Don't Fall Off Pikes Peak 2023

A total of 95 competitors lined up for the flagship 3x3x3 Cube at Discovery Canyon Campus, but the entire event came down to mere fractions of a second on the final turn. Across three intense rounds of traditional Rubik's Cube solving, Jacob Nokes and Simon Kellum went head to head in a classic speedcubing showdown. When the final times were tallied, Nokes captured the title with a winning average of 7.53 seconds, holding off Kellum who took second place at 7.65. Abhi Chawla rounded out the podium in third with an 8.54 average, while Nokes also logged the weekend's best single solve at 6.33.

The one-day WCA competition, held on July 15, 2023, brought together 99 competitors in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Across seven different disciplines and 12 total rounds, Don't Fall Off Pikes Peak 2023 showcased world-class speed cubing alongside competitive depth across every tier of puzzle. Every podium place at the gathering went to United States contenders, sweeping all 21 available podium spots throughout the busy schedule.

Nokes doubled his gold medal tally in the big cubes, claiming the top spot in the 6x6x6 Cube. He registered a decisive winning average of 1:26.00 and the fastest single of 1:23.49 in a field of 32 competitors. Brayden Wroten secured the runner-up position with an average of 1:51.09, while Raymos Castillo completed the podium in third place with a time of 1:59.18.

Kellum mounted an impressive campaign of his own, taking home titles in both the 2x2x2 Cube and Pyraminx. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Kellum posted a winning average of 1.87 seconds, alongside a 1.35 single, to finish ahead of Wroten at 2.31 and Michael Vanner at 2.99. Kellum returned to the top step in Pyraminx, logging a 3.17 average and a 1.09 single across two rounds to edge Wroten's 3.45 and Jude Doland's 3.94.

Wroten proved equally formidable across the alternative formats, topping the field in both Skewb and Megaminx. In Skewb, Wroten secured victory with a 2.60 average, outpacing Kellum at 3.12 and Zachary Miller at 4.37. Wroten then delivered in Megaminx, recording a winning average of 52.62 seconds and a single of 44.81 to best Kellum's 53.84 and Castillo's 1:02.49. In Clock, Sula Mareska earned the title with a 6.13 average and a 5.42 single, besting Miller at 6.81 and Castillo at 6.91.

Behind the fight for the podium, numerous competitors made significant breakthroughs across their events. Dax Pedotto delivered massive improvements, cutting their Clock personal best by 61.6 percent down to 17.90 seconds, while also trimming their Skewb mark by 29.3 percent to 22.83 and 3x3x3 Cube time by 14.4 percent to 34.65 across five events. Anson Stagg posted a 56.4 percent drop in 2x2x2 Cube to achieve a personal best of 5.61, shaved 46.2 percent off their Pyraminx best down to 8.01, and completed their first ever official attempt at Skewb in 17.96.

Other competitors expanded their repertoires and set sharp personal marks throughout the cubing competition. Joshua Aaron Maupin notched a 46.1 percent drop on 2x2x2 Cube to reach 3.42 seconds and logged a first Skewb attempt of 10.38. Michael Sanchez took on four events, securing a personal best of 19.92 on the 3x3x3 Cube, an improvement of 28.4 percent, while trying Clock with an 18.61 and Pyraminx with an 8.28 for the first time. Julian Maclennan set a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 6.90 and recorded first attempts in Skewb at 12.76 and Megaminx at 3:44.72. Tyler Anderson tackled five events, earning a 20.9 percent best of 3.33 in 2x2x2 Cube alongside first attempts in Clock at 10.94 and Pyraminx at 8.31. Diego Roque dropped their Skewb best by 27.5 percent to 13.79 and took first attempts at Pyraminx and 2x2x2 Cube. Noah Schreiber entered seven events, logging a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 4.39 and Clock personal best of 15.85 while trying Megaminx for the first time in 3:59.19.

With 12 rounds completed in a single packed day at Don't Fall Off Pikes Peak 2023, the event delivered sharp finishes and standout personal milestones across the board. From the tense 3x3 results decided by hundredths of a second to multiple double-event winners, the competition highlighted the depth and variety of modern speedcubing in the Rocky Mountain region.