Utah State University student Chad Christensen said in addition to ambition, trust is a major issue.

"You've got to trust your belayers," he said. Although Tuesday's climbs were unroped, students spotted each other and scored each run.

"It's not about speed, it's not even about grace," Seale said. "It's about getting to the top."

Trust, focus, determination and endurance learned from grasping onto a boulder's edge at undetermined heights, Seale said, can also be implemented while taking a test in school or working through problems in everyday life.

"The act of climbing demands your focus," he said. "You learn to breathe deeply and focus on the task at hand. And you walk away realizing there was nothing interfering with your destination."

Collectively the students scaled the wall more than 100 times, no climb being exactly the same. Officials appointed point values to each climb and determined winners for the competition. However, the experience, Christensen said, "is worthwhile just to practice somewhere new."

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