Jim Bridwell
Photo: Ken Wilson

Friday, November 2
Daytime Program (Exact time to be confirmed)
Max Bell Auditorium

Jim Bridwell

Voices of Adventure:
Geoff Powter interviews Jim Bridwell

Climber, writer, and psychologist Geoff Powter has edited the Canadian Alpine Journal for the last 14 years, and was president of the Canadian Himalayan Foundation for seven years. He has hosted the Voices of Adventure interviews since 1998.

This year’s Voices of Adventure interview, the tenth in the series, will feature Jim Bridwell, one of the world’s foremost alpinists. Bridwell’s numerous first ascents and climbing achievements have made him an international legend. His accomplishments span a broad spectrum of climbing disciplines and locations, from big wall climbing to free climbing on extreme routes in locations around the world.

In addition to the first one-day ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in 1975, he is credited with over 100 first ascents in the Yosemite Valley. He has also pioneered difficult ice and mixed routes in Alaska and Newfoundland. Bridwell has also made successful ascents of the Grandes Jorasses in Chamonix, the Eiger’s North Face, and Everest’s West Ridge. In 1979 Bridwell made history with the first complete alpine style ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre in Patagonia with partner Steven Brewer.

Bridwell founded Yosemite National Park’s Search and Rescue operations. He is also a published writer and photographer, and has appeared in numerous climbing films including Vertical Frontier, and in an Italian documentary which tells his story in Jim Bridwell: The American Living Legend. The latter film follows Bridwell’s career as one of the best rock climbers in the world, from the 70s through his last climbs in 2001.