Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Oral History of Chris McNamara |
Collection |
Oral History |
Scope & Content |
Chris McNamara is a big wall climber, former wingsuit BASE jumper, author of 10 books, and founder of multiple outdoor recreation companies. Born in San Anselmo to Kay and Steve McNamara, Chris moved to Mill Valley in high school, and began rock climbing as a teenager under the guidance of mentor Mark Melvin, founder of Touchstone Climbing. In this oral history, Chris shares how his enthusiasm for climbing led him to illicitly scale the Golden Gate Bridge and, with his brother Morgan, become part of the youngest team to summit El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. From there, Chris describes his subsequent forays into writing climbing guides and gear reviews, founding his companies SuperTopo and OutdoorGearLab, and his discovery of and eventual retirement from the dangerous sport of BASE jumping. Since quitting BASE jumping, Chris has become involved with several trail building and community redevelopment projects in Lake Tahoe, where he now lives with his wife Viktoria and their two children. Throughout the oral history, Chris offers insights into his personal attitude toward entrepreneurialism, the risk and thrill of extreme sports, and outdoor community-building. |
Audio and Transcript |
Click here to hear recording. Click here to read the transcript. |
Dates of Creation |
2021-09-21 |
Interviewee |
McNamara, Chris |
Interviewer |
Snoyman, Natalie and Wasserman, Abby |
Extent and Medium |
Transcript: 19 pp Recording: 01:08:41 |
Search Terms |
Sports Mill Valley Little League Rock climbing McNamara, Steve McNamara, Morgan McNamara, Kay McNamara, Kevin Melvin, Mark Watts, Alan Buddhism Writing Entrepreneurs Bicycling Community service Environmental protection Trails & paths El Capitan Yosemite |
Object ID |
2022.008.001 |
Object Name |
Recording |
Copyrights |
Transcript and recording copyright Mill Valley Public Library, 2022. Materials are made available for research purposes only; all rights are reserved to the Mill Valley Public Library. Requests for permission to quote for publication or for any other usage must be obtained from the Library. |