Climbing

Origin

Partway through my PhD, I was introduced to gym climbing by my lab-mate. I climbed in the gym casually and saw it as simply a fun activity to do after working in the lab. My PhD advisor, a passionate rock/ice climber and mountaineer, shared grand stories of his adventures and took us outdoor climbing for the first time at the local crag. However, it wasn’t until I went out with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and followed my first trad multi-pitch at the Gunks, NY did I come completely and utterly captivated by the sport. I remember looking out at the Shawangunk Ridge from the belay ledge of “Minty” and acknowledging that from that moment onward, climbing would become a core part of my identity …and so it has.

Zion National Park, UT (Photo by Danny Innamorati)

My Identity AS A CLIMBER

Since then, I’ve traveled as far as Spain and Thailand for climbing trips, and have found myself at crags all across the United States. I’ve touched everything from the pink granite sea-side cliffs of Acadia, ME, to the overhanging sandstone walls of the Red River Gorge, KY, to laser cut splitters at Indian Creek, UT, to towering granite walls of Yosemite, CA. Climbing is such a core part of my identity, I feel incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to travel so much for this passion.

If I had to classify my primary style/discipline of rock climbing, it would be: multi-pitch trad. I find long routes in beautiful locations the most fulfilling and enjoyable and try my best to seek out these kinds of routes. Whether it be the large sandstone formations in Red Rock, NV, or towering alpine granite spires in the Bugaboos…

I’m here for it.

memorable routes:

The West
The Vampire, 5.11a (Tahquitz, CA)
Smashmouth, 5.11 (Zion National Park, UT)
Touchstone Wall, 5.11a C2 (Zion National Park, UT)
Serenity to Sons Linkup, 5.10d (Yosemite, CA)
Coyne Crack, 5.11d (Indian Creek, UT)
Levitation 29, 5.11c (Red Rock, NV)
Epinephrine, 5.9 (Red Rock, NV)

The East
Remission, 5.10b (New River Gorge, WV)
Recompense, 5.9 (Cathedral Ledges, NH)
Whitney-Gilman Ridge, 5.7 (Cannon Cliff, NH)
Flesh for Lulu, 5.12b (Rumney, NH)
Adair by the Sea, 5.10c (Acadia National Park, ME)
Fear and Loathing, 5.11b (Adirondacks, NY)
The Ceiling, 5.6 (Gunks, NY)

Ice, Mixed, and Alpine
Repentance, WI5 M4 (Cathedral Ledges, NH)
Upper Hitchcock Gully, WI3 (Mt. Willard, NH)
Ragnarock, WI4+ M4 (Smuggler's Notch, VT)
Extensive Homology, WI5 (Lake Willoughby, VT)
Glass Menagerie, WI5 (Lake Willoughby, VT)
Northeast Ridge, 5.8 (Bugaboos, BC, Canada)

Vintage style Climbing Posters

One of my goals is to intertwine my love for climbing with my passion for the visual arts. I have always deeply appreciated the “vintage” block-print style posters for national parks and wanted to recreate that style to showcase my favorite climbing destinations. Climbing has taken me to so many beautiful places and this is my way to share the beauty with the world. These posters are an ongoing project and I hope to add many more destinations to this set!