Background

Ruth Anne was born on April 26, 1947, in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. Daughter of Max Gregory and Ruth Heloise (Hillbrand) Kocour.

Education

Ruth Anne received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Zoology from the University of Colorado in 1969. She also took postgraduate studies at the University of Utah in 1972.

Career

Ruth Anne began to work as the ski instructor at Vail, Colorado, 1969-1971. She was also a freelance medical illustrator. Kocour participated in one-person shows at Fine Arts Gallery, Reno, Nevada in 1978, and Gallery NAGA, Boston, Massachusetts in 1984, 1986, 1987.

Ruth Anne took part in group shows at Terrence Gallery, Palenville, New York in 1981, Nevada Western Gallery in Reno, Nevada in 1981, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks in 1981, Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown in 1981, and Sierra Nevada Museum of Art, Reno in 1982, 1986.

In 1992 she climbed in North America, Alaska’s Denali (Mt. McKinley). Outdoor editor Michael Hodgson assisted Kocour in documenting the treacherous climb to the summit. Although Kocour suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome, which kept her from remembering many of the details of the climb, she had kept a journal with a microcassette recorder which she transcribed into ninety pages when she returned home. She had mentally blacked out two pages and couldn’t remember many of the images contained in her slides. As memories came back to her, she added them. Many of these were revealed to Kocour in nightmares. When she awoke in cold sweats, she would jot down what she had remembered. She feels that by waiting until some time passed before writing her story, she has been able to provide a more complete experience. A year and a half had passed before she had 230 pages, still in a journal format. With Hodgson’s help, she was able to complete the book. In the afterword, Kocour writes of her climb on Cho Oyu, Everest’s sister peak in Tibet.

A Kirkus Reviews reviewer said, “There is little delineation of the landscape ... What might have been a story of mountain savvy, courage, and luck turns into an embarrassment of cliches.” Pamela W. Bellows wrote in Library Journal that the lack of details of the climb might leave some readers disappointed, “but those looking for a human adventure story of extreme physical and mental challenges will not be.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer said “Kocour tells of what mountain climbing means to her, ably conveying her passion for the challenge.”

Achievements

• Ruth Anne Kocour was a globally-known mountaineer, photographer, artist, and writer. She was the only woman of a ten-person team that climbed the highest peak in North America, Alaska’s Denali in 1992. She wrote her famous book ''Facing the Extreme'' on this theme.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Walking the War Zones of Pakistan, One Woman's Journey into the Shadow of the Taliban

    (Ruth Anne Kocour's tale of travel and adversity lends a f...)

  • Facing the Extreme: One Woman's Story of True Courage and Death-Defying Survival in the Eye of Mt. McKinley's Worst Storm Ever

    (Ruth Anne and her group would be trapped on an ice shelf ...)

    1998

Membership

Ruth Anne Kocour is a member of Sierra Arts Foundation.

Interests

• Avocations: technical rock and ice climbing, skiing, traveling.

Connections

On July 30, 1976 Ruth Anne married Robert E. Hall.

Father:

Max Gregory Kocour

Mother:

Ruth Heloise (Hillbrand) Kocour

Spouse:

Robert E. Hall

coworker:

Michael Hodgson

References

• Harper's - June, 1994.
• Contemporary Authors, Vol. 181