Meet our Staff

My first rappel was terrifying. Inching over the edge of Lookout Mountain on what looked like dirty clothesline, my thoughts centered around stuff breaking, me falling, and whether I would land on the Waffle House far below. What was I doing here? Why would anyone want to walk slowly backward over a cliff? Minutes later I landed safely on the trail. Whew. Did I mention the rap was only 12 feet?

Childhood camping with my father: Shenandoah Valley, Smoky Mountains...rock and water, snakes and turtles, Ranger Rick magazine. All strengthened my passion for the outdoors and ultimately led to working with PMI, who made the rope used on that first rappel. Living in Chattanooga TN, I squeezed in a B.A. in Mathematics between trips underground to the deep caves and pits in the area.

By 1998 I was working with Petzl (another vertical equipment company) and when they decided to move operations to Salt Lake City, UT, I jumped on board (so much for math). I discovered the Pine Creek slot canyon in Zion by chance with my friend Jeff, who was visiting from Chattanooga. Having spotted it from the trail above, we scurried down the slot to the first rappel anchor and saw water pooled far below. Ooops, no wetsuits in the car. Four months later I returned to descend Pine Creek and became thoroughly hooked on Zion's twisty topography.