8th Annual Climb4Life^SM Salt Lake

Pro Athletes

Tom Adams

Anyone who knows Tom knows he is always psyched to get out and play on the rocks. Tom is a Salt Lake City local who has been climbing and working in the climbing industry for the last 17 years. He enjoys sharing the excitement and love of climbing with others. Some traits that help him climb well include his distaste for a rest day and his diet of chocolate milk and peanut M&M’s. Whether he is on a sport route, a beautiful crack or “practicing” on the little cottonwood boulders, he loves to have a good time and always remembers to brush off the route on his way down. Sponsors: Petzl and La Sportiva.

Rocco Bocchicchio

Eleven years ago I was invited to go to a local climbing gym near my hometown of Cherry Hill, NJ by some high school friends.  Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled extensively throughout the US, and in doing so I have managed to climb in many of the best bouldering areas this country has to offer.  When I wasn’t on the road, I frequented the Gunks, and that’s where climbing was solidified as a permanent fixture in my life, and where I realized the true warmth and welcoming nature of our climbing community.  I moved to Salt Lake City in the spring of 2008, and since then I have started my own business, which has allowed me to spend plenty of time exploring Joe’s Valley and establishing new problems there.  I get great joy from participating in humanitarian events based around climbing, such as HERA, because I find it a wonderful opportunity to utilize my love of climbing as an implement of change and compassion in the world.  I’d like to thank the people that not only support me in my climbing, but also in my mission to make the climbing community and the world at large just a bit better.

Katie Brown

I started climbing when I was thirteen, in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky. During my teen years I spent my time sport climbing outdoors and competing. I received 3 X-Games gold medals, and became the first female to onsight 5.13d and flash 5.14a. After taking some time off climbing in my late teens to attend college, where I majored in English, I returned to climbing by way of traditional climbing. Since then I have sought out the best, most aesthetical traditional climbing destinations, and have done many first female ascents of well-known traditional routes. Always having been an onsight climber, I also recently onsighted the Grade VI, 5.12 Regular Route on Yosemite's Half Dome.

Brittany Griffith



Brittany has climbed big walls in Yosemite, red-pointed 5.13b, competed on the NORBA pro downhill circuit and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Never one for complacency, Brittany's climbing prowess has seen her on-sight 5.12c and saunter up such notable Smith Rock routes as Oxygen (13b), The Backbone (13a), Darkness at Noon (13a) and Taco Chips (12d). Always humble, Brittany is quick to dismiss her amazing grace, insisting she loves gravity sports too much to limit herself to just one. Brittany's three state championships in three different disciplines speak to a balanced approach to excellence that resonates with Patagonia's core values and commitments. Last winter, Brittany spent another season getting to know the Fitz Roy and looks forward to returning for more rain.

Olivia Hsu

Initially unsure if she would really get hooked on climbing rocks, Olivia spent her first 6 months climbing barefoot, after her first trip to Arapiles it spurred her on to buy proper sticky rubber shoes, at which point her climbing really took off. Ten years and countless road trips later, climbing has completely dictated the direction of her life. After attending The University of New South Wales Law School, Sydney Australia, Olivia soon after moved to Boulder Colorado where she decided to pursue yoga teaching and of course climbing!

Olivia has striven to be a multi-faceted climber, having climbed trad, sport and bouldered all at high levels. She has on-sighted or flashed over 300 12's and up to 13a, and has sent several 13+ routes including up to 13b on gear. She has climbed all over the world in places such as Spain, France, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Thailand, China and of course, Australia.

As a dedicated Yoga practitioner and certified yoga instructor, she has completed several training with Richard Freeman at The Yoga Workshop, in Boulder Colorado. Although climbing is her first love, she could not imagine life without both pursuits. Like climbing, yoga is a union of the mind, body and spirit. Yoga brings balance to climbing and she hopes to share this with her students including the health benefits too!

Jacinda Hunter

Jacinda Hunter has been rock climbing for approximately 12 years in between having her family of four children. She works hard at keeping a balanced life between climbing and raising her family. Her climbing accomplishments include bouldering up to V11 and recently sending her hardest sport route of 5.14b. Jacinda is also a Registered Nurse and a passionate supporter of women's health. Her sponsors include La Sportiva, prAna, Maxim Ropes, Wild Country, and Organic Bouldering Mats.

Mike Libecki

MSR/Cascade Designs
Dermatone
Smith
WigWam

Mike Libecki closes all of his correspondences with the words “Pursue Passion––Why Ration Passion—Dream Big…..and Live Those Dreams—The Time is Now.” This is exactly how he lives his life. Mike was born near the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California where he grew up hunting, fishing, and camping with his family, as well as excelling in speed mathematics from grammar school through high school. His childhood life planted the seed for his obsession with an utterly adventurous lifestyle.

