Anchorage youth rock climbers head to nationals

Anchorage teenagers Isaac Setian, Henrik Keskula, Brendan Wilkins and Vance Stanfield are set to represent the Last Frontier on the national stage in rock climbing this month.

The Alaskans are headed to Salt Lake City to compete in the USA Climbing National Championships, which take place Sunday through July 16. To qualify, each climber finished in the top six for their age group at the 2023 USAC Division 1 Lead/Top Rope Championships that was hosted at the Alaska Rock Gym in Anchorage in early June.

Ted Phelps has been coaching rock climbing in Anchorage since 1999 and has worked with Setian, Keskula and Wilkins for about seven years on the Alaska Rock Gym climbing team.

“We preach solid technique all the way, because that’s how you have to climb,” he said.

Top rope is a type of rock climbing where climbers are securely attached to a rope that runs through a fixed anchor at the top of the climbing route, and back down to the belayer or second at the base of the climb.

Wilkins and Keskula have competed in national competitions before, but this will be Setian’s first.

He was “super excited” when he found out he had made it to nationals because of all the stiff competition he faced in divisionals.

“I wasn’t 100% sure I was making it, but one of my coaches gave me a talk before (qualifying) and was like, ‘Isaac, this is you, man,’ so I went in there, I tried as hard as I could,” Setian said.

Neither of his teammates has made it past the qualifying round in their previous trips to nationals.

“I’m really hoping to make the semifinals and hopefully get into the finals,” Setian said.

Wilkins recently attended a national training camp in Pennsylvania where he climbed five days straight and received training from elite climbers Alex Johnson and Melina Costanza. That has given him a boost, both in confidence and ability.

“It definitely has helped,” he said. “I’m less anxious and I think I’m climbing a lot better.”

Wilkins has only competed in one other national competition, when he was 10 years old, and while he’s very excited, he’s also trying to “stay cool and collected.”

“That’s the main battle,” he said. “Just keep your mind in check because you can be really strong in lead climbing, but if you get psyched out, all that muscle is for nothing.”

This will be Keskula’s third nationals event; his first was a bouldering competition when he was younger. Last year, he made nationals for rope climbing, which is the format he’ll be competing in this month. He’s battled fatigue late in the season and has fairly modest expectations.

“I do want to make the semifinals,” he said. “I think it’s doable. I don’t know if it’s something that I’ll get and I’m trying not to focus on it, but making semifinals would be nice just to get those extra days and really get more experience in a nationals competition.”

From PE to passion

Setian is an 18-year-old recent graduate who was homeschooled and had rock climbing served as his gym class.

“This was my P.E. and I got A’s,” he said with a smile. “I did track and field one year with Grace Christian, where my dad works at, but it didn’t really work out and wasn’t my thing.”

When he first started competing in rock climbing, he never imagined that he’d make it this far in the sport.

“I used to see Henrik climbing in the gym when I was brand new, and Henrik was climbing at a national level already,” Setian said. “I was like, ‘I’ll never catch up to him.’ Now I’m catching up to him.”

Keskula, who will be a senior starting in fall, is also homeschooled and climbing doubled as his gym class as well.

He thought about getting into running cross country or track and field, but rock climbing has been the only thing he has “really enjoyed” as far as extracurricular activities go.

“I’m definitely going to climb in college but I don’t know if I’m necessarily going to climb competitively,” Keskula said. “I’m leaving that open to whatever feels best for my life.”

Rock climbing roots

Setian has been rock climbing for five years. He was inspired to take it up as a recreational hobby after his family moved back to Alaska when he was 13, in large part because his father is also into rock climbing.

“It was pretty gradual at first,” he said. “I started in just the normal kids programs they have here, and then eventually Ted (Phelps) saw me climbing in those and asked me to join the (competitive) team.”

Keskula has been rock climbing since he was about 6 years old and got into more competitive climbing when he was 7 or 8.

His parents were “big rock climbers in their 20s” and introduced him and his brother to it at a very young age.

Keskula’s family is originally from Katy, Texas, and they participated on rock climbing teams in Canada before moving to Alaska almost eight years ago. From there, he grew more serious about competitive rock climbing.

Wilkins has been rock climbing for nine years and was first introduced to the sport when he was 8.

“I was going to my friend’s house, and they said they were going rock climbing, and I was like, ‘Oh that sounds fun,’” Wilkins said. “Ever since then, I fell in love with it.”