You’ve done a bunch of first ascents throughout the country. What do you consider to be your proudest FA?
I think my proudest FA would have to be Agent Orange on the carriage road at the Gunks.  This line had struck me since I first sent Yikes! many years back.  I always looked at the line every time I went to the Gunks, but always walked by saying that it was way too dangerous and the landing was just too bad. I had heard from a few friends that people had begun trying it and just last year I began to work it with my good friend, Andy Salo.  He and I made a little progress and kept working it that spring and even into the summer.  I got really close a few times, but never managed to stick this right hand crimp way out on the face that would then lead to easier climbing.  I left for college and was really bummed about missing out on perfect fall days in the Gunks.  When Thanksgiving break came around, I knew where I needed to go.  I bought my plane ticket home and had this project as the main thing in my mind.  I went to the Gunks the first day I got back and got really close to the send. I came back a few days later and managed to nab the first ascent of what is now Agent Orange.

Yeah, that’s a killer line. You know, I think most people, myself included, dream of being strong enough to go to an area and climb anything they want. What does that feel like?
Coming to Bishop this year has been a dream come true.  Ever since I first came to Bishop over spring break of 8^th grade I have absolutely loved the place.  Even though people look at me strangely whenever I tell them that Bishop is my favorite place in the entire world to climb, I stick to my word.  I remember my first time here looking at tons of lines that seemed impossible and now I’ve done a bunch of them.  I climb and train in the gym a lot so that when I go on a trip I can dispatch a bunch of hard problems in a short amount of time.

How close do you feel to your full potential?
I hopefully am not close to my full potential at all!  I want to be able to do what people before me have done: break into new levels of bouldering that have yet to be reached.  I hope that in the next few years I will be able to grow even stronger than I am now through training and lots of climbing outside.  I hope to one day be able to set new standards for bouldering for the kids that aren’t even climbing yet.

Do you feel famous? Do you feel like people treat you differently for being such a good climber?
I definitely do not feel famous.  I do not have any money and I still live off of my very nice parents. I don’t have an Escalade with 24” rims with girls screaming my name every time I drive down the road or enter a restaurant.  I travel to places and no one really knows who I am, at least that’s how I feel.  I feel that others climbers like Dave Graham, Chris Sharma, and Daniel Woods are definitely well-known wherever they go.  They walk up to an area and everyone knows their name.  I go places today and I don’t think anyone knows that I am actually a good rock climber. I mean, I still get asked if I need a pad and spot on my V0 warm-ups.

Yeah, I get that all the time. You seem to enjoy/crush comps both inside and out. Would you like there to be more events like the Petzl Roctrip and the Triple Crown?
Both of the Petzl Roctrips as well as all of the Triple Crowns I have attended have been a ton of fun.  Both of these events are a great way for climbing areas to make money and for the participants to have fun climbing outside with lots of friends.  It is really cool to have so many people bouldering at one area and having so many people all psyched on climbing outside.  The people that organize the Triple Crown comps are super-awesome and hanging out and climbing with them each year is a blast.  I think that it would take a ton of hard work, but it could definitely be possible and really cool if comps like the Triple Crown could start happening all over the country!

What do you think about the possibility of climbing becoming a mainstream sport? Do you think it has universal appeal or do you think it's still kind of a fringe activity?
I think that climbing has, since its beginnings, had several surges in popularity. By seeing how many people show up to watch climbing competitions, I feel that it is pretty much a sure thing that it will become even more mainstream.  I know that there will definitely be a lot of people that will always oppose climbing and never will truly understand the sport, but as more and more people start to see what climbing is all about, I think that a lot more people will get hooked on it.