20 Questions
Describe your climbing background?
Metaphorically speaking I went to climbing grade-school in Rhode Island and learned the basics on the Red Maple and Hemlock. My climbing “middle-school” did not happen until I was twenty in Colorado’s South Platte granite schoolhouse of hand-jams. Shortly after that I attended Indian Creek High which was brutal with some hard teachers and awkward times in offwidth and ringlock class. For college I really felt some parental pressure and was forced into a double major in “speed-climbing” and ”dirt bagging it hard” at the University of Yosemite. I liked the place so much I decided to stay for a Masters in “big-wall free climbing”. Since completing studies on the FreeRider last spring I’ve decided to try to go for a doctorate on “horrifying choss” and “unclimbed formations” in the greater rangers. This has already provided some interesting trundles, chopped ropes, and unplanned bivies in Alaska, Nepal, and Pakistan and I hope to get funding for continued research…

Was there a big breakthrough or defining moment for you?
A certain turning point could have been my first time above tree-line in New Hampshire's White Mountains. I was very young but realized a strong draw to the alpine environment and the possibility of a lifetime of adventure.

What do you do when you're not climbing?
Rest days are spent creating landscape art depicting the place I am climbing in… Climbing and art have become complementary elements in a lifestyle of self-expression driven by the attraction to iconic landscapes like Yosemite, the Himalayas or the Alaska Range. Ultimately it is amazing we are here at all. The more time we spend expressing ourselves the more richly we have lived. Climbing and art are the vehicles which carry me in this direction.

Any training advice or suggestions?
Try to immerse yourself in an inspired community of climber and have a goal you are truly passionate about!

Who or what inspires you?
Unclimbed rock towers and classic climbing characters who have a lifetime supply of passion for climbing and the mountains… (Fred Beckey, Peter Croft, Kurt Albert, Tim Kemple Sr. to name a few)

Anything that really irks you in the mountains?
Claustrophobic bivys at altitude and mandatory sketchy descent rappels…

What's playing on your stereo/iPod or in your head right now?
I’ve got a pretty solid spectrum of music going on right now from Reggae/Instrumental to Gangster Rap/Techno... Some specific artists I appreciate are Dr. Octagon, The Postal Service, and John Scofield…

What book are you reading right now or read that you liked?
At the moment I’m reading Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder… It’s an attention grabbing mystery novel that has a history of philosophy course imbedded into the plot.. Recommended for any extended expedition with lots of stormy weather.

Seinfeld or Simpsons?
I would have to go for the Simpsons for the classic characters and hilarious sarcasms on society.

What are your future plans or goals in climbing?
Continue to find inspiration in the greater ranges with art and climbing. Unclimbed rock towers in the Himalaya!!!