This episode features an interview with Cerre Francis that was conducted in 2008 as part of the Everett L. Cooley Oral History Project. Please keep in mind the audio quality is a bit rough since this was recorded in a noisy environment.
Cerre Francis was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and suffered from hip dysplasia. Treatment for her condition involved multiple surgeries and a body cast during her first year. Her family was not particularly oriented to the outdoors so early in her life she was limited to taking lessons that her parents signed her up with. Her high-energy nature led her to more adventures in the outdoors when her family moved out of urban St. Louis. She first experienced climbing when a friend, who was an experienced climber, took her to a cliff. She surprised her friend by making the climb without any falls on the first try. From that point her desire to climb played a larger part in shaping her life. To get around her parents' restriction against overnight trips she fabricated a high school sponsored climbing club. At eighteen she convinced her parents to let her go to school in Steamboat Springs to be closer to the mountains of Rifle. Shortly after she moved on to Salt Lake and the climbing opportunities it offered. Her experience and drive led her to enter into competitive climbing. Cerre believes that climbing is losing its label as an extreme sport as it becomes more popular with people left with fewer available activities. Utah Interview is part of the Outdoor Recreation Project. Interviewer: John Worsencroft
View Cerre Francis' Oral History in the Marriott Digital Library