Slice-of-Life Department

Young Rock Climber Gets a Nice Win

By Robert Struckman, 8-15-08

	Colton Wayman climbs across the top of the cave at the rear of SteepWorld's gym.

Usually, the $100 lure at the top of the climbing wall at MontanaFair in Billings is safe, especially from the flocks of kids who bustle up and down the midway.

Not this year. Nine-year-old Colton Wayman of Billings scrambled up to the top, hit the buzzer and claimed the prize.

Sure, it was no ground-breaker, no Guinness World Record, but it was an excellent day for a budding climber at the fair. Isn’t that what fairs are for? To celebrate local farm produce, livestock, folk art and sundry other accomplishments? Sure, and sometimes to offer a bit of money along with the glory.

“It was a couple twenties, some tens, maybe some fives,” Colton said later at SteepWorld, a climbing gym and shop in an industrial neighborhood downtown in Montana’s largest city.

“I knew I was probably not going to get it, so I just decided to go for it. I decided to waste it,” said Colton, referring to the $10 bill in his pocket, which was all his money and the cost for his attempt to scale the wall.

It was pretty easy, until the last couple moves, he said. He had to cram his fingers into one of the holds to reach the top. Then he was down, having conquered the wall.

“At first, I was so thirsty,” Colton said. “I went and bought a big pop.” He saved the rest, though, until he was at SteepWorld, two doors down from Big Dog Motorcycles, where his father works. SteepWorld also has Frisbee golf discs and carrying bags. Colton bought as much as he could.

Jim Rott, who opened SteepWorld almost four years ago, has been watching Colton climb for about a year. Another climber in town coaches a team, which sent two of its climbers to nationals in California this year. Colton competed in about a half-dozen contests so far this year. I asked him what he wants to do when he grows up.

“Climb,” he said.

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