HI-END CUSTOM INTERIOR DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, REMODELS, & HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN DENVER, COLORADO

last word by Sean Ruck

NKBA: So tell us how you became interested in rock climbing? JC: I've always been athletic, running, working out at the gym, so when we moved to Colorado from California about five years ago, I thought Colorado is big for the climbing thing, so I gave it a try.

NKBA: Are there training regimens that you go through to prepare yourself? JC: Basically, the climbing season here is April or May to October. You keep yourself in good shape over the winter by heading to the gym. In January, I start getting ready at the indoor climbing gym. It keeps you confident; climbing is half ability and half mentality. If your mind is freaked out, it won't let your body do what it needs to.

NKBA: Do you free climb or harness up? JC: I always use ropes. I've gone bouldering, but once I'm over 15 feet, I like to be strapped into something.

NKBA: What does your family think of your hobby? JC: My kids just think of it as something mom does. My family has all gone before, but my younger son, who's 10, seems to get bored with it.

NKBA: Any close calls? JC: Two and a half years ago I had a fall, it was about 15 or 20 feet. I slammed into a wall tearing ligaments in my shoulder. I was out of climbing for about six months before I recovered.

NKBA: How about an experience to encourage people to go? JC: Climbers love the outdoors. One of my best experiences happened in El Dorado Canyon, near Boulder. A partner and I were doing a six-hundred-foot climb, there's an area where you have to basically cram your hand into a recess to continue climbing and as I did that, I could hear a bird chirping. I definitely was waiting for my hand to get pecked. Finally at the top though, it seemed that we could see half of Utah. You realize you're seeing a sight that only a handful of people ever see. I consider the hard work getting there the price of admission.

Reaching new heights:
Joyce Clegg enjoys the outdoors and challenges herself by rock climbing in Colorado.

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