OGDEN — Layla Tanner eased nimble fingers into barely visible cracks and crevices in a multi-ton boulder. The Ogden resident lifted her full weight with her fingertips, then raised her left foot to feel for a subtle foot-hold in the stone.
After a few false starts, she lifted her body atop The Tooth, as the giant rock in the Ogden Boulder Field is known. Standing victorious, Layla surveyed all of the Ogden metro area below, and the western horizon far beyond.
“Climbing makes me feel powerful,” said Layla, only 15. “It’s not like any other sport. Anyone can play soccer. Rock climbing is solving problems on your own, without help from any teammates. Making it to the top makes me feel strong.”