Ross and Emilie Young didn’t climb as much as they would have liked in 2021. After a decade together, they were planning their wedding. So what is it like to be partners in both love and climbing? After recently returning from their honeymoon, the couple shared their story.
As people, Ross and Emilie are quite similar: driven, quirky, thoughtful and warm. As climbers, though, they are strikingly different. Ross is physically built for the sport, strong and 6-feet-1-inches tall. Emilie, however, excels not because of her stature, but because of her mental toughness and resiliency.
The two met in Ohio when they both began working for a local climbing shop. The day she walked in, Ross remembers perking up and asking, “Who’s the new climber chick?”
Their first date was to a local bouldering area near Athens, Ohio. Their second date was a road trip to Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Next, they traveled to Virginia’s Grayson Highlands, then to West Virginia’s New River Gorge.
Before they knew it, a climber’s love story had started writing itself.