What began as physical therapy turned into a world title for 14-year-old Conner Bailey of Salt Lake City.

Conner Bailey has an ice axe in one hand and another gripped between his teeth. He reaches for an underhang, then swings an axe to hook a plastic climbing hold. Once it catches, he pulls the second axe from his mouth and sets it, driving the points of his boots into a plywood wall. There’s no ice in sight, but this is ice climbing.

Bailey, 14, is a competitive ice climber and member of Team Scratchpad, the Salt Lake City-based youth program that feeds athletes to the USA Youth Ice Climbing Team. He recently returned from the World Ice Climbing Youth Championships in Liechtenstein as a world champion, taking first in Lead and second in Speed. He also claimed gold at the Ouray Ice Festival and the European Youth Continental Cup.

Adopted at age two, Bailey had been born underweight and was failing to thrive. He also had a curvature of the spine that required careful monitoring. His mom, Tessie – an ice climber with a Ph.D. in special education – introduced him to climbing as a form of physical therapy.

Climbing demands balance, core strength and precise body control. For Bailey, it strengthened his back and improved his coordination. What began as therapy quickly became talent.

The family moved to Utah so Bailey could become a member of the national USA Climbing youth team, which trains at the organization’s national training center in Salt Lake City. He also trains with Team Scratchpad at The Scratch Pad gym.

Ice climbers need a strong foundation in rock climbing – and Bailey already had it.

“I started working with Conner in 2021,” said Team Scratchpad head coach Dustin Lyons. “He already had the body position and strength from rock climbing. He took to ice tools right away.”

Bailey attends a virtual school designed for elite athletes, allowing him to train and compete internationally throughout the year.

Much of Bailey’s training happens indoors in a discipline called dry tooling, where climbers hook plastic holds with ice tools. He trains daily at The Scratch Pad.

Bailey wasn’t exactly stoked his first time dry tooling.

“I guess it was scary because I have these pointy objects in my hands and on my feet,” he said. “I was suddenly scared to fall because I didn’t want to stab myself.” He has since built the muscle memory to fall safely – and to soar.

“Conner has been one of the top athletes on my team,” Lyons said. “He’s incredibly strong, with a solid rock climbing foundation.” Lyons also credited Bailey for his presence at competitions. “He’s one of the loudest voices at national events, always cheering everyone on. He’s got such an outgoing personality.”

Bailey climbs exactly where he wants to be – high above the ground.