Conner Bailey Joins 2026 GoPro Mountain Games Climbing Team

“Conner was underweight. He had food allergies, developmental problems. He was a clumsy kid. But when he got on the wall, he had really good body awareness.”

That’s Tessie Bailey, Conner’s mom, describing the boy who is now a 14-year-old climbing powerhouse gearing up for the 2026 GoPro Mountain Games. It’s a stark contrast to the "Failure to Thrive" label doctors slapped on him before he was even two years old. Born with scoliosis and adopted by Tessie, Conner didn’t just survive his early years; he found his footing in a gym in Texas.

He doesn’t remember when it started. He just knows he loved it. His earliest memory is climbing in a gym with his older brother at age four. He tried out for the team as soon as the age limit allowed, despite being too young initially. He was nervous. He did well.

Now, he’s the newest member of the Mountain Games Athlete Team. He’s set to compete in the 2026 CELSIUS Youth Climbing – Boulder and YETI Youth Climbing – Speed events. That’s not just a participation trophy. That’s a ticket to one of the biggest amateur sporting events in the West.

Let’s look at the resume. By age nine, he was winning regional youth bouldering competitions in Salt Lake City, where the family relocated. He added ice climbing to his repertoire. He’s with Momentum Climbing Team and Team Scratchpad. The accomplishments pile up so fast they’re hard to track.

The highlights? Second place at nationals two years ago. His first V8 route outside in Moe’s Valley. He’s moved past that, mastering expert-level V11 and 5.13b routes. For context, V8 and 5.13 are advanced levels. He’s doing them as a kid.

Tessie remembers the moment she realized the dynamic had shifted. It was when Conner did his first 12a in Maple Canyon. He was eight. She’d never done a 12a the way he did it. He was happy. She was emotional. He had surpassed her at the top of her climbing game. Now, that hard stuff is just his warm-up.

But it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Competitive climbing can strip away the joy if you’re not careful. When Conner started losing sight of the fun, Tessie stepped in. She scaled back his schedule and began coaching him herself.

“You start doing it competitively and forget why you’re doing it,” Tessie says. “I didn’t want him to burn out.”

The GoPro Mountain Games return speed climbing in 2026. It’s a high-stakes environment. It’s loud. It’s fast. It’s different from the slow, technical puzzle-solving of bouldering. Conner is ready for both.

So, what’s the takeaway for folks watching from the stands? It means we’re looking at a kid who turned a medical prognosis into a professional trajectory. It means the community is investing in a young athlete who has already proven he can handle pressure on the national stage.

The cost of training, travel, and competition isn’t trivial. But for a kid who started with food allergies and scoliosis, the investment in his health and happiness has paid off. The big event aren’t just a show. They’re a proving ground. And Conner Bailey is bringing his best.

He’s 14. He’s turning 15 in July. And he’s already climbing routes that would stump most adults. The rest of us just get to watch.