SALT LAKE CITY — Top rock climbers in North America are set to compete in Utah for the 2025 North American Cup series. The competition will continue through the weekend with finals on Sunday evening.
Olympic climbers like Natalia Grossman and Nathaniel Coleman are competing in the cup. It’s a comeback for Grossman after an injury in March of 2025.
Climbers will compete in two different styles of climbing — speed and lead. Speed climbing is where climbers soar up the way as fast as possible. Lead climbing is where climbers clip into the wall as they go up.
For the lead competitions, the climbers are able to watch a video of someone completing the climb. Then they climb the route, take a short break, and climb a second route.
For local climber Cayden Abshear, a competition like this is exciting. He’s been climbing competitively for 14 years and works as a route setter at The Front Climbing Club. “This is probably the biggest competition that Salt Lake hosts for the local elite,” he said.
This competition is the last shot that climbers have to earn points to become eligible for national championships. “I’m excited,” Abshear said. “There’s a lot of people coming. Lots of big names that I’m just excited to watch.”
