Who do you think is the strongest female climber in the United States?
Of course, my opinion is biased, but I would go with Angie Payne. I don’t think any other woman has climbed as many hard problems outside in the last few years as she has. She has also been a fairly dominant force in competition climbing, as well, having won several PCAs, three ABS Nationals, and a Sendfest in the last few years.

Do you train?
I just train by trying to exploit my weaknesses, climbing with stronger climbers, and trying as hard as I can. Climbing with Paul Robinson, Daniel Woods, Ty Landman and Seth (Allred) has done so much for helping me realize my full potential. I think I push myself harder physically, when I climb with stronger climbers.

Can you balance a professional life (i.e., have a "real" job) and climb at an elite level?
All you need is two hours every day and a steep wall with poor holds to climb hard. More and more, “professional” climbers will need to focus their energy on self-promotion, and that will take up time.

When is the best time to try your project?
The importance of good conditions cannot be over emphasized. Although I climb in horrible conditions all the time, it seems like stuff goes down when the weather gets cold. I would say the best conditions would be cloudy, breezy, and about 35 degrees F.

What happens when you become too old to climb at the level you're climbing at now?
The great thing about climbing is that no matter what your ability, it seems there is always a challenge. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the sport. I love the idea of moving to an area like the South where you could climb on amazing moderates until you are very very old.

What's up with Hueco?
Hueco is still one of the best areas in the country. I don’t think there is another area in the states with more amazing problems than Hueco. Every time I go back, I seem to discover new things. I was there recently and climbed some amazing problems like Crown of Aragorn (V13) [coloradoclimbs.com/
jecrown.mov], El Techo de los Tres B (V13), and Full Monty (V12). What a great mix of the old school and the new school! Three totally different styles and three classic boulders. Hueco is so cool, because these problems are just as amazing as the moderates like Jingus Bells, Melon Patch, and Crash Test Dummy. I always love to go to Hueco. There is so much to do there. El Paso is crazy, and there are so many motivated people.

You were there for five days recently?
Yeah, it was a pretty quick trip. It seems like if you have the power you can climb a lot of problems there quickly.

How about Hueco II?
I went there with some friends last year. It is one of the most amazing looking areas I have ever seen. Thousands of boulders. We didn’t get to have a closer look, unfortunately. Deputy Sheriff Bobby Jones made sure of that.