This interview with Doug Geeting was conducted by Bill Brown on February 27, 1992, in Doug Geeting's flight service office at the Talkeetna, Alaska airport. Doug is a big, energetic man, and he was busy that day taking phone call bookings for the upcoming climbing season. He is a very lucid man as well, with good descriptions of flying, scenery, rescues, and his own motivations as a glacier pilot.
H93-02-02
Bill Brown talks with Doug Geeting on February 27, 1992. Denali National Park Jukebox Series.
1) Doug Geeting talks to Bill Brown about his personal background.
Anchorage\ flight instructor\ Talkeetna\ Hudson, Cliff\ flight service -- history\ mountain flying
2) Flying techniques from his book Mountain Flying.
flying -- techniques\ flying -- trial & error\ glacier\ airspeed -- control of\ approach -- speed\ headwind\ cross wind\ maneuvering -- mountains\ approach -- decision point\ survival -- techniques\ high-altitude -- flying
3) The mountain itself. (pt. 2)
weather\ weather -- backdoor\ flying -- visibility restrictions\ climbers -- anxiety
rescue -- searching\ Sharp, Jim\ airplane\ Cessna 185\ airstrip -- 14,000 ft.
5) Doug's influence on mountaineering.
Sheldon, Don\ Hudson, Cliff\ Holland, Kenny\ Denali -- flight training\ flight training -- FAA restrictions
6) NPS infrastructure to handle big numbers of climbers. (pt. 2) (pt. 3)
Talkeetna\ basecamp\ medical camp\ Waterman, John -- book\ Genet, Ray\ edema\ deaths -- medical\ Mount Foraker -- South East Ridge\ deaths -- Mount Foraker
7) Doug's view of his own risk.
rescues -- risk\ landing site -- new\ deaths -- next of kin
8) Bizarre routes and combinations, the moral dilemma.
climbers -- relationship\ Wickwire episode\ Peters Glacier\ Wickwire, Jim
rescue -- Japanese 1983\ rescue -- Uemura, Naomi\ Uemura, Naomi -- solo\ snow hole\ rescue -- press\ rescue -- failure\ rescue -- controversy
10) National cultures and climbing attitudes. (pt. 2)
German -- climbers, comparison\ Europe -- climbers, comparison\ Japanese -- climbers, comparison\ The Orient Express\ Japanese -- frostbite\ equipment -- comparison
11) Esthetics and dignity of mountain -- too heavily used. (pt. 2)
garbage -- removal\ waste -- human\ waste -- Chinese
12) Opinion of NPS operation on mountain.
NPS\ regulation -- NPS\ NPS -- opinion of\ Robinson, Roger\ Grand Canyon\ NPS -- bureaucracy\ rescue -- bureaucracy
13) Final thoughts of Doug Geeting.
airdrops\ Denali Mountain Rescue\ medical camp\ airdrops -- accuracy\ halibut\ "Mad Bombardier"\ communication -- airdrops\ airdrops -- techniques
14) Pilots and guides. (pt. 2) (pt. 3) (pt. 4) (pt. 5)
communication\ guides -- pilots\ Air checks\ guides -- experience\ climbers -- women\ Randall, Frances\ Volunteer Camp\ Volunteer Camp -- roles\ Genet, Ray