Exposed: Kyle Dempster

You’ve heard of his amazing ascents in Pakistan, China, Alaska, Baffin Island, and even Utah. You’ve seen the videos, headlines, and photos. But do you really know the person behind the name? 

We’ve asked Edelweiss athlete, Kyle Dempster to step off the rock and expose who he really is, what makes him tick, and to share some personal things about himself.

Meet the Edelweiss USA Team

Edelweiss, the most reputable climbing rope manufacturer, has organized a team of USA climbers to represent the brand in the states as well as abroad. This solid group is made up of Joe Mills, Pamela Pack, Scott Adamson, Kyle Dempster, Heyden Kennedy, Angela VanWiemeersch, Scott Bennett, Cheyne Lempe.

Edelweiss Athlete: Scott Bennett

Scott Bennett joins the Edelweiss USA Team.

Despite being born and raised in the flatlands of Michigan, and first getting a taste of rock climbing while at school in Ohio, Scott Bennett has always been drawn to the mountains. Family road trips to Devil's Tower, the Grand Tetons, and Yosemite left him with no doubt that, as soon as he had the chance, he'd be moving west.

Edelweiss Athlete: Joe Mills

Joe Mills joins the Edelweiss USA Team.

Joe Mills grew up in Dallas, Texas when rock climbing wasn’t even a part of his vocabulary. However, after moving to Colorado during his last year in high school he received an offer from a friend to learn the ropes of climbing. He took to it quickly with a new psych that made him excel quickly. Now Joe is flying up some of the hardest trad routes in Colorado and Utah.

Edelweiss Athlete: Angela VanWiemeersch

Angela VanWiemeersch joins the Edelweiss USA Team.

Angela VanWiemeersch grew up as a competitive ice skater in Detroit, Michigan where she danced across the horizontal ice until her late-teens. Following a few years as a fashion design major in college, Angela embarked on a life-changing bike tour that recalibrated her life. After selling all her fashion supplies, Angela hitchhiked, paddled, and sailed her way through all of North America from the Arctic Ocean to the Panama Canal.

Edelweiss Athlete - Hayden Kennedy

Hayden Kennedy has done it all. From boulders, to bolts, to gear he likes it all. In fact, Kennedy spent his childhood exploring the mountain-west. As a young lad he found a nice balance between climbing, hiking, skiing, and kayaking. It wasn’t until he was 13 when his preference for outdoor sports got very lopsided...meaning that it went super-heavy on the climbing side.

Edelweiss Athlete - Kyle Dempster

Kyle Dempster is a rough and tough lad that was raised in Salt Lake City, UT. He comes from a family of outdoor and physically minded parents and siblings. Dempster started climbing rocks when he was 12 years old, after his cousin recruited him as his belay-slave at Pete’s Rock in the Wasatch Range.

Edelweiss Athlete - Cheyne Lempe

Cheyne Lempe is one of those hybrid climber-videographer fellows. Most of the time he has a harness on his waist and a camera in his pack to go climb the world. Other times he’s uploading a fresh new video to Vimeo while concocting a new climbing adventure in his head.

Edelweiss Athlete - Scott Adamson

Scott Adamson hails from Provo, UT where he keeps himself busy establishing high-end mixed-ice climbs in Provo Canyon, as well as delicately sewing up the cracks in the deserts of Southern Utah.

Edelweiss Athlete: Pamela Shanti Pack

Pamela Shanti Pack isn’t just a climber; she is an offwidth junkie. It didn’t take her long, after developing compartment syndrome, to switch gears from crimping on edges and pockets to stacking her hands and feet in some of the most awkward offwidth cracks known to man.