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.

Assistant Manager

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.

Seb is one of the reigning champions of Kilter Board Twister at the Gravity Lab. His favorite climbing move to break out is a bat-hang on our tricky slab climbs. Seb is a natural routesetter for the gym with his 8-foot wingspan, and will happily provide beta for climbs if offered a snack or high-five. When he isn’t working hard at the gym, he can be found bouldering at Sailing Hawks, running local trails, or losing intense chess games. Seb coaches our youth group teams and has been voted most likely to “send your project in boots” by other gym 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.

Rowan found her love of climbing in the flatlands of the midwest by scrambling up old water towers and boulders there. She moved to Durango after guiding mountaineering courses for Outward Bound in Leadville. She loves cruiser multi-pitch trad climbs, as well as a good desert hand crack. She coaches the youngest Gravity Lab kids’ group and holds Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA - SPI) certifications. If she’s not at the crag, you can find her chasing her rescue dog, Oatmeal, or searching for the next best backpacking snack. Ask her about her invention, Kilterboard Twister!

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!

Hiya, my name is Cece, and I love climbing rocks! I got into it in the Northeast where I grew up, but really fell in love when I moved to Durango and went to Indian Creek for the first time 4 years ago. I love climbing because I love being outside! I moved back to Durango after spending 2 years living in my Prius traveling around the western United States climbing full-time. This whole climbing gym thing is new to me, but I’ve been having a great time! I am a graduate of the NOLS Wilderness EMT program and I am currently going to school to be an End-Of-Life Caregiver and a Birth Doula. Last year I climbed El Capitan in Yosemite for the first time… in a day! I also love to rig aerial silks outside off of highlines and overhanging rocks. My favorite days out climbing consist of long, cruiser multi-pitch, in-a-day bigwall pushes, and splitter cracks :) See ya out there!

Anika loves climbing almost as much as she loves knitting fun outfits for her dog, Cyrus. When she isn’t crafting or hard at work sending gym problems, she can be found working with plants and identifying all the local foliage. Anika moved to Durango about 5 years ago and began her climbing career in the southwest. She frequents the desert, and has been seen putting up new stellar crack climbs in all corners of the Colorado Plateau. Anika has a background in dog-sledding and motorcycle-riding, and dreams of one day combining the two in a super epic adventure sport…

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.