Climbing · Worth knowing

Chloe Pay completed her sixth 8A boulder problem in 2020 with the send of "Leave it Be" (SDS) at Snugglers Notch, ranking her #2 in the world teenage climbing rankings. After a three-month climbing hiatus due to starting college and losing her summer climbing squad, Pay struggled with motivation and consistency on the project, repeatedly falling at the top during weekend trips to the crag. She finally sent the boulder on what she anticipated would be one of her last opportunities before winter weather closed the road, sticking the critical right-hand throw to a jug that had previously been her downfall.

Justin Salas, a visually impaired climber who retained peripheral vision after optic nerve atrophy, has become a competitive climber and route setter despite having only about 10% of his central vision. Working primarily through feel and relying on sight-guides for high boulder attempts, Salas has progressed to climbing 8A level and competing at elite levels. His long-term goals include becoming the first adaptive climber to send 8b+ boulder problems or harder and 9a routes, while also pursuing alpinism and big wall climbing, with aspirations to win a world championship title and help establish a new wave of respected elite adaptive climbers in the sport.