Estes Park climber and high school student, Paige Claassen finishes 14th in the adult women's World Cup Bouldering Championships.

Paige Claassen takes a world ranking in Spain

From news reports

Estes Park high school student Paige Claassen, competed in her first world cup climbing event in Aviles, Spain in September, where the 17 yr. old Estes Park High School senior surprised herself and many others by finishing 14th in the bouldering competition and 34th in the lead climbing to give her an overall world ranking of 39th in the women's adult category.

Paige is a member of the Estes Park X Team which has been one of the top five youth climbing teams in the country for the past 5 years under the excellent coaching of Michelle Hurni and Stephan Greenway.

Paige, in an interview said, "It was a whole new level.  My main focus was to see the other athletes and learn from watching them.  To be able to see these athletes and where they performed was exciting."

More World Cup competitions are planned for this keen competitor who says she climbs better in competition than practice and apparently has the "eye of the tiger" when it comes to climbing competitions and as Paige said, "I proved to myself that I did belong there".

Big congratulations to Paige and all of the members and coaches of the 2007 Estes Park Climbing Team X who are starting yet another exciting season of training and competitions.