2021
Board Member
Election

Climbing found me a few years ago, during a hot summer while I was living in NYC. I was looking for something new to try out and I saw a beginner class in the Gunks. Needless to say, I was hooked right away. Since then, I traveled to a few of the major American crags and had a chance to climb in Italy as well (my home country!) While I do occasionally rope up, during a clinic at the last Flash Foxy Women’s Climbing Festival in Chattanooga, I had to surrender to the fact that my heart belongs to boulders.

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As a Board Member of the Tahoe Climbing Coalition, I’d be excited to help with my digital skills that come from roughly a decade of working in social justice nonprofits. Skills that go from content production for social and digital media to coding and web development.

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You can expect me to live through my values even in my commitment to the Coalition: not only would I prioritize bringing people together, but I’d also want to create affinity spaces, as I believe that climbing is for everyone and everyone, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, or ability, should feel comfortable in holding that space. As a TCC Board Member, I’d want to dedicate part of my time to building and fostering partnerships with organizations working to create inclusive spaces in the climbing community.

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Last, but not least, I’m a doer, and I can’t wait to start rebuilding the trails we lost due to the Caldor fire and ensure access to our beloved Tahoe crags.

I grew up on the east coast & moved out to Tahoe to experience the Sierras and all they have to offer.

I have felt so welcomed into this community since I moved, and I'm excited about the opportunity to work with TCC and give back to this wonderful climbing community.

I currently work full time in river conservation, and am looking for the chance to use those skills and apply them to my other outdoor passions.

Climbing

Hi everyone and thanks for the opportunity to (re)introduce myself to all of you with a shared interest in working as stewards for Tahoe area climbing.

You may have seen me around sometime as I’m an active climbing guide at Lover’s Leap, Sugarloaf and Phantom Spires. This year, even with all of the closures, I’ve climbed over 100 days at the Leap. I helped open Blue Granite Climbing Gym a few years ago; before that lived in Truckee and guided at Donner Summit; I served on the Board of Directors of CRAGS for several years and have worked on education initiatives with the AAC in the past.

I’m a longtime climber of over 25 years - on everything from boulders and bolts to big walls, desert towers and snowy peaks; a Tahoe climber for over 13 years; a longtime veteran of the outdoor industry; and an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at several community colleges. I’ve worked with many student and client populations and understand that as climbers we also have diverse interests and needs.

I’ve spent a lot of time working on trail maintenance and other stewardship actions and am intimately familiar with many issues facing our climbing areas, especially in the Highway 50 corridor, which would be THE area in which I can most well serve the TCC Board. I look forward to working for the TCC and its members’ needs – bringing informed advocacy, outreach and education experience and passion for our local climbing, especially in critical times like this, following the damage and closures caused by the Caldor Fire. Thank you all for your time and I look forward to working with and for all of you. 

As a passionate climber based out of South Lake Tahoe, I am interested in joining the TCC because I am deeply invested in the Tahoe area climbing community. I have spent the last year as the co-chair of the Tahoe Chapter of the American Alpine Club, during which time we have put on online education events, partnered with the TCC to put on climbing events, and worked with the Sierra Nevada section to set the vision for the future of the chapter and the section

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 I have also been a member of El Dorado County and Douglas County Search and Rescue teams in order to grow my skills and to try to give back to the community.

As for climbing, I spend most of my time during the week bouldering around the south side of the lake and my weekends climbing alpine rock routes up and down the Eastside of the Sierra or exploring the classics of the Leap. My volunteer passions are in climbing education and access, which has led me to pursue my Single Pitch Instructor certification so I can start teaching skills. I think I would be a valuable addition to the board because of my commitment and investment, my desire to increase knowledge and access in the community, and my experience volunteering around the basin.