Our Journey Begins
In spring 2017 I was fired from a job that I hated anyway. Without naming names, I worked in TV advertising at a company called Comcast. It was an 8 to 5 grind, pitting my emotional endurance against an unrelenting grinder of human empathy and connection (funny for a communications company). That was one of the best days of my life. I drove straight home, smoked some weed, and starting playing computer games.
Once the high of my newfound freedom started to diminish, I began searching for new career opportunities. At this point I'd spent some time teaching new friends how to climb outside; how to clean sport routes, the mysteries of placing trad protection, ethics around first ascents and wall development, and sometimes just showing people how to get to Muir Valley from Miguel’s.
I loved it.
I immediately began looking into becoming a climbing guide. If I could make a few hundred bucks taking people out and showing them how to climb safe and responsibly, I might be able to live in my car at Miguel’s and survive on canned beans and bananas. Unfortunately, the reality of earning a certification and setting up a business was beyond my capabilities at the time. A mixture of terrifying uncertainty and the beginnings of a long depressive episode pushed me away from the dream for a long time.
Then, in the early winter months of 2022, a friend of mine mentioned that he had looked into becoming a certified guide, but that it was very expensive and time consuming. This benign conversation rekindled the fire from years earlier, and that night I found myself on the AMGA website.
“Just sign up for it” Julie said from her computer desk. “You’ve wanted to do this for years. You have the time. You have the money. Make it happen.”
“Okay”. I didn’t take much convincing. I booked my course and assessment at the same time, committed to success. I dug through my books and discovered that I already owned the Single Pitch Instructor Manual from years before. I got to studying.
Wesley Caulkins is a very good climbing instructor. I was lucky enough to take my SPI course with him, and it changed my perspective on guiding. Wes helped me realize that while technical systems are an important aspect of a quality guide, my instructional technique and confidence in what I’m doing would be the difference between being a guide, or being a great guide. I spent the summer teaching climbing classes, practicing technical systems every chance I got, and molding myself into a guide whom I would want to hire. Without Wes’ guidance and patience, I likely would not have come to these conclusions myself. I owe him much, and I plan on paying that debt forward.
Which brings us here! East Coast Sports LLC and the Detroit Climbing School! Five years, dozens of climbing trips and a lot of networking and learning. Each step forward presents new challenges and obstacles. Running a business is hard. And I still want it, bad.
I know my systems. I know my students. I know myself. I’m ready to take the next generation of climbers and turn them into something great. I’m ready to learn more about myself, and my limits. Are you ready too?
Let’s go climbing!
Me and John about to create one of my proudest moments in climbing. RRG Funk Rock City: Rite of Passage 5.9+
