Climbing-related training

1. •   AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course (2009)
   

2. •   Ice Climbing (2006)
   

3. •   AMGA Top Rope Site Managers Course (2005)
   

4. •   Advanced Alpine Rock Climbing (2004)
   

5. •   Advanced Rock Climbing: Lead Climbing (2003)
   

6. •   Basic Snow Course (2003)
   

7. •   Intermediate Rock Climbing (2002)
   

8. •   Beginning Rock Climbing (2002)
   

Guide-related employment

Guide Apprentice, Sierra Mountain Center (5/09-present)

Rock Climbing Instruction Program Coordinator, UCSB Adventure Programs (3/05-3/06)

Duties: curriculum development; climbing instructor development; management and development of program standards and operations; program gear management; course and instructor scheduling; guiding and rock instructor duties. Course curriculum developed: Introduction to Lead Climbing, Self-Rescue Techniques.

Rock Climbing Instructor, UCSB Adventure Programs (1/05-3/05)

Duties: guided group and one-on-one client instruction (including belay, climbing, and rappel techniques, risk management, self-assessment, LNT practices); climbing site management (including establishing and/or supervising bottom-managed and top-managed anchor systems); client care; managing, mentoring and training assistant instructors; continuing education. Curriculum taught: Introduction to Rock Climbing, Intermediate Rock Climbing, Anchor Building, Self-Rescue Techniques.

My guiding philosophy

My interest in mountain guiding is fueled by my passion to assist clients in their pursuit of experiencing our natural and wilderness resources in an enjoyable and successful manner. While I believe that doing that is undoubtedly centered on the client’s skills and personal goals, I believe that that should be done in such a way that (i) the safety, needs and interests of the client are never compromised, (ii) the client is encouraged toward self-discovery, (iii) the experiences facilitate personal growth and the development of solid outdoor skills through appropriate challenges, (iv) develops a comfortable, confident, enjoyable and lasting client-guide relationship and (v) leaves a minimal impact on the environment.

A selection of technical rock & mixed climbs

    * Amish in Space (5.10a) - Santa Barbara

    * Applied Magnetics (5.8) - Santa Barbara

    * Almost Vertical (5.7) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Battle of the Bulge (5.11a) - San Luis Obispo

    * Baxter’s Pinnacle (5.9) - Grand Teton NP

    * Biscut & Gravy (5.8) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Bisk (5.8 A1 variation) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Camel (5.10b) - San Luis Obispo

    * Chicken Lizard (5.10b) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Civilized Evil (5.10a) - San Luis Obispo

    * Corner Pocket (5.8) - Santa Barbara

    * Cruiser (5.9) - Santa Barbara

    * Desperado (5.9) - San Luis Obispo

    * Diamond (5.9R) - San Luis Obispo

    * Duchess (5.6) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Eat Mo’ Possum (5.6R) - San Luis Obispo

    * Ending Crack (5.7) - Ventura

    * Face Lift (5.9+ variation) - Santa Barbara

    * Fat Man (5.8) - San Luis Obispo

    * Flat Tire (5.8) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Get Up, Stand Up (5.7) - Rock Creek, E. Sierra

    * Grains for Russia (5.8) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Grant's Crack (5.9) - Yosemite Valley

    * Hermaphrodite Flake (5.6) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Hoffmann's Thumb, Mt. Hoffmann (Class 4/5) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Holdless Horror (5.6) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Hot Crossed Buns (5.6) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Into the Black (5.9) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Laurel Mountain, NE Gully (5.2) - East Sierra Nevada

    * Lazy Day (5.7) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Many Happy Returns (5.9) - Santa Barbara

    * Men with Cows Heads (5.5) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Minotaur (5.7) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Mobetta Forgeta (5.7) - Clark Canyon, E. Sierra

    * Northwest Books (5.6) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Orangahang (5.7) - Santa Barbara

    * Overseer, Direct Start (5.10aR) - Joshua Tree NP

    * P-Crack (5.8) - San Luis Obispo

    * Peels of Laughter (5.6) - Santa Barbara

    * Pinched Rib (5.10b) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Pocket Pussy (5.11¡) - Joshua Tree NP[1]

