Rich Strang

Team Coach, Route Setter, Instructor
Rich has been climbing about as long as rocks have existed. Starting his climbing career in New York he eventually moved to the West for the vast amounts of rock and more days of sunshine.

Joseph Gordon

Technical Director, Lead Instructor, Setter
Joey started climbing in his home town of Santa Rosa, CA at Vertex Climbing. He moved to Santa Fe, NM to study Music Technology and Production. You can find him at the gym most days either route setting, teaching or being a tech wizard behind the scenes.

Andre Wiltenburg

Owner
Andre Wiltenburg grew up in the Netherlands. He moved to the United States more than 20 years ago, in search of adventure and new opportunities. He discovered rock climbing while he was living in Florida, and was immediately hooked.

Mike Phalan

Setter, Instructor, Lifts more than you
Mike moved to Santa Fe from the Big Island of Hawaii back in 2007 and fell in love with climbing right away. He traded in his career in counseling for this newfound passion and directed it into coaching and guiding with the Santa Fe Climbing Center.

Brian Mier

Setter, Crusher
Brian has been climbing for seven years. Other than climbing tough boulders with his friends, Brian likes to play the guitar, hang out with his dog, and sleep.

Jarod Wiltenburg

Front Desk
Jarod has spent his whole life surrounded by climbing which has since then became his passion. When he isn’t climbing or working at the gym, he likes to spend time doing his other hobbies such as playing video games, listening to music and skateboarding.

Emma Thompson

Route Setter, Front Desk, Instructor
Emma began working at the Climbing Center at the start of this year as a setter and working front desk. She grew up in Santa Fe and started climbing 4.5 years ago in Spain and fell in love with the community aspect. Emma spent the next 2.5 years traveling around to different countries climbing, alpine Mountaineering, and building out a van to live in.

Jackson Holzberg Buckley

Front Desk
Jackson has been a stable face at the gym since the mid 2000s, and he enjoys bouldering, top-roping, and lead climbing. Jackson is also an educator and enthusiastic about reading, writing, yoga, and hiking.

Joe Dorn

Front Desk, Youth Instructor
Joe moved to Santa Fe to experience the beauty of the Southwest and the variety of outdoor activities. He is excited to join the Climbing Center’s community and explore New Mexico Rock. In his time away from climbing, Joe enjoys riding his bike and eating enchiladas.

Gabriella DeFrancesco

Front Desk, Youth Instructor
Gaby grew up between New York and New Mexico and started climbing when she moved back to Santa Fe in 2017. Since then, she’s climbed around the southwest and worked in different parts of the outdoor industry. In her free time, Gaby likes to raft the Rio Grande, camp, and hike.

Jon Lyons

Yoga Teacher
A 500 RYT trained in Ashtanga Vinyasa, Sivananda Hatha, and Yin Yoga, Jon strives to make the classes he leads accessible and fun. Besides yoga, he is passionate about animal rights and mental health awareness. He is always happy to see you in class.

Bennett Edwards

Front Desk, Adult & Youth Instructor and CRAG Night coordinator.
Bennett move from Oregon to New Mexico in June 2021. He is a relatively new climber who began bouldering at his college gym when he was 20. He is excited to get to know the community and learn more about climbing!

Austyn Stuedell

Front Desk
Austyn had worked at climbing gyms across the country: in Madison, WI, Minneapolis, MN, and Bend, OR. She moved to Santa Fe for a Museum Studies program. In addition to climbing she enjoys traveling the country in her van, studying herbalism, and welding sculptures.

Ethan Griscom

Front Desk, Youth Instructor
Ethan moved to Santa Fe to attend St. John’s College, and fell in love with climbing in his Freshman year. He is primarily a boulderer, but has recently begun to enjoy top-rope and lead climbing as well. Besides climbing, Ethan enjoys reading, philosophy, and traveling. 

Z Jacobson

Front Desk, Adult Instructor
Z was drawn to rocks while scrambling during hiking. When she discover rock climbing, that was it, she was hooked! She can be found climbing at the gym or sport climbing at one of the many beautiful crags around NM and beyond. When she’s not climbing, she spends a lot of her time cycling, hiking with her pup Wally or trying to get him to stop growing.