Some fans will go to great lengths to show their team-pride. South Carolina alumnus Leif Anderson took it to new heights by proudly displaying a Gamecock Club Flag after reaching the summit of Denali, which is the largest mountain peak in North America. Anderson, who is a Platinum Spur Gamecock Club member, scaled the 20,310 feet of the Alaskan mountain top in June.
“It’s a pretty big challenge with how cold it is, how high it is, and how close it is to the Arctic Circle,” said Anderson, who is a 1994 South Carolina graduate. “It’s a unique mountain, and it was a unique challenge. It’s an interesting place to be.”
Originally from Michigan, Anderson currently lives in Columbia where he is the executive vice president of Rhino Tool House, which does industrial automation for manufacturing plants.
Anderson went on the trip with former South Carolina classmate, Terry Robertson. They had originally planned to make the trip last year to celebrate their 50th birthdays, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to put it off for a year.
“We had climbed (Mount) Rainier in Washington previously, and he had done a couple of other climbs,” said Anderson. “The climbing community is a nice community. When we decided to do Denali, we knew we would have to be gone for about a month. That’s a long commitment and a long time to be away from family.”
“Now that I’ve done it, there is a curiosity to going higher.”
Making such a climb requires a lot of physical and mental endurance.
“There’s nothing I’ve done like Denali,” Anderson said. “This is in a class of its own. It was a big step from Rainier. We ended up being gone for three weeks. I was on the mountain for 17 days. We had a great time up there together.
“Mentally, it was pretty tough with how cold it was. When you live in South Carolina, it’s hard to duplicate that! I have a friend who owns some restaurants, and I spent some time in a freezer (to prepare), but you can’t really duplicate Denali. Everything you did was hard, whether it’s eating or whatever. You have to melt snow to drink water. Once you get up to about 14,000 feet, then you’re dealing with the altitude. It’s challenging to camp that long anyway, but when you’re on ice and you’re uncomfortable all the time, it’s really tough.
“I’ve always been wired that way, I guess. I really like adventure. I love a challenge like this, and a mountain represents that. People that like to climb mountains like to suffer while they’re smiling. There is just something about it. That’s what is cool about the climbing community: they’re the same way. I got a chance to know a lot of other international climbers. Most of the people that climb Denali do it because it’s one of the seven summits. Denali and Everest are the two that everyone get stuck on doing. They’re the two most difficult to summit.
“Now that I’ve done it, there is a curiosity to going higher, but it’s not anything I’m planning right now.”
Anderson did a lot of training running bleachers and steep hills. That being said, Anderson is glad to have done it. He did tell his wife, Amy, that the next hobby he picks up may be fly-fishing.
Anderson is an avid Gamecock fan and supporter, and while he may be taking a break from an extreme adventure, he can’t wait to climb the stairs at Williams-Brice Stadium to watch the Gamecocks this fall.
“I’m a big backer of the University and the Athletics Department. I’m looking forward to getting back and walking up those steps on game day. That will be my next summit.”
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