Scott's Biography

I started climbing around 6 years ago with a very good friend of mine, Gary Felix, in Boulder Colorado. Gary had spent a lot of time trad climbing in Josh Tree and around the US, so I spent a lot of my beginning time outdoors placing my own pieces. Gary was a great first teacher, as he instilled in me a sense of safety to which I still hold. I remember my first trad lead in Boulder Canyon at the Happy Hour crag, and Gary checking and re-checking all my placements, not just caring that I made it to the top. Climbing another day is something I want to do every day. I spent a lot of time indoors as well, which was great for my technique, but I finally learned was terrible for my head. If you want to really climb, climb outdoors!! I love the gym, but there is nothing like the movement, the glory and the pain that you can get on real rock. Even days like today, I was humbled again, but it teaches me to stay focused on my goals.

After a while, I became stagnant in my climbing, but I had the good graces to meet an excellent man, Darek Krol. A 5.13 climber, Darek showed me really how to climb using proper foot and body technique, creative rest stances and the will to keep a good head. And it only took one climb at Rifle Colorado, an "easy" 5.11a called Purple and Blue, to show me that I never knew how to climb at all. And that is when I really consider myself becoming a climber. Watching the amazing climbers that go to Rifle, not just the famous ones, but the hard-to-the-core locals that I respect to the utmost ... that is when I really changed. They give it their all, with no cameras or sponsors near. And I was inspired to climb.

Then I learned the beauty of travel combined with climbing. First a few trips to Thailand (my heart rests in Krabi -- hopefully they don't kill the place with development), and then ... I gave it all up to travel the world, and do some climbing while I was at it. Spain, Italy, France (and some climbing gyms in Holland, because there is not much to climb there) - and now ... Yangshuo China.