Andy Knight | Peak Season Podcast | Episode 7
Andy Knight
Desert ICE Devotee
multi-discipline Route developer
Passionate Climbing historian
Desert
ice revisited
Frozen water, big cliffs and gettin western.
Andys a soft spoken, hard climbing adventure specialist of the highest order. His passion, experience and expertise for climbing Zion ice is unparrlled. Andy has been born and bread into adventure climbing. Andy’s grandparents were climbing rangers in the Tetons and his parents are notable first ascensionists.
I’ve known Andy since moving to Southern Utah but haven’t really connected with him until recent years. Andy and I both have spent a good deal of time canyoneering guiding in Southern Utah and learned the ways of the water and the sand. Scott Adamson was amongst the canyon guide ranks during his infamous exploits in town and around the world.
The canyon attracts a type of person seeking a wild and gamey form of climbing. The climbing is sandy and at times, no beta. Most of all, it has a lot to teach you.
I’ve always thought of Zion as alpine climbing, many laugh at the notion, but hear me out. To me, it’s a photo negative of alpine terrain. Where there is snow in the alpine, Zion has sand, where they’re are extremes of cold, Zion has extremes of heat. Zion is topped with true summits and loose rock, to me, it’s a sand stone Chamonix.
Miles of adventure, snakes, cactus and everything wild west. That’s why we love it.
To those that don’t know Andy, he comes from a family of first ascentionist. His parents are pioneers of famous Utah ice climbs like Stairway to Heaven in Provo canyon and many others through out the state. Andy has grown up climbing from an early age, fostered by Utah’s sport climbing pioneers. His Dad’s love for running set Andy off to the early days of 100 mile races, long before the popularity of today. Andy dives into stories of long races and unique to Utah route developing techniques pioneered in the infamous maple canyon.
Episode 2 covers what many know Andy for the most, Ice climbing. Andy, Scott Adamson, Angla Vanwiemeersch, Matt Tuttle and Andrew Burr were amongst a tight knit crew that have pioneered the majority of Zion’s big ice routes. It took seasons of bush whacking, stuck Tacoma and hours of headlamp time to find and climb these amazing routes. Andy was kinda enough to crack to the door open on a few of these stories and lean into his own history as well.
We talk in the interview about growing up ice climbing from age 10 and climbing with his dad Jim Knight. If you’re a UT ice climber you can give a big tip of the helmet to Jim He’s the first ascentionist of (P1-4) Stairway to heaven in Provo Canyon UT. , White Nightmare, Frozen Assests, Shower Tower, all from the late 70’s and most at WI5. Jim also has a noteable running resume and more. Check out the episode to hear about this pioneering adventure family
Andy talks about repeating Stairway to heaven in Provo with his dad and being photographed by another UT climbing alumni Andrew Burr, check out the article written by Burr called “The song remains same”
Andy also has a great write up talking about the Shining wall in the Zion area linked below
I hope ya’ll enjoy the show, thanks for keeping the stoke alive!
Steffan
Peak Season Podcast