Colorado Academy鈥檚 Clark and Everest Akuthota climbing toward future adventures
DENVER, Co. — For most young toddlers, climbing is a natural milestone in development somewhere in between crawling and walking. For Clark and Everest Akuthota, it was the beginning of a lifelong passion for rock climbing. 鈥淟iving in beautiful Genesee, we are gifted with an incredible natural rock wall in our backyard,鈥� says their mother, Sonja Stilp. 鈥淚 encouraged Clark and Everest at a very young age — from birth, really — to explore the magic of self through exploration.鈥�
The twins, now 16, compete for their high school varsity team at Colorado Academy. They also climb outdoors locally and travel the country to test their skills in some of the country鈥檚 best climbing spots. Their spirit of exploration spills over into other pursuits, such as summiting Mount Elbert and mountain biking down, backcountry skiing (equipped with American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education safety training), sailing, surfing, and scuba diving.
鈥淩ock climbing is an interesting blend of independence and interdependence,鈥� Stilp says. 鈥淭rust of self and trust of others (to belay, set route, etc.) is an incredible life lesson. I offered them more and more freedom and independence as they were capable of it. They have demonstrated the ability to care for themselves and their brother.鈥�
A perfect example of this is a recent 22-hour solo road trip that took the boys to world-class Smith Rock in Bend, Oregon, and a two-week National Outdoor Leadership School Wilderness First Responder course. On the way back, they detoured to Utah to explore the crack climbing there, naturally. That may sound like the adventure of a lifetime to some, but for two kids who grew up with some of the country鈥檚 best climbing outside their back door, it was just one more added to a long list of adventures.
鈥淢y favorite place to climb is the Flatirons, but I want to do some more alpine objectives,鈥� says Clark, who prefers outdoor, multi-pitch climbs which he explains as 鈥渆asy climbing that is on a large scale.鈥� Everest favors bouldering, which is done without ropes as the climber clings to subtle holds on large boulders with a pad below to catch their fall. This is indicative of how the brothers鈥� climbing styles differ like yin and yang, or complementary opposites. Clark聽is described as more muscular, climbing with strength and spirit, and favors the problem-solving offered by a multi-pitch face. Everest is leaner and climbs with finesse and agility, preferring freestyle. Their sage advice: Flow, turn off your brain, use your body as your advantage, and strengthen your strengths.
Their mom does not just watch from the side. As a physician who specializes in fitness wellness and has a background in competitive cycling, Stilp is also a rock climber and offers keen observations of their skills and growth in the sport. 鈥淐lark and Everest excel in this space. They are both gifted mathematicians and problem solvers with creative minds and spirits,鈥� Stilp says. 鈥淭hey approach the rock face/wall problem differently with a shared collective goal to summit.鈥�
Though the brothers share a love for climbing, they are individual athletes with a healthy dose of independence and a little bit of sibling rivalry. Outside of family climbs and road trips, Clark and Everest climb outdoors separately, mostly observing each other when climbing as teammates. 鈥淚 think climbing with my brother has made one constant objective to be better than him,鈥� says Everest. 鈥淭his has helped with goals during our competitive climbing season.鈥�
Competing is useful for tracking their individual progress, but being better than other climbers is not either teen鈥檚 end goal. Rather, it鈥檚 personal growth and discipline. Each teen says he aspires to work in the outdoor industry.聽“For me I see climbing as a hobby in the future, or job opportunities such as guiding,” Everest says. Clark has his sights set on search and rescue and visiting the Patagonia region in South America. He says: 鈥淓ventually, I would love to be a mountain guide, so outdoor climbing is most definitely in my future.鈥�
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