ABS Nationals this year were a bit more hectic than I am used to. It was a great and fun competition as always, but things just didn’t go as well for me as I would have liked. It started out Thursday night. I had a big biology test that I could not miss that ended at seven, so I booked a flight to Denver that left at nine. With that short of a time to catch my plane, even if things went smoothly, it was going to be close. The test took the full hour, and we started late,...

Sadly our trip is coming to an end, but I’m happy to say I reached a few of my goals along the way; such as trying more 13b’s, doing them more quickly, and getting on harder routes, even if I thought I couldn’t do them in the time given. I tried way more 13c’s than I ever have on this trip, and I even ended up sending one of them (my second ever!). I also tried my very first 13d, which was exciting and a personal achievement in and of itself. In the end my greater climbing ambitions feel...

This past week I have been climbing in Margalef, Spain, and filming with Big Up Productions (Reel Rock Tour) and 3Strings Media (Adidas Feature Video). Within the Cataluna Region of Spain there is a plethora of world-class routes to try. Chris Sharma established a beautiful route called Era Bella, 9a, in Margalef, which he suggested that I go and try. With this encouragement, I departed from my brief stay in Oliana to check this test-piece out. Upon arriving at the route, I knew that it was something special. The route seamlessly follows a 140-foot orange and blue streaked prow....

For the last few years, since seeing photos of Humildes pa Casa and a clip of Chris on Pachamama, Oliana has been at the top of my climbing areas to visit.  With long, distinct lines and amazing movement it’d be hard to find a route on the wall that isn’t worth traveling the world to climb.

A month in Spain really is not enough! I feel like I am just learning to sport climb again and it almost time to leave... I am becoming totally that we really need to two days for every one. There are simply too many routes to climb, too many places to visit, too many experiences not to be missed, and simply too much psych to be contained in one lifetime!

My last Youth Bouldering Nationals were held a few weeks ago, and I have to say that I am so sad it’s over. I’ve looked forward to going to this competition every year since I was 11. It’s pretty sad, and a little scary, saying goodbye to that stage of my life.