It didn’t take long for Tristan Chen (Boston) to make his mark on the DU Club Climbing team and the climbing community as a whole.
The freshman took first place in the Male Sport Final at the Collegiate Climbing Series (CCS) National Championships April 17-18 in San Diego. Chen also qualified for the Male Speed Final, but climbers were only allowed to participate in one final event.
Chen was the only competitor from DU and the sole contributor to an 11th place Pioneer finish out of 50 other teams.
“I thought I could make it to the finals, but I was just hoping to win,” Chen said.
“[He is] by far the best climber in the club and [he’s] up there with other good climbers in the world too,” said club co-founder and vice president Gino Maneri.
During the Men’s Sport Finals, Chen tied for highest hold with one other competitor, but won because he placed higher in the qualifying round.
Chen began climbing in fifth grade with his brother and a year later started to climb competitively. The Boston native’s decision to go to college in Denver was in-part fueled by his passion for climbing.
While Chen has been climbing for quite some time, the DU Club Climbing program is relatively new. The club became official in the fall of 2013 and now has 77 members. Skill levels range greatly, from beginners to seasoned climbers.
“Our goal as a club is just to bring people into the community of climbing and help them progress to where they want to be in the sport,” Maneri said. “We realized there was huge hole in the community on the DU campus and thought there was a pretty reasonably sized community to bring into the sport. And I think by being one of largest clubs on campus, it shows we filled that hole.”
The club traveled four times during the fall and also participated in three local trips during winter quarter. Maneri indicated that there are two trips still to come this quarter with the destinations to be determined.
Weekly practices are held at the rock wall in the Coors Fitness Center every Monday from 7-9 p.m.
