The Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo Comp returns this year with a $15,000 cash purse up for grabs. This year, invitations will be sent out to some of the top climbers in the world. Additionally, up to six wildcard applicants will be accepted.
Seeding rounds will take place on Friday followed by finals on Saturday. The top 16 male and female climbers will move on from the seeding round to finals. In the finals, climbers will compete head-to-head based on their seeding in a single elimination, tournament-style bracket. The fastest climber to the top of the wall will advance in each head-to-head round until a champion is crowned. All wildcard applications must be submitted online by 11:59pm on February 29th.
Selected climbers should check in between 12:30pm-1:00pm on Friday at the Climbing Center. There will be a mandatory competitors meeting at 1:30pm on Friday, April 24.
Deep Water Solo Schedule:
Friday, April 24, 2:00pm – Women’s Seeding
Friday, April 24, 4:00pm – Men’s Seeding
Friday, April 24, 5:15pm – Women’s Open Gym
Friday, April 24, 6:15pm – Men’s Open Gym
Saturday, April 25, 4:30pm – Women’s and Men’s Finals
Alex is from Raleigh, NC and has been climbing since he was 11 years old. He competes with the Triangle Rock Club and has been climbing competitively for 5 years. His favorite spot to climb is the New River Gorge.
Alex is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Arjan de Kock is a South African boulderer who has climbed up to V15 and 5.14c. His favorite areas are Rocklands and Fontainebleau. Arjan is also a surfer, making him one of few climbers who loves the water, a love which lends itself well to Deep Water Solo. When he’s not climbing, Arjan farms table grapes.
Arjan is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Ashley is a 17 year old competitive climber based in Boulder, CO. She has been climbing for over ten years and competes in both the youth and adult circuits. Her favorite places to climb are Mallorca, Spain, Rifle, Colorado and Hueco Tanks, Texas.
Bella is a 16-year-old climber who has been climbing since she was nine. She is a part of team Triangle Rock Club and has been climbing competitively for two years. She regularly climbs v6 and/or 5.12 and up.
Bella is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Callie is a 15 year old athlete who has been climbing for almost 9 years. She enjoys being able to travel and compete with her teammates and friends. Callie placed 1st in the 2019 Youth Speed World Championships.
Carlo Traversi is an American professional climber and two-time USA Sport Climbing National Champion based out of Sacramento, CA. One of the most well rounded climbers in the world, Carlo has climbed V15 boulders, 5.14d sport routes, 5.14c trad, and has won or placed highly in top American bouldering competitions for the past 10 years.
Carlo Traversi was the 2017 Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo Champion.
Dylan is an aspiring climber from Miami. His favorite ascents include Zulu (14a) in Rifle, CO and anything in Hueco Tanks or Joe’s Valley. Although Dylan now lives closer to real mountains in Salt Lake City, he grew up spending all his free time water skiing in Miami, where he developed a deep love for the water.
Eddie is 21 years old and from West Chester, Pennsylvania. He lives in Fayetteville, West Virginia next door to the New River Gorge, where his summers consist of deep water soloing on Summersville Lake. The hardest boulders Eddie has climbed are “Takin’ Rips” and “Rebel Sit”, both V11; the hardest route he has climbed is the 5.14b “Trebuchet”.
Eddie is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Emily Harrington is a professional rock climber residing in Tahoe City, California. Her early years were defined by her successes on the USA Climbing Team on the national and world competition circuit, including 5 US National Sport Climbing Championships and 2 North American Championships. Emily is known for embracing all mediums of climbing and playing in the mountains, from sport climbing to big walls to high altitude ski mountaineering. Since shifting her focus from competition, Emily has completed numerous first female ascents of 5.14 sport routes, free climbed Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan, summited Everest, and has been on expeditions all over the world attempting big wall free climbs and high altitude peaks in Nepal, China, Myanmar, Crimea, and Morocco.
Emily is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo Competitor.
Emma is a 16-year-old who has been climbing since she was 5 years old, and is an accomplished climber at both the National and International levels. She is the 2019 USA Climbing Speed Climbing National Champion for both the Female Open and Youth A categories. She holds the USA Climbing Female Speed Climbing record of 8.17 seconds for the 15M wall. While Emma loves speed climbing, she is also equally psyched on bouldering and sport climbing.
