The fourth competition of the 2025 North American Cup Series (NACS) continued this weekend in Vail, Colorado at the GoPro Mountain Games featuring competitors in both Speed and Boulder. The series, which allows athletes from the Americas to compete at an elite level outside of the World Cup circuit, saw participation by rising talent from both the World Cup and Olympic circuit.

An incredible 266 athletes traveled to Vail Ski Resort, with 65 of those athletes competing in Speed at Nature Valley Mountain Plaza. Meanwhile, 210 competed in Boulder at The Hangout at Golden Peak. This is the first time Speed has joined the North American Cup Vail, with both disciplines being held outside, framed by Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Hunt Surprises Nobody With Gold Performance at First North American Cup Vail

An hour after qualifying for Boulder Finals, Olympian Emma Hunt stepped up to the Speed wall—without her harness. After a quick laugh, she cruised through the 1/8 round with a time of 6.99 seconds, then closed out Finals with a time of 6.44 seconds. Though commentators noted the event was more lighthearted for her, Hunt still came close to her personal best.

Despite her Olympic experience, this is Hunt’s first appearance at the North American Cup Vail, largely because Speed climbing—her specialty—wasn’t previously included. With its recent addition, that’s beginning to change not only for Hunt, but for the rest of the podium.

Olympian Piper Kelly took Silver, finishing the Final round in 7.39 seconds against fellow Olympian Hunt, while Liberty Runnels claimed Bronze with a time of 8.11 seconds in the Small Final over Kailer Kordewick. In the last move of Runnels’ 1/4 round, she pulled ahead of Emiko Takeuchi, beating her to the next round by 0.08 seconds. Like Hunt, both Kelly and Runnels are relative newcomers to the NACS circuit, taking advantage of Speed’s long-awaited debut.

Women’s Speed Podium: 

Emma Hunt (USA)
Piper Kelly (USA)
Liberty Runnels (USA)

Hom Has Stand-out Performance at First North American Cup Vail

Michael Hom, after racing several of his Sender One teammates earlier in the bracket, faced Dylan Le in the Final round, clocking a time of 5.18 seconds. His fastest run of the competition, however, came in the 1/2 round, where he posted a time of 5.14 seconds. Hom decisively earned Gold, with all competitors trailing him by at least half a second.

Dylan Le took Silver after racing against Hom in the Final, with his fastest time of 5.73 seconds during the 1/8 round. Lucas Vales took Bronze with his fastest time of 5.90 seconds during the 1/8 round, racing neck-and-neck alongside his competitors almost every round. Like Hom, both Le and Vales are relatively new to the NACS circuit despite prior IFSC World Cup experience, and are now taking full advantage of Speed’s long-awaited inclusion.

Men’s Speed Podium: 

Michael Hom (USA)
Dylan Le (USA)
Lucas Vales (USA)

Countryman Jumps From Fifth to Gold 

Dillon Countryman narrowly beat Hugo Dorval to Gold after both athletes topped the same number of climbs. However, Countryman prevailed by flashing M3 and M4. Shorter than most of his fellow competitors, Countryman was able to fit into the wingspan boxes intended by the setters on most of his climbs. This asset helped him on M1, where with 15 seconds left, Countryman flew off the finishing hold after being the closest athlete to top it.

Climbing from fifth place in Semi-Finals to first in Finals, Countryman was asked what switched for him between both rounds.

“I just remind myself that anything can happen, and that I just need to keep my composure together, and whatever happens, happens,” Countryman said.

This jump in placement didn’t just happen to Countryman, and in fact, happened to every athlete on the Finals podium. Hugo Dorval and Simon Hibbeler also finished Semi-Finals off the podium in sixth and seventh place respectively, with Countryman and Dorval technically having the same score separated by attempts.

Their similar abilities became clearer when Dorval, the only athlete to flash M2, finished just behind Countryman in Finals, earning him Silver. Dorval’s precise footwork gave him the confidence not only to top M4 statically, but to also throw a dyno to the finish—even after securing the top. Meanwhile, Hibbeler squeezed through to Bronze, managing to statically span moves that his opponents had to jump for. Hibbeler finished Finals with the same technical score as Dorval of 84.6. However, Hibbeler took one more attempt on M2, which bumped him down to Bronze.

Men’s Boulder Podium: 

Dillon Countryman (USA)
Hugo Dorval (CAN)
Simon Hibbeler (USA)

Arnold Tops Every Climb and Takes First Gold

Courtney Arnold is a frequent NACS competitor but had never podiumed—until now. Her strong skills were on full display on W1, where she became the first athlete to balance on the incredibly shallow second volume before reaching the top on her second attempt. Her reaction showed just how shocked she was, with the roaring crowd reassuring her.

With her confidence at an all-time high, Arnold went on to top every climb—something no other athlete was able to do. Arnold finished Finals with a score of 99.2.

Norah Chi, a veteran in both the NACS and youth series, made extremely quick progress on every one of her climbs, flashing every one but W3, which she fell on during the last move with 15 seconds left on the clock. Notably, the only athlete to make it past the zone on W3 was Arnold. Still, Chi showed incredible control and composure to make every attempt her best, which was shown by her repeated flashes. Despite her slip, Chi finished Finals in Silver with a score of 85.0. Finally, after just winning Gold in Speed Finals, Olympian Emma Hunt took Bronze at her first Boulder NACS, topping W1 and flashing W4. Hunt finished Finals with a score of 59.9.

Women’s Boulder Podium: 

Courtney Arnold (USA)
Norah Chi (USA)
Emma Hunt (USA)

You can rewatch the Semi-Final and Final rounds of the 2025 NACS Vail at any time on the USA Climbing YouTube Channel. The next NACS competition will be hosted by Climbing Escalade Canada from June 21-22 in Edmonton, Canada and will feature the Lead and Speed disciplines.

Follow @usaclimbing on social media for future updates and behind-the-scenes action.