CLAASS ACT //

Sponsors: Marmot, La Sportiva, Black Diamond Equipment, Maxim Ropes

In it: 10 years

Proudest sends: Some 13c at the Monastery . . . man, I don’t know. My dad was joking with me ‘cause every time I come back from a trip, I say that was the best area I’ve ever been to. . . .

Paige Claassen was raised amidst the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains and the rough granite pillars of Lumpy Ridge. Still, the 19-year-old CU-Boulder sophomore got her start on plastic. (“My dad tried to get me into other sports, and I sucked at everything,” she says. “He took me to the gym in Estes, and it totally clicked.”) Young, polite, and humble, Claassen for years focused her efforts on comps, but today is more stoked on stone. In July, she crushed Zulu, a Rifl e Mountain Park 5.14, and since September, she’s ticked or onsighted a dozen 5.13s.

You’re studying Spanish at CU . . . how come?
I’ve traveled to all these countries, and everyone knows English. I think it’s cool to speak their language instead of making them accommodate me. And even the knowledge of how to learn a language, it enables you to learn other languages — I’m hoping to add some more.

So you’ve traveled a lot then?
Yeah. My first time out of the country I went to China, for my first Youth World Championships. I’ve been to Austria, France, Spain, Germany . . . all for World Cups. I was super into competing, but now I’m starting to climb outside more — it’s cool to have a different perspective on the sport. This past summer I got to go to Ceüse, France, which was amazing. It was my first time climbing outside internationally.

What was your best World Cup finish?
Bad. I don’t know. . . . I got second in a youth invitational. I think I got fourth once, when I was 15. It’s been downhill from there. I haven’t really figured out how to competitively climb in Europe. Spinning around on roofs . . . we really don’t have roofs in our gyms over here. It’s like being underwater and not knowing which way is up.

Other than climbing and school, what are you into?
I’m kind of involved with my church — it’s fun to be with a different crowd. Everyone’s always super psyched. I’m close with my family, too. It’s good to have that base. They’re supportive of everything I do. I think not a lot of kids can say that these days. Oh, and I work at Movement Climbing and Fitness, too. I’m a substitute coach.

Are you into training?
I guess I train. I go in to the gym and do three routes in a row in six sets. I’m exhausted by the end of it. To me that’s training.

What’s the most epic thing that’s happened to you on a climbing trip?
I’ve always traveled with my family — I think being with your parents eliminates a lot of the potential epics. But China was defi nitely the biggest cultural transition. Seeing how people live there, and yet they’re still so happy. There’s so much unhappiness here, but people have so much. There, people appreciate everything, the little broken down playground. . . .

Where is climbing headed?
I definitely think it’s going more towards gym climbing and competing. Competitions are growing so much. Four years ago at adult Nationals, there was almost no one there. It used to be that you could tell who was a climber by the sticker on their car. Now, it’s everyone. Now, the gyms are getting bigger and bigger.

What music are you feeling right now?
I recently got into electronic music, but previously I was into metal. I like Silverstein and A Day to Remember. I’ve started listening to Dead Mouse and Ratatat.

Gyms seem to have a style their own now — what are all the kids wearing these days?
The trend is always to show the most skin. I’d like to see the neon spandex come back. I’m going to bring neon back — spandex is a little . . . gotta be careful with that one. But on the whole, people like to show off what they got, which isn’t always the best choice.

Anything you’d like to add?
Some of the things you think are going to affect your climbing don’t. Like eating, in particular. I enjoy cookies and all sweets. I realize that when I cut those out, I don’t climb any better. I climb worse, actually. People get into all these fads, like eating the “right thing” and running all the time. You just have to be psyched and rock climb a lot. Starvation is not the answer; dessert is key.