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Entourage #41 - August 2010
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MELISSA STRONG
Though she moved to Estes Park, Colorado 14 years ago, Melissa Strong had never been on rock until 2001. “I felt as though I needed to make a few changes in my life,” the Massachusetts native says. “I made an appointment to take a golf lesson and in the same day rallied with some friends who were going sport climbing at the Monastery.” Betcha can guess which sport won out. Since battling her way up that first 5.7, Strong, 37, has been climbing throughout the world, naming her favorite locations as RMNP, Hueco (where she spends winters with her husband, Adam, and their guiding business), and South Africa. For this issue of Urban Climber Magazine, Strong penned a piece about female first ascents (p.38), where she talked to women like Lynn Hill and Angie Payne, who regularly crush. “My favorite part was the ladies,” Strong says. “All of these women are strong women — not just physically but in their opinions as well.” As for the other sport that battled climbing for top honors, she still plays a round or two on her rest days.
