Jesse Grupper
Climber
Salt Lake City-based Jesse Grupper is a sport climber, boulderer, and competition climber, qualified for the Olympic games – but what you might not know is that he’s also a banjo-picking mechanical engineer that helped design a robotic hand-rehabilitation exoskeleton for post-stroke patients.
Jesse started climbing at the age of six after being dragged to the local gym for his sister’s climbing lessons. He had way too much energy to just sit on the couch, and started taking lessons. By the age of nine he was competing. He’s been on the youth National team ten times, on the open National team five times and won five medals on the IFSC World Cup circuit. He is currently training for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
In addition to his competitive career, Jesse is also an avid outdoor climber having sent up to 9a+ ( Jaws II, and Full Metal Brisket) and flashing 8c+ (Livin’ Astro and Pure Imagination). He is continuing to push himself in this realm of the sport and has big dreams for what he can accomplish outdoors as well as in competitions in the future!
Overall Jesse is passionate about expanding human potential, whether that be in the sport he’s dedicated much of his life to, working with people with disabilities to teach them how to climb, or utilizing engineering design to create the next generation of assistive technology to help others perform activities of daily living.
Location
Salt Lake City, UT