Brandon Nelson

Larry Goolsby

This month, we catch up with Mountaineer / Surfski Racer / Husband / Grandpa / Professor / NW Way of Life Ambassador Larry Goolsby…

Q: Larry, long before you even knew what a surfski was, you were a Way of Life mountaineer. Can you give us a snapshot of your life on the peaks?

A: I didn’t consider myself a mountaineer until I summited my first peak back in 1990. A friend and skiing companion had asked me to take him up the North Twin Sister so that we could ski off the top. I was game to do this but I had to ask him “Why me?” I really didn’t have any mountaineering experience except for the fact that I was on Ski Patrol at Mt. Baker. He pointed out that I had the ropes, harnesses, and tools for mountaineering and the Ski Patrol had put me through mountain rescue classes, so I should know how to climb a mountain. So we set off with our skis stuck in our packs and managed to find our way to the top. It wasn’t the thrill of ascending or skiing the 60-70 degree north face of the Twin Sister, but the actual sitting at the top of the mountain gave me a feeling of accomplishment that I had not felt before. I sat up there and pointed out the three Volcanoes within sight (Mt. Baker, Rainier, and Glacier Peak) and made the proclamation that I was going to summit all three of these peaks sometime in the near future.

After that first summit, my next goal was Mt. Baker and I attempted it later that summer. I was with 2 very fit guys who had a real desire to climb and we succeeded in making it to the top. I would spend most of my 3 day weekends focused on climbing the taller peaks with glaciers. I spent a lot of nights in tents and usually wore the same clothes from Friday until Sunday night. I could eat carelessly all week long because I usually came back from a climb weighing quite a bit less than when I started; physically, it was probably comparable to running a marathon. We drank lots of water, ate lots of snacks high in sugars, and came home exhausted.

Q: There is a randomness to the events within mountaineering that can take your life without a moment’s notice, or so much as a chance to defend yourself from those forces of nature.  How does experiencing that time after time after time affect your view, or your approach, to “normal” day to day life?

A: There is a lot of risk in climbing any mountain, from falling in a crevasse to getting buried by an avalanche. Another high risk was not being able to acclimate to the altitude. You could get quite ill if your body didn’t compensate for the changes in atmospheric pressure. This was not as profound here in the northwest as when I was climbing the 20,000 footers in South America. Locally, we have a great Mountain Rescue system which I never used because I had a strong belief that if you were taking the risk, you should not rely on others to get you out of trouble. We were always careful to avoid areas that were prone to avalanche; we climbed mainly during the night when the snow that was softened during the day was frozen, and we were strict about roping up and roping up properly. Most all serious injuries and deaths occurred when one person in a party shortcut a safety step and many times, the entire party was at risk. I was good at determining avalanche risk and reading a glacier for the safest route. The affect that this had on my day to day life was very profound. Pushing yourself to your physical limits while in an uncontrolled environment is a reward in itself. The ability to make it back down with a smile on my face taught me that with the right tools and determination, you can do anything that you set your mind to.

Q: What scares you, Larry?

A: One of the reasons that I was never involved in any serious accident while climbing is because I had a great fear of heights and of not returning home. My job in healthcare taught me that we are all terminal and that you should not ever waste what little time we have on this planet. However, there were times when I was in situations that did look bleak and I found that during those times, I never really experienced fear until the event was over. I once had my other two climbing partners attached to me by rope fall into a crevasse. I saw them fall and I quickly dove for the ice and locked my crampons and ice axe into the ice. I felt a large tug as they hit the end of the rope, but I held, and I quickly screwed an ice screw into the ice. I then attached the rope that connected us to this ice screw and freed myself from the danger of being pulled in. I rigged up a pulley system and was able to assist both of my partners back to the surface without injuries.  Once we were safe, one of them became very irate with me because I was emotionless about the whole event. Later, I was overcome with a realization of what almost happened. But during the 15 minutes from the fall until they were back up, I was the only one capable of helping them and I was very focused on getting them back to safe ground.

Q: All your risk taking in the wilderness has helped you launch a few different entrepreneurial adventures, too. How about this scenario: The Small Business Association calls you up and says, “Goolsby, we need more jobs in this darn town. We’re going to bankroll you with $500K and give you one year to launch a business and get it out of the red.” Give us the summary of your business plan.

A: Tough situation, especially in these times. One of the things that comes to mind is that during all times, whether the economy is dwindling or bounding ahead, we all need to eat. We may drive less and may spend less money on personal items but we still have to eat. If I was to venture forth and start a business here in the northwest that would have a viable market and survive during the lean times, I think that I would form a business modeled by the B.C. Hot Houses.  They grow vegetables year round and do an excellent job of it. Many of their produce items are found in our stores locally and that’s because the quality and price are unbeatable. I would need land and greenhouses and I would start the business out small and maintain enough capital for future growth. I would also hire an individual with the knowledge and experience of growing produce in our northern environment. I might even approach B.C. Hot House and look into forming a partnership.  I supply the land and structures and they supply the training and marketing. They might actually be open to this because if a business like this opened up locally, they would probably lose some of their business.  By creating a partnership and giving them a share of the business, it would be a win/win situation for both of us.

[View with PicLens]