About
I'm originally from Seattle, Washington, a city that is known for being surrounded by natural beauty. To the west, you have the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains in the backdrop. To the east, you have Lake Washington and the Cascade Range. Growing up in a city surrounded by water, mountains and forest, I've learned to appreciate the natural world and easy access to the outdoors. It has also motivated me to become passionate about all kinds of outdoors sports.
Mountaineering
Mountaineering was my first introduction to the alpine. Growing up, I would go on family hikes in Washington state.
As I became more interested in the bigger mountains in the area, I started to learned more about how to safely travel
in higher elevations and, on glaciers. I fell in love with the higher mountains, and the focus and presence required
when engaged in the sport of Mountaineering.
I have successfully climbed all of the volcanoes in my home state of Washington. Now, I plan on expanding my reach to
some of the bigger mountains in the world.
Rock Climbing
Rock climbing seems to be a never ending battle of working to stay in good climbing shape.
The desire to accomplish some of the more well known alpine and trad routes is enough
to keep going, though. The feeling of solid rock and getting into a flow while climbing
is also enough motivation to keep getting back on the wall. As well as, the good times I've
spent with friends while climbing.
My rock climbing adventure mainly started in Washington state, but really progressed in Japan.
I'm now based in Germany, and I'm exploring the crags in this part of the world. I'm hoping to
continue to push my boundaries, and become a stronger climber.
Backcountry Skiing
The tranquility of skinning up to an epic ski descent cannot be beat.
The mountains can be a demanding place, and when you bring skiing into the
picture, you need proper decision making abilities. The skiing part is fun
of course, but all of the planning, analysis and thought that goes into
a successful ski tour is what makes me most excited about backcountry skiing.
Avalanche rescue training, terrain management, route planning and some knowledge
of snow science is necessary in order to ski some of the bigger lines.
I've done most of my training in Washington state but, my first advanced
ski tours were done in Hakuba (Nagano, Japan).
