The first time I ever climbed was in 1995 when I was 12 years old at an outdoor summer camp in Colorado. I remember touching the stone for the first time, being on the wall, and moving upwards. I didn’t understand what I was experiencing, but now, looking back through my memories, I can describe it –  I wasn’t scared, I wanted each climb to go on forever. I never wanted to come down. It just felt so natural, and so liberating – From that first day until 2000, I climbed only a handful of times. In the Spring of 2000, I began climbing slightly more, including a couple formative work stints at Planet Rock Climbing Gym in the original Pontiac, Michigan location during the summers when I was home from school. However, I was still very dedicated to ski racing, and I was on a scholarship to race for college. I graduated in 2004, travelled a little bit, and ultimately ended up back at home in Michigan with my parents, trying to figure out what to do next. I got a cool job with a friend doing artistic concrete work, and I was going to the climbing gym a lot. That lead to weekend trips to The Red. And, that ultimately lead to the turning point – getting a job at Miguel’s Pizza and Climb Shop in the Spring of 2005 – from that point onward, climbing became an aspect and consideration of daily life. It permeated nearly everything, and it became my lifestyle and my community.