This Undercover Crusher Believes Climbing Is a Spectator Sport

Who is the young lad with bloody knuckles and a flair for working the crowd who crushed the first-ever Pro Climbing League face-off? This dark horse beat out seven of the world’s greatest boulderers—and put on a show, too, interacting with the 2,500 spectators and taking the win with creative hand and feet jams.

It turns out that for Max Milne, climbing didn’t begin as an avenue for competition, athleticism, or even fun—it originally served as a coping mechanism. When he was just 11 years old, Milne lost his mother to cancer.