Now in his adult life, Mike spends most of his time as a father to his angel-daughter Lilliana, and traveling to the most remote, exotic and untouched locations on the planet to pursue his passion of big wall and alpine first ascents, traverses, and other offbeat adventures, many of them completely alone. Libecki has been on expeditions and established multiple first ascents in such areas as Africa, Baffin Island, Greenland, China, Madagascar, Kyrgysztan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Venezuela, and Antarctica. He made the first traverse across the Taklamakan Desert in Western China, also known as the “Sea of Death” by the local people. He’s spent months at a time Soloing first ascents in Greenland, Baffin Island, Antarctica, Africa, Papua New Guinea and China. He and a partner spent 8o days completing the first major ski and big wall climbing expedition in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. He is currently reconnoitering such virgin lands such as Franz Josef Land, Russia, restricted Africa, Afghanistan and remote islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans , some other areas are top secret at the moment due to government regulations. Again, The Time is Now and Why Ration Passion?

When Mike is not exploring and photographing the ends of the Earth, he is a full time father. You can also find him presenting one of his uniquely entertaining multimedia presentations about his adventures year-round. Mike’s favorite part of the gift of ultimate reality called life is being a father. You will often see many colors on his freshly painted toe and finger nails, he is an expert at playing princesses and dress-ups, attends piano, violin and swimming lessons and is his daughter’s soccer coach. Libecki just won ‘Father of the Year Award’ from his daughter's school. He keeps his life running full-circle with other passions such as photography, videography, writing, public speaking, product design and testing, and believing in his dreams (not 99%, 100% minimum). Mike lives near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah with his daughter, dog, cats, pot-belly pig and rabbits.

Mike has received numerous grants and awards: Shipton-Tilman Grant/Award from W.L.Gore & Associates, a three time winner of the Mug Stumps Award, two time winner of the Lyman Spitzer/American Alpine Club Award, The Polartec Challenge Award, Athlete Ambassador of the Year Award from Clif Bar, The Sharp End Award from The Access Fund, Mountaineering Fellowship Award from The American Alpine Club, The Banff Centre Mountain Grant, The Helly Hansen Mountain Award from The American Alpine Club, Father of the Year Award at his daughters school.

Chris Lindner

I was raised in a climbing family and have been climbing for 22 years now. I led a 5.10 crack (placing pro) at the age of four, 5.13 sport age the age of nine, and 5.14c at the age of 16. I grew up across the street from the granite wonderland of Mt. Woodson in San Diego, CA. Traveling throughout the world for rock climbing has been a huge passion of mine lately. I've climbed in 15 different countries in the last couple years and over 20 different U.S. states. I currently live and climb out of Gunnison, CO. Climbing, in my opinion, is the coolest sport in the world, and I enjoy helping people realize that. This will be my 5th HERA Climb 4 Life event!

Melissa Lipani

Melissa Lipani moved to Salt Lake City in 2005 with her husband Adam and two of her dogs after living on the road to climb full time for a year. She works for Black Diamond Equipment and also owns her own pet sitting and dog walking company, WOOF! SLC, LLC. She grew up in New York State in a fun, loud Sicilian family and was a competitive gymnast her whole life. She is obsessed with many things in life, including bouldering, sport climbing, pit bulls and animal rescue, interior design, good gin, all forms of crazy movement (ie, dance, gymnastics, capoeira, aerial dance, and any other circus-tricky things), taking pictures, furniture, and whatever else she gets into. She now has 3 rescued dogs that are the joy of her life- Winn, Tiggs, and Honey. She has a few notable bouldering ascents and is perhaps best known for her epic topouts in Little Cottonwood Canyon and elsewhere. She loves teaching new climbers and volunteering her time with HERA in honor of her Aunt Grace Lipani Entress who passed away from Ovarian Cancer and was joy to all who knew her.

Portia Menlove

Years Climbing: 9
20 years old
Salt Lake City, UT

Sponsors: Sportiva, Blurr, BlueWater Ropes

Favorite place to climb: squamish

I started climbing in salt lake city at the age of eleven. I have spent most of time bouldering and competing in areas around the US. After high school I started college at the University of Utah where I am currently going to Nursing School. It is hard to balance school and climbing but I try to get out and climb as much as possible. Some of my greatest accompishments are placing 1st at the ABS nationals in 2005, placing 3rd in other large comps, bouldering V10 and climbing 5.13b on a rope. After nursing school I plan to focus on climbing and relax!!

Mike Miller-Imperiale

Mike Miller-Imperiale has been climbing throughout the U.S. for about 12 years. Coming to Utah from NJ in 2001, he has made his home the Wasatch range with short stints in southern Utah, and all over California. Mike's favorite climbing is in the alpine realm, and especially likes the long trip over the one day attack. Mike doesn't climb particularly hard, rather likes to just be, spending most of his "rock time" on the moderates in the lower routes in the canyons of the Wasatch. Mike has been guiding in California for the past three and a half years, with most of his time spent on Mt. Shasta and Mt. Whitney. Mike guides for SWS Mountain Guides and has also done a little guiding in the Himalayas. He is now a student at the University of Utah, in the Parks Recreation and Tourism Department on track for a degree in Adventure and Outdoor Programs, Mike finds his permanent home in Salt Lake City with his new wife, Karla.

