You’ve put up some very hard routes and problems in Australia... what are some of the most notable in your mind?
I did the first accent of one of the hardest routes in Australia back in 2004. The route is in Nowra, NSW, and called White Ladder. I graded the route 34/5.14c and it has yet to see a repeat. The route was a project for a long time, tried by some very strong climbers, like Fred Nicole, Garth Miller, Klem Loskot, etc. I’ve also established a lot of the hardest boulder problems in Australia. One of my hardest is Catalyst (V14), in Sydney — it’s a sit start to a V13 called Genesis. The sit start was the original vision, but hadn’t been completed. Catalyst is at a crag called Crumbly — it’s an urban crag, like most of the bouldering spots in Sydney, but the quality of problems are very good.

Do you prefer routes or bouldering... or maybe ice climbing?
When I first started climbing I was mostly interested in route climbing, but as I progressed, I started to turn to bouldering for strength and power gains for my route climbing. Soon, I found myself doing more bouldering than routes. I enjoy the style of climbing that bouldering lends itself to. The feeling on the rock is freer, as you have no ropes and no gear to deal with. I also enjoy the power-based training that comes with bouldering.

You’ve done quite well in competitions in and around Australia. Do you like competing? What was your proudest victory?
I have been in many competitions in Australia, but as I think back I don’t have any real, proud moments. I know that sounds very arrogant, but the competition scene in Australia is very small and sometimes I don’t actually feel like I’m in an event. Most of my proudest moments have come from the rock.

The junior comp scene in Australia seems very healthy, though, so hopefully this will produce some talented climbers in the years to come and progress the sport further in Australia. As for me, the real challenge seems to be with the World Cups. Hopefully one day, I’ll be the first Australian to stand on the podium.

Coming to the States was quite a trek for you. How long was the flight? And since it was such an undertaking, did you come with specific goals in mind? Slashface, for example?
The flight to the US wasn’t too bad. We got a direct flight from Sydney to San Francisco, and it only took 13 hours on the plane. The real mission was once we arrived; we drove straight from San Fran to Hueco in one 22-hour push. We were so happy to finally make it. I’d wanted to come to Hueco for a long time; I’d seen great photos and footage of the area and it just looked amazing. It definitely lives up to my expectations.

I had a few things on my to-do-list for Hueco, including Slashface, Esperanza and Terremer, but my main objective for this trip was just to enjoy the area and get a taste for some of the great problems that make Hueco Tanks one of the premier bouldering areas of the world.

What’s it like being a sponsored climber in Australia?
While I was in Australia I had two great sponsors, Black Diamond and Australian Industrial Rope Access, who have been extremely helpful supporting me, especially for this trip. And since arriving in the US I’ve picked up two new sponsors: Moon Climbing and Five Ten. I’m grateful to be one of few sponsored Australian climbers, and hopefully this encourages other young climbers to seek sponsorship to progress towards their own climbing goals.  

What’re your favorite bouldering and route crags in Australia? And how does Hueco stack up?
Grampians would have to be on the top of my list. It’s an amazing place to both climb and boulder and has beautiful wildlife and scenery. The bouldering is very similar to Hueco, just a little more spread out. Hueco seems to have a lot more quantity of problems in a smaller area, whereas the Grampians have a lot of problems, just spread over a larger area. I find in the Grampians, even if I haven’t done a single boulder problem that day, I still feel like I’ve worked myself, because of the walk-ins to the crags. The quality of both the Grampians and Hueco are perfect.

What’s the biggest difference between Australia and the States you’ve encountered so far?
The US is very different from Australia: it seems everyone here in America has to have a massive car. I’ve barely seen a small car since arriving. Plus, your supermarkets are huge, and you can buy anything and everything in one store.

Most people have been very friendly and as soon as they find out I’m from Australia they always seem interested and happy to have a chat.

For any person wanting to travel, Australia would be a great place. It’s easy to get around, and if your planning a climbing trip you’ll find climbers in Australia to be very accommodating to any travelling climber new to the country.
 
Anything else you’d like to add:
I would like to say a huge thank you to all my sponsors: Black Diamond, Australian Industrial Rope Access, Moon Climbing, and Five Ten.