Owners/Operators

Sebastiaan and Laura are the owners and operators of Gravity Lab. This dynamic duo holds the GL vision and creates an amazing space for climbers of all backgrounds in our community. Sebastiaan is a longtime Colorado resident, but was actually born on a small island in the Caribbean. He also grew up speaking fluent Dutch and lived in Holland before immigrating to the U.S. when he turned 18. Laura grew up in New Hampshire and began climbing at 15, later working as a climbing guide in Crested Butte and earning her AMGA SPI certification. Sebastiaan and Laura met in Crested Butte and have shared a rope and partnership ever since. When they aren’t at the gym or climbing around Durango, they can be found chasing their son, Ryker, around.

Head Routsetter AMGA CWI

Charlie began his climbing career by accident… when he realized he had free-soloed “The Nose” on El Capitan in sneakers, mistaking it for the well-marked hiking trail. Charlie helps manage the Gravity Lab team and coaches a number of youth and college-level groups. He also sets some of the gym’s most brutal boulder problems. His favorite piece of gear is a blue tricam, and his goal is to someday own a self-sustaining alpaca farm. A fun fact about Charlie is that he sometimes wears two left shoes to climb harder projects.

Brian is a human of many talents. He found his love of climbing years ago, and combines it with his passion for yoga to help others experience the outdoors in meaningful ways. He hopes to bring his innovative “Squirrel Yoga” to a studio near you soon. He helps manage the Gravity Lab team and will often be the one leading your clinics or private lessons at the gym. Brian is on the quest for the “coolest pair of leggings” in the world, and has made it his life mission to find THE perfect one. If you have any leads, please let him know. He believes finding the perfect leggings and cragging in costumes is the key to climbing at your highest level.

“Hola a todos!” “Ellohay allyay!” Toby is fluent in 3 languages (English, Spanish, and Pig Latin). While growing up in Arizona, he discovered a special talent for professional cup stacking and currently holds the national speed record for it. When he isn’t bouldering or teaching technical climbing skills to our Rec teams, he can be found walking around the desert with a heavy backpack. He is known to break out into traditional Russian-inspired folk dance at any moment, and has the deepest pistol squat abilities of anyone on Gravity Lab staff.

Eli learned to climb in an old Midwest gym called New Heights, a converted scuba-diving certification building. No joke. Ask him how hard it is to climb while wearing a snorkel and flippers… When he isn’t climbing or looking at cool rocks, he can be found skiing or seeking out adventures in the nearby mountains. Eli has written a book about how to cook while keeping chalk out of your food, and has recently taken up the project of removing all bolts in town. He believes climbing should be a totally clean process, and hopes to one day see the end of sport climbing altogether (free the rocks!). He helps coach a number of our Gravity Lab youth teams, and is always happy to offer advice about underwater climbing routes.

Matt grew up in the south and began competing in climbing competitions from a young age. His skills have only progressed from there, and these days he hones his skills of one-finger pull ups and aims to return to the purity of “real bouldering” by climbing barefoot. His pup, Tuli, can be found modeling in local storefronts or hanging out with him during lengthy Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Matt helps coach our competition teams and sets difficult new routes in the gym whenever he gets a chance. Little known fact about him… he actually dyes his hair red. He insists coloring it to match our desert sandstone rock will help him climb harder, and we think it does.

I've always climbed things, even as a baby my parents had a difficult time keeping me on the ground. When I moved to Durango from Dolores, I discovered that other people were also into climbing rocks and that there were even special shoes for it! Who knew?! I love climbing because it is a big logic puzzle. You're trying to problem-solve with your entire body. El Diente de Oro is my favorite climb, and I love me a good superfluous heel hook. Fun fact about me… I am a third generation twin. You might see my sweet pup, Lola, spending time in the gym with me, so be sure to say hi!

Scout is one of the founding members of the GL team. He is a heeler-mix rescue pup that you’ll see wandering around the gym asking for snacks almost every day. Scout loves kids, has numerous safe-canine and therapy dog certifications, and is a great listener. He enjoys long walks in the mountains and napping on crash pads when he isn’t hard at work observing your Kilter Board sessions. Scout is currently working on cloning himself, so don’t mind the bits of black dog fur you may encounter in the gym, those will turn into puppies soon.

Michael was born in England and has a strong British accent, but has since learned to speak in an American tone so as not to distract from his teaching at the gym. He coaches our youth teams in the gym and can also be found instructing kids up at Purgatory. Michael has an impressive number of American Mountain Guide Association, wilderness first aid, and avalanche certifications, and responds well to positive encouragement. A simple “good boy” goes a long way with him.

Mady is a fabulous skier and believes sliding around on snow in any format (whether skiing, boarding, skijoring, luging, or sledding) is one of the most joyful things out there. She can be found crafting giant snow-monster sculptures in local Durango backyards or building extreme booter jumps across La Plata Canyon. Some fun facts about Mady… she is also a sought after artist and can speak Spanish!