Emma is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Favia is a 32 year old boulderer, physician, and cancer survivor based out of Albuquerque, NM. She specializes in lowball roofs and has climbed up to V11. Favia is an animal lover and takes care of 5 cats and 1 dog with her husband, Brian.
Jonathan is a climber based out of Durham, North Carolina. He has been climbing for nine years, and has focused his climbing primarily on bouldering outdoors, climbing up to V12.
Julia Duffy is a 15 year old Charlotte-based climber. She started climbing at the Whitewater Center when she was 8 years old. Since then, she has represented team Inner Peaks in a variety of local and national competitions. Outside of climbing, she enjoys taking part in mountain bike races.
Julia is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Luke is a climber based out of Knoxville, TN whose hobby draws nearer to obsession every year. He loves all styles of climbing and rock types, but is partial to bouldering and sport climbing on immaculate southern sandstone. Luke has climbed up to V10 and 5.13c.
Luke is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Michaela is a passionate climber and competitor. A regular on the World Cup circuit, she has competed in the finals of the World Championships, and finished ranked within the top ten for the IFSC Bouldering World Cup Series. She has been deep water soloing around the world, and earlier this year won the Psicobloc Open Series competition in Montreal.
Meagan Martin is a professional climber, Ninja Warrior, and model who lives in Sacramento, California. She started climbing at age 11 in Orlando, Florida at Aiguille Rock Climbing Center and climbed for about 4 years before turning her focus on gymnastics. While in college, she was a pole-vaulter and began climbing competitively again. Meagan enjoys coaching kids and hopes that she can inspire kids across the country to find what they are passionate about and go for it.
Meagan was the 2019 Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo Champion and placed 2nd in 2018’s competition.
Paige Claassen is a professional climber who specializes in technical sport climbing. Paige seeks out challenging lines around the world of varying styles. Her ascents include Shadow Boxing (5.14d) in Rifle, CO and Algorithm (5.14c/d) in The Fins, Idaho. Although Paige climbed competitively as a teenager, she now strictly climbs outside, with the exception of Tuck Fest each year. When she’s not climbing, Paige runs her nonprofit Southern Africa Education Fund, which builds classrooms in rural Namibia.
Paige is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Sarah Kate (“SK”) is a 16 year old competitive rock climber from Dallas, TX. She has been climbing for 8 years and is a member of the Lone Star Climbing team. She has a passion for both youth and adult competition and is proud to have represented the US in Moscow, Russia and Arco, Italy at the last two Youth World Championships. SK’s favorite outdoor climbing areas are Hueco Tanks, TX and Rifle, CO.
Sophia Curcio is a 14 year old competitive rock climber from Team Inner Peaks in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has been climbing competitively for 4 years and competes in the USA Climbing Youth Circuit.
Sophia is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Vincent Sablich, 17 years old, is from Saratoga Springs, NY and is a senior in high school. His biggest accomplishments include representing the US at the Youth World Championships in Moscow, Russia and winning the Psicobloc Open Series junior category in Montreal, Canada.
Zander Waller is a 16 year old rock climber from Atlanta, Georgia who has been climbing indoors competitively for 8 years. He also enjoys outdoor climbing, having climbed up to a 5.14c/8c+ route and V13/8b boulder.
Zander is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Zoe grew up in North Jersey and started climbing at a local gym when she was 8 years old. She entered her first competition shortly after and competed in climbing events at an international level, both as a kid and on the open circuit. She still competes, but lately has found herself more motivated to get outside and travel, as well as pursue disciplines of the sport besides bouldering and sport climbing.
Zoe is a returning Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo competitor.
Mark is a USA Climbing Level 5 Routesetter. With 16 years of setting experience, he has set for over 20 national and international competitions including Tuck Fest 2018 and 2019. Mark has been climbing since 2001 and particularly enjoys climbing (very) tall boulders, in the middle of nowhere, alone. Mark is the Head Routesetter at Momentum Seattle.
Aaron Davis began setting over a decade ago at his home gym, The Edge Rock Gym, in Jacksonville, FL. He’s currently the Head Routesetter at Cliff Hangers Climbing in Mooresville, NC. He’s been involved with setting for the Tuck Fest Deep Water Solo Competition the last three years and is excited to be back for the fourth year in a row. When he’s not putting holds up, you can usually find Aaron outside climbing NC boulders or playing video games while chowing down on southern food.