    * Prepackaged (5.10a) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Puppy Crack (5.6) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Regular Route, Sunnyside Bench (5.5 var) - Yosemite Valley

    * Rich Route (5.9 PG, variation to The Bulgarian Guides Route) - San Luis Obispo

    * Right Lizard Crack (5.9) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Sail Away (5.8-) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Shadow (5.7) - San Luis Obispo

    * Sixty Seconds Over Soledad (5.7) - San Luis Obispo

    * Solar Technology (5.6) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Steppin’ Out (5.10a) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Swallow (5.7) - San Luis Obispo

    * The Bong (5.4) - Joshua Tree NP

    * The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (5.9) - Santa Barbara

    * The Great Race (5.10a) - Santa Barbara

    * The Swiss Arete, Mt. Sill (5.7) - Palisades, East Sierra Nevada

    * Too Many Princesses (5.10 variation) - Clark Canyon, E. Sierra

    * Too Mucking Futch (5.8) - Santa Barbara

    * Treadmark Right (5.8) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Welcome to Iris Slab (5.8) - Rock Creek, E. Sierra

    * West Chimney (5.6) - Joshua Tree NP

    * West Country (5.7) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Wet Pigeon (5.8) - Joshua Tree NP

    * White Lightning (5.7) - Joshua Tree NP

    * Zee Tree (5.7) - Tuolumne Meadows

Open projects[2] The following are routes that I have started and almost completed, but was unable to do so for some reason (e.g., due to bad weather, fatigue, etc.). As such, I plan to go back and complete them. They are:

    * Cathedral Peak, SE Buttress (5.6) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Mr. Centipede (5.9+) - Santa Barbara

    * Overhang Bypass (5.7) - Joshua Tree NP

    * T-Crack (5.10b) - Santa Barbara

    * Thin Man (5.9R) - San Luis Obispo

    * The Trough (5.4) - Tahquitz

    * Thunderbolt Peak, N. Couloir (Mixed) - Palisades, E. Sierra

Short-term climbing goals

    * Direct Exum Ridge, Grand Teton (5.7) - Grand Teton NP

    * East Buttress, Mt. Whitney (5.8) - East Sierra

    * East Buttress, El Capitan (5.10a) - Yosemite Valley

    * Guide's Wall, Symmetry Spire (5.8) - Grand Teton NP

    * Irene's Arete, Disappointment Peak (5.8) - Grand Teton NP

    * Regular Route, Fairview Dome (5.9) - Tuolumne Meadows

    * Royal Arches (5.10a or 5.7 A0) - Yosemite Valley

    * Serenity Crack (5.10d) - Yosemite Valley

    * Snowpatch Route, Snowpatch Spire (5.8) - Bugaboo Provincial Park, BC

    * West Crack (5.9) - Tuolumne Meadows

Long-term climbing goals

    * Bonatti Pillar, Aiguille de Dru (TD+) - Chamonix, France

    * Cassin Ridge, Denali (V 5.8 AI4) - Alaska

    * Fitz Roy and/or Cerro Torre (Patagonia, Argentina)

    * Ham & Eggs, The Moose's Tooth (V 5.9 AI4) - Alaska

    * Salathé Wall, El Capitan (VI 5.13b or 5.9 C2) - Yosemite Valley

    * The Nose, El Capitan (VI 5.13c or 5.9 C2) - Yosemite Valley

notes

[1] All ratings are according to climbing guidebook(s) for the area.  In some cases, climbs have a rating followed by ‘¡’.  This is to denote ratings that I and others dispute as accurate.

[2] The term ‘open project’ refers to any climb that I have not, but am working to climb clean, i.e., without falling and free.  (By ‘free’ I mean without using the rope or some piece of protection to help me make upward progress or to use for rest.)  My goal is climb each of these routes clean whether that be on toprope or on lead (though the latter style is my main goal).  Also, though a climb may be an open project, that should not be taken to imply that I have not climbed most, and in some cases every, section of the route.  In many cases, I have climbed most or all of the route but was unable to climb the entire route clean.