When I was 9 my parents bought be belay course b/c I was hyperactive and sucked at everything else they tried to put me in... I started competing when I was 11 with the goal of winning nationals. I did just that but eventually decided indoor climbing was sorta gay and started cranking outdoors. I thought mountaineering looked sweet so I started climbing random mountains, guidebook-less, in jeans and skate shoes, without a pack (OMG!) and then eventually bought some better gear and started technical mountaineering...