OREM, Utah — A Utah teen is back to school with the crown of Youth World Champion in Speed Ice Climbing after he traveled to Finland to compete against the best of the best.
The Beehive State is known for its winter sports and "the best snow on earth," but there's another winter sport to add to the list that sometimes gets overlooked - ice climbing.
Thirteen-year-old Landers Gaydosh isn't originally from Utah, but he and his family packed up and headed West.
"I was a big climber, and there wasn't a lot of climbing in North Carolina," Gaydosh explained.
As with any athlete, Gaydosh endures many hours of training and conditioning. His home base is "The Scratch Pad" in Orem.
"He's got a strong foundation in climbing and natural talent which is great," explained Dustin Lyons, owner of The Scratch Pad and mentor to Gaydosh. "Then we put him on tools and he took to that pretty well and just really accelerated really quickly."
Gaydosh rose through the ranks so quickly that after only a few months of ice climbing, he competed in the 2022 U16 World Championships in Switzerland.
"My goal was pretty much not to get last," Gaydosh reflected. "And then I got first in finals."
The big question after his unexpected win was if he could retain the title for another year.
Gaydosh went back to worlds last month, this time in Finland, where he brought home two more golds and a silver to add to his trophy case.
Gaydosh's fans were watching back home in Utah, cheering on their favorite ice climber.
"I stayed up until four in the morning watching him and texting his dad," Lyons said.
"A lot of my friends already knew," Gaydosh said, "they were watching me which is pretty cool."
For now, it's back to life as normal at Oquirrh Middle School, with Gaydosh carrying the title of "world champion" once again.
