I first met this "Player" in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), Colorado. I was way over my head on a project called The Bush Pilot — a Dave Graham problem involving strong tension and thuggy squeeze moves. This kid quietly came up, lay down his pad, and — in a matter of 20 minutes — scratched through to the top. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to figure out the first move. He didn't say much. He just did. I was impressed. 

Jon Cardwell has quietly come up in the world of hard climbing, by competing internationally in Youth World Competitions, ticking the testpieces of proven areas, like Rifle, Colorado, with its slippery power-endurance sport-climbing, and thrashing through the finest of boulder problems in RMNP. He's a nice boy, but he's mean on the rock. Here's a quick interview ... 

Jon, how old are you?
17 

Where are you from?
Albuquerque, NM 

When did you first start climbing?
I started when I was about 12 years old — seems like forever now but I think it was is 2001. 

When did you do your first 5.12?
I don’t really remember when, but it was this climb Crimp Chimp at the Dungeon. It was kind of a turd. I was just really psyched to be climbing outside. 

When did you do your first 5.13?
In 2003, I'm pretty sure: Chud, in Rifle. The try before I sent, I ate it big time off the top because I was too pumped to clip the last bolt and a foothold broke off the finish hold stance. I nearly decked. I smashed Daniel [Woods] into the wall, also. 

When did you do your first 5.13d?
I thought I had done my first 5.14a straight from 5.13c, but it turns out it was downrated. It ended up being my first 5.13d, last year. 

When did you do your first 5.14?
Last year I had climbed this one called New Prime Evil, but it got downrated. Then I climbed Dr. No, but then it got downrated. I kept getting the downrating shaft, until finally this summer, I climbed 7 p.m. Show. I suppose that’s my first.