Mathias Olsen entered Brighton’s 2025 freshman class as a seemingly regular 14-year-old student. Aside from his red hair he may be fairly indistinguishable from the other 600 aspiring class of 2029 freshmen. 

It turns out that Olsen is no ordinary Brighton freshman. He is a world champion climber with podium finishes in both ice climbing and lead climbing.

UIAA World Youth Champion Mathias Olsen. (Photo Stephanie Olsen)

His mother, Stephanie Olsen notes, “Mathias is someone who always gravitated towards climbing things since he was a toddler. When he asked for me to put him in climbing I was very hesitant because I am scared of heights and didn’t understand it. I pushed him to swim since he was 2. Mathias then talked me into a week-long summer camp with Momentum Climbing Club. He later joined their programs and their team. At age 10, his Momentum teammate introduced him to dry-tooling at the Scratch Pad in Bountiful.” Dry tooling is indoor ice climbing and the Scratch Pad is a simulated ice climbing facility where climbers can practice year round.  

At Brighton, Olsen looked for a similarly demanding sport that could improve his focus and competitiveness. His search brought him to the Brighton wrestling room and to high school wrestling—a similar individual sport known for discipline, individual performance and strength. 

“Wrestling is a good help for my climbing,” Mathias said. “Climbers are known for strong upper body strength, but legs are not typically developed among climbers. Just this season in wrestling, the daily workouts have strengthened my legs and grip. More importantly, I have gained a mental toughness that has helped my climbing skills. Wrestling is teaching me how to endure through painful situations. I am better able to work through tough moments.”

Speed ice climbing. (Photo Stephanie Olsen)

To the chagrin of his wrestling coaches, Olsen has missed several wrestling workouts. In December, he competed in the Continental Climbing Cup in Prague, Czechia (the Czech Republic), and then again he was back in Europe in late January/early February competing in UIAA Ice Climbing World Youth Championships in Malbun, Liechtenstein.

He had always placed favorably in the region competitions in Utah, Colorado and Montana. In lead climbing (climbing with a belaying rope) he placed in the division which includes Nevada and California. In Nationals, he earned a silver medal in ice climbing and a silver in lead climbing. However, the world competition introduced a new level of competition and “tricky walls and handholds” as Olsen describes them.  

Early in February, the unassuming 14 year old returned from Europe to the wrestling mats of Brighton as newly crowned Ice Climbing World Youth Champion. He earned the gold medal in speed climbing, and he complemented the gold medal with an equally impressive silver medal in lead climbing.