Before he was a world-renowned mountain climber, Conrad Anker was an undergraduate at the University of Utah. A California native, Anker was attracted to Utah by the variety of outdoor activities that the Beehive State has to offer.
“If you’re a climber or skier, [the U] is great,” he said.
Once at the U, Anker found his place in the Parks, Recreation and Tourism program. Before he graduated in 1988, Anker had started his own clothing company and climbed Gurney Peak of the Kichatna Mountains in Alaska. He also actively protested apartheid in South Africa.
Along with other students at the U, Anker was part of a worldwide student movement against the minority rule by white South Africans in the traditionally and predominantly black country.