What is your position at CC?
I’m the Outdoor Education and Rit Kellogg Memorial Fund Coordinator. Most of what I do is run the climbing program, help at the climbing gym, and oversee the Ritt Kellogg Memorial Fund.
How long have you worked here?
This is my second year working at Colorado College, but I graduated in the class of 2013.
What has been your favorite part about working at CC?
My favorite part about working at CC is the students. A lot of what I do is help them plan their Ritt Kellogg Memorial Fund expeditions. To see this amazing, life-changing trip go from the planning process, to the execution, then to students presenting a slideshow in the fall is extremely rewarding. It’s awesome to see the excitement and inspiration that students have from those experiences.
What is your plan after working at CC?
I have been working a desk job since I graduated from college, and I’ve been at CC for 6 years. Immediately after my contract ends in June, I’m embarking on a four or five month climbing road trip all throughout the Western US, ending in Yosemite Valley in September and October. After that, I’m hoping to move to either Telluride or Crested Butte, get a ski job for the winter, then next spring take my National Leadership School (NOLS) instructor course and continue a career in outdoor education.
What was the best part of transitioning from a student to a staff member?
Interacting as a co-worker with the staff members who, at one point or another, had to talk to me for disciplinary reasons. I think that was a pretty funny situation. Also, seeing how the college runs and operates behind the scenes and getting to know the administration a little better from a co-worker perspective.
What’s the best skiing that you’ve ever done?
Actually it was just this past weekend on Pike’s Peak. I went backcountry skiing in Glenn Cove. Basically, I’ve been waiting six years for this snowstorm that finally came last week. There was no wind on Pike’s Peak, which means the skiing was great. People know my co-worker Neal and me as the guys who know the Pike’s Peak region really well. All those days of hiking around, researching, and looking at maps finally paid off last weekend with three days of amazing powder skiing.
Where is your favorite place to climb near the Springs?
I’d say my favorite place is probably Turkey Rocks, which is a lot of CC climber’s introduction to crack climbing. I was taken there by some seniors when I was a First Year, and they showed me the ropes, then I was able to do that for underclassmen when I was a senior at CC. Outside of that, a little known crag that not many people know about that’s really good is called Parachute Rock.
Where are you originally from?
A small town in central Massachusetts called Bolton.
What do you foresee for the future of outdoor education as a whole?
There’s an awesome fact I like to quote from the Career Center’s analysis on what alumni are doing. They found that the fourth most common job area was in the outdoor or environmental sector. The number of people who are hiking, climbing, and backcountry skiing is just totally increasing. I think people are coming to understand the importance of nature. The direction that outdoor education is going is really focusing on people who wouldn’t normally have access to the outdoors, whether they’re inner city youth, at-risk youth, or people from different socioeconomic backgrounds—focusing on getting those people outdoors and having diverse groups see the benefits of nature.
What is your favorite backcountry snack?
It’s a hot drink. People know the importance of hot drinks if they’ve been winter camping. It’s called a Mad Mardigan. You take hot chocolate powder and add cinnamon, vanilla extract, honey, brown sugar, powdered milk, and hot water, then stir it all together and it is the most amazing drink in the world.