Alli Rainey

Climbing since 1992, Harvard graduate Alli Rainey lasted for a single year working a real-world job before she chose to take a different route, becoming a rock climber and freelance writer. As a climber, Alli’s accomplishments range from redpoints of more than 40 5.13’s up to 5.13+ (including many unrepeated first ascents and first female ascents) and onsights of more than 200 5.12’s up to 5.12d, to bouldering V9, to winning and placing highly in numerous local, regional, and national bouldering competitions throughout her tenure as a climber. Alli’s climbing sponsors include Acopa, Clif Bar, Flashed, Native Eyewear, Petzl, prAna, and Rocky Mountain Sunscreen. As a writer, to date Alli has completed several full-length book projects, including Bouldering USA, as well as writing numerous articles for a variety of magazines and journals, including a monthly rock-climbing column she wrote for seven years for Rocky Mountain Sports and articles published Men's Fitness, Rock & Ice, Climbing, Alpinist, Gripped, American Alpine News, and Boulder Magazine, among many others.

Lately, Alli’s focus in the climbing community at large has turned to public service, with her efforts geared toward participating in as many community-oriented climbing events that she can fit into her traveling-climber/writer lifestyle. You’ll find Alli at community-oriented happenings such as the C5 Youth Foundation’s climbing program, HERA Climb for Life events, and more. Alli’s philosophy is simple: she believes that it’s these types of events — the unique opportunities to reach out to the climbing community and/or the community at large and to speak the language she knows best (the language of rock climbing) — that enable her to positively impact the world around her in the most effective way she can. In sharing her infectious passion for rock climbing, which has defined and shaped so much of her world, lifestyle, and core being, Alli has found a way to take her relationship with climbing onto the more meaningful level of benefiting others.

When she’s not climbing or writing, Alli enjoys spending her time training; exploring and playing in the woods and the desert with her friends and her dog, Jedi; cooking; reading; listening to and playing music; eating good food (good being a relative term, since anything tastes good if you’re hungry enough); running; and laughing.

Kate Rutherford

Kate started her wild adventure chipping ice out of the natural spring that her water came from in the rural Alaskan bush. From there she moved south to Vashon Island, Washington and then to The Colorado College where she finally learned to rock climb. Though still working as a biologist and fly fishing/raft guide occasionally, rock climbing is taking over. Kate has done 3 ascents of El Capitan, most recently an attempt to free the Freerider route. Cracks are her passion but adventure keeps her well rounded. Sport routes in Vietnam are just as fun as splitters in the Argentine Andes. Travel, art and work in the community are what climbing is inspiring for her future.

"Let the beauty you love be what you do." (-RUMI)

Kevin Wilkinson

Climbing since 1999, rock climber Kevin Wilkinson spent nearly a decade working as a backcountry ranger for Canada’s B.C. Parks before he decided that even four months away from climbing every year was too much. Since 2007, then, Kevin has made climbing even more his reality, traveling to locales both far and near to pursue his passion. To date, his accomplishments include redpoints of nearly 20 5.14s, onsights of 30 5.13s, 125 first ascents in Japan, Canada, Spain, and the U.S., and equipping routes in Maple Canyon, UT; Last Chance Canyon, NM; Ten Sleep Canyon, WY; Lakit and Saint, BC; among others. Kevin’s sponsors for rock climbing include La Sportiva, Petzl, and prAna. The writer of two self-published guidebooks (Lakit, BC and Saint, BC), Kevin has also bouldered V11/12.

When Kevin isn’t climbing or training for climbing, he uses climbing as a vehicle to give back to the climbing community and the community at large. Kevin’s community participation has included events such as Rocktoberfest, HERA Climb for Life, and the American Alpine Club’s annual gathering, as well as helping to found and coordinate the inaugural climbing program for the C5 Youth Foundation (www.c5yf.org) in the summer of 2008. Sharing his passion for climbing with others through teaching and outreach programs provides Kevin with the opportunity to support the growth and development of this sport both within the community and beyond, while helping to promote the companies he believes in in the process.

Outside of climbing, Kevin enjoys searching for new rock, riding his motorbike, and of course, eating gummy bears.

Justin Wood

Justin Wood is a Salt Lake City based climber but isn't often found there. After learning to climb in the canyons around Salt Lake, the wanderlust took over and Justin now lives a vagabond lifestyle. Keeping it light enough to travel, Justin is most often found in his van or abroad with climbing being the driving force of his travels.
Bouldering is his primary interest but sport climbing and trad climbing aren't far behind.