Member Spotlight: Oct 2018
Shannon & Liz Kelley-Fong
Members since 2016
How did you start climbing?
Liz: My last couple of roommates, before I met Shannon, climbed and so I would just tag along with them occasionally. Shannon and I first met when my roommate invited both of us to go climb at exit 38. I’ve been climbing regularly with her ever since. More on that later.
Shannon: I took an intro class in college but didn’t really get into it until grad school. It became a great way to meet awesome people.
Why do you climb at Edgeworks?
Liz: It’s western Washington, 70% of the time it’s too wet to climb outside locally. The staff and members are great! The expansion has definitely been a bonus.
Shannon: The new lead walls are certainly a good reason. Free beer on member nights certainly helps. I look forward to the day that
they open at 6AM so I can start my day off right with a climbing sesh before work. …hint, hint, nudge, nudge.
What do you do when you’re not climbing?
Both: Where did the summer go? Various home-remodeling projects have kept us busy of late. So far we’ve completely redone our kitchen, scraped and repainted the exterior, and just added 40’ of retaining wall to the front. Next up: adding a 2nd bathroom & remodeling the existing one.
Where is your favorite place to climb outside?
Both: Lately Red Rocks, Nevada. Liz travels there once a year in the fall for work and it makes for a great inexpensive escape from the rain in the spring. While it can be a bit chilly or hot, it’s sunny. The area offers great options for all levels of sport climbing and bouldering, win-win!
Which do you prefer: top rope, lead, or bouldering?
Shannon: I started as a boulderer. Logistically it was easier for a new climber. But I was won over, or converted to the dark side (depending on how you see it), by sport climbing. Honestly- I’m content doing both. It really boils down to who I am climbing with. Crack climbing remains an enigma to me… I challenge someone to help with that.
Liz: It’s nice to mix it up, but probably lean toward lead, top rope, bouldering in that order.
What are some interesting facts that you’d like to share with the Edgeworks community?
Shannon: Liz and I initially met on a climbing trip organized by a mutual friend. We didn’t know at the time but we were being intentionally set up by this friend. This trip was Liz’s first outdoor climbing experience. She did awesome. Toward the end of the day, I asked Liz if she’d like to learn how to repel. Without any hesitation she said yes. A year later, on the day, we got married.
What’s your go-to route grade?
