Traversi entered the finals tied with Ethan Pringle, who took third in the finals, and first-time competitor Jonathan Siegrist, who took fifth. The men’s final route opened with a technical slab that culminated in an intimidating dyno, followed by a steep section of larger features and tough clips. At the end, a long, footless reach from a handlebar jug to two final holds went untouched. Traversi earned the win by attempting to dyno off the handlebar jug; second-place finisher Dave Graham touched, but didn’t hold, the handlebar.

“The vertical slab start was dicey, since I’m more of a boulderer and we tend to favor the steeper angles,” Traversi said. “The dyno was pretty easy for me and after that it was just resistance climbing. I knew I needed to do a figure-4 on the last move, but I was over-gripping and felt too tired. I figured I might as well get movement toward the hold rather than trying to huck my leg over my arm.”

Siegrist, on the other hand, “felt right at home” on the slab and dreaded the dyno. Siegrist, of Boulder, Colorado, said his reason for giving comp climbing a try was to stay motivated and fit during the Colorado winter, which he calls “the least-inspiring time of the year.”

“I saw it as an opportunity to experience a new kind of mental challenge,” Siegrist said. “I tried to be as relaxed as I could and just climb like I was the only one there and really zone out the crowd, the pressure, and the environment. I was really nervous up until the moment I started climbing, and then a lot of the anxiety left and it felt completely natural.”

Competition climbing’s high-intensity environment is also a natural setting for head route-setter Kevin Branford, who competed professionally for eight years before becoming a setter.

“It’s a labor of love,” Branford said. “I unfortunately attended a couple of comps along the way that were just poorly run and I didn’t want that to happen to other people.”

For Branford, the challenge of setting for a comp lies in the right combination of function and flair.

“It’s very tricky. There’s a fine line between having flashy moves that excite the audience and having moves that are functional, not to mention safe,” said Branford, who worked alongside setters Molly Beard, Chris Danielson, Kyle McFarland and Steven Jeffrey. “You spend an entire week setting routes for a really strong set of people and then you just get to sit back and watch them climb. If the climbers walk away happy with the routes, that’s just icing on the cake.”