Last Updated 4/20/2006

I really enjoy almost all aspects of climbing – alpine, ice, trad, aid, and both local and high-altitude mountaineering. For the next 1-2 years I'm taking a sabbatical from the ice/mountaineering/cold-weather/high-altitude climbing, so I can have a change of pace (I’ve consistently had mountaineering in my diet for the past 16 years). During my cold-weather sabbatical, I’m going to focus on rock climbing – both local and alpine.

I have a handful of local climbing partners, but four have moved out of state in the past two years. So… I’m always looking for climbing partners with similar interests!

While I have a pretty broad and experienced skillset, the area I could stand to improve the most is my rock climbing technique. I lead 5.8 or so on gear when I’m warmed up. I’m pretty chill about just enjoying what I’m climbing and not worrying about the difficulty of the grade. That being said, I would like to work into leading more regularly in the 9 range and following more consistently in the 10 range this summer.

I’m working part-time towards a graduate degree at CU while also working my real job part-time which can be from home or involving travel. So… my schedule changes a bit from season to season, but in general I can have some time on the weekend, and possibly one weekday. Road trips are great, too.

I place strong emphasis on safety and solid gear/anchors whenever possible – I guess it just seems that I’ve been in enough risky situations in some of my colder climbing that I can’t find reason to overlook it at the crags. Though it’s been a few years, I’ve also had a fair bit of WFR and avalanche training and I do believe in self-sufficiency in the mountains. I’m glad to climb with guys or girls of higher or lower skills within a few grades, and I am motivated to get out. I appreciate these types of outlooks and a diverse skillset in my climbing partners – as well as those who are more focused on enjoying the climbing and less-so on just getting to the next grade.

My real goals are the serious mountains and classic walls – Alaska, Yosemite, Himalaya, Bugaboos, Patagonia, Pakistan, Alps, Peru, Canadian Rockies, and so on… you get the idea. Everything else is good training for those routes. For the near-term, I’ll stick to the local and alpine rock.

Drop me a line using the contact link at the left if you have similar interests and would like to get out for a climb and a local brew.

Cheers!
Avery