Kyle Dempster: The Great White Waterfall
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This August Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson were lost during an attempt to climb the unclimbed North Face of Pakistan’s Ogre II. A memorial project is underway, and will be shared at a celebration of Kyle’s life on Sunday, October 9, at This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City at 4 p.m. All are welcome to attend. In honor, we’re sharing this memory of Kyle.
The stifling summer heat of the Salt Lake Valley has been known to send alpinists into a panic of daydreaming—frozen ribbons of ice, faraway snowy ranges, and the thirst for adventure. Not long ago my good friend Kyle Dempster and I discovered the ancient Japanese art of stream climbing called Sawanobori. We knew exactly where to go, just above town to the scene of many mid-winter antics: The Great White Icicle, or in this case, The Great White Waterfall. It did not disappoint. The adventure was spectacular, for water is water whether frozen or flowing.