sort of training do you do and what have you done in the past? What do you find most effective?
Here is my secret, I trained like a dog – you don’t know what that means and I won’t explain it. Today, I do not train since I am old and have bad joints. I just climb most of the time with my kids. I do some sport, trad and bouldering. I run some laps on 12′s and 13′s in Smith and don’t care too much if I fall off a route. I get a lot of satisfaction from working on safer climbing gear at Metolius.

Kings of Rap at Smith Rock in Oregon

I hear your kids have been bitten by the climbing bug as well, what sort of climbing are they getting into? Has having a family changed the way you approach climbing (anymore scary alpine climbs)? What is it like having a “climbing family”?
Well, having a family has changed my climbing 100%. I do not climb scary alpine climbs or dangerous rock climbs any more. 80% of my climbing time spent today is with my family. My daughter,Natasha (10 years), is climbing with great desire, when she feels like it. She has red pointed 5.11 and top roped 5.12b. My son, Andrew (6 years), loves to go out with my and discover the “big playground” Smith Rock. He usually climbs one or two climbs but mostly enjoys huge rope-swings that I set up for him. I do not push the kids to be climbers, I just try to encourage them and show them that this can be a good way of life (after they have done something with themselves). My wife, Tonja, climbs at her leisure and usually once a week we go out as a family. Often times It’s just myself and the kids, Natasha will lead the routes, Andrew will clean the draws and I just jug up to clean the anchor. I don’t work any more difficult climbs right now since I don’t like to have the family hang at one spot holding my rope. Usually this works great at Smith, there are so many climbs of all levels close together that I can always run some laps on some 12′s or 13′s that are close by

What is climbing to you and why do you do it?
Climbing to me is really what I do and who I am. At this point in my life it is my income, my hobby and my sport. I have moved on from needing to climb at my best all the time. I’d say, today, I look forward to go to work every day at Metolius as much as I look forward to going out to the rock and climb. It’s pretty much the same to me, working on climbing gear and actually climbing with it.

Any words of wisdom or parting thoughts?
Words of wisdom? Wisdom can’t be passed on in words – you have to gain it with experience. Be aggressive, respectful and go after it when you are young. Learn from your mistakes and make sure you realize that our time on this awesome planet is limited. Every day counts, spend as much time as possible out there in nature – that’s where we, as humans, really are meant to be. Maybe then one can gain a bit of wisdom.

“The guys are some of my good Austrian friends after climbing the first free ascent of Newfoundland (13a, 12 pitches) in my home climbing area in Austria. It’s one of my favorite pics – to me it sums up why I am climbing. Good rock, great friends and some good beer.” – Mike Stoger