While sending your age is still an amazing feat (V27, here I come), it’s not the
rarity it once was. Take Margo Hayes. This Coloradan has
already sent up to 5.13c and onsighted V9, and she’s a mere 13 years old. And
little mutants like Margo are pushing standards all over the country, as we
quickly discovered in our annual survey of the up-and-comers and already-diesel
athletes making their way through the grades and onto podiums. Here, see why today’s youths are more impressive than ever.
Ben Tresco. Photo by Sam Tresco
Ben Isaac Tresco, 15
Salt Lake City
In it: 3 years.
Favorite climbing type: I love outdoor sport climbing and large
competitions. I train in the gym, but I really have fun in nature
or when the pressure is on to perform.
Defining climbing moment: Competing in finals at my first
World Championships in Imst, Austria, in August 2011.
Climbing hero: Jeff Pedersen. I have looked up to him since
I started climbing; he has always sent hard, established new
routes, and practiced good ethics. I also look up to Enzo Oddo. His
send of Realization (5.15a) showed me how hard a kid can climb.
Hardest ticks: Close Quarters Combat (5.14a), Maple Canyon,
Utah; Nerve Extension (V10), Joe’s Valley, Utah
Proudest ticks:Doing Dead Souls (5.13d) in American Fork Canyon,
as my first 5.13 outside ever
Best comp finishes: 8th place, IFSC Youth Worlds; 4th place,
USA Climbing Nationals
What are your goals in climbing? I would love to podium at
Worlds and win both ABS and SCS nationals. I also would really
like to put up some hard routes around the SLC area. To me,
rock goals and comp goals are completely different because
when climbing on real rock, your goal is tangible, but competitions
seem distant, and anything can happen.
What do you do when you’re not climbing? I ski and play alto
saxophone. If I am not doing those things, I like to hang out with
friends, if homework doesn’t get in the way.
What’s your dream job? Either a material scientist or physicist.
I love science and math, so these fields really interest me.
Any secret training tips? Climb a lot. I mix in a lot weight room
exercises such as lat pulls and core workouts, but some of the
best training is climbing. Doing multiple routes in a row is one
of my favorite things to do during sport season.
Favorite climbing type: I really like competing in bouldering
and speed climbing. I always get a crazy adrenaline rush, which
pushes me perform at the best of my abilities.
Defining climbing moment: When I turned to face the 15-meter
speed wall at the Youth World Championship in Imst, Austria,
this summer. With the national flag embroidered on my back, it
all sank in—I was being watched by hundreds of spectators and
was representing the United States of America.
Climbing hero: Daniel Woods
Hardest ticks: Indoors: V11; outdoors: V8
What do you do when you’re not climbing? I dedicate a lot of
time to school. And when I have any extra time, I hang out with
my friends. Also, I play the bagpipes.
What’s your dream job? Biophysics researcher. With this job, I
could pursue my interests in biology and physics, as well as get
to travel all over the world (hopefully where I’d be able to climb).
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