Our Guides

Ryan completed the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Rock Instructor Course in 1999. From 2000-2010 he maintained  AMGA Top-rope certification, and AMGA Single Pitch since 2007.  Currently Ryan is an Instructor Trainer with the Professional Climbing Instructors Association (PCIA). He is certified in Wilderness First Aid through SOLO. Ryan began working in the challenge course industry with Challenge Towers (division of Blue Ridge Learning Centers) in 2000. He has traveled throughout the states building, inspecting, and facilitating trainings on high ropes/challenge courses, climbing towers, and ziplines with Challenge Towers. Ryan’s professional experience prior to Rock Dimensions includes instructing with the North Carolina Outward Bound School, the former Charlotte Climbing Center, UNC-Charlotte, Davidson College, and the Mecklenburg and Piedmont Councils, BSA. Ryan graduated from Appalachian State University with a Degree in Recreation Management (1993).

In the following years Daniel learned the craft of traditional climbing and began climbing often at Moore’s Wall in the Piedmont and at Table Rock in the Linville Gorge. In 2008 he took his first guiding certification course through Rock Dimensions to become a PCIA Base Managed Instructor. After a brief internship with North Carolina Outward Bound in 2009 Daniel began work for Rock Dimensions in the fall and has been here ever since. In December of 2009 he graduated from Appalachian State University with a Degree in Recreation Management and a minor in Psychology. Daniel now practices traditional climbing, sport climbing, bouldering, and ice climbing all around North Carolina and has established a small number of routes around the Boone area. He is a Wilderness First Responder through WMI and is currently a PCIA Single Pitch Instructor. Daniel is always working to hone his skills as a climber and instructor to attain higher levels of certification and be the best guide he can be. Clients in the past have described Daniel as a patient and caring person who works well with new climbers of all age ranges. “Climbing to me is not only a form of exercise and adventure; but a way of life. It is a way to find peace in the chaos of our modern society; even if just for a few moments while moving from one hold to the next. I really love watching other people and myself grow in a positive way through climbing and I feel that everyone should have a safe environment to learn about climbing.”

He has worked for summer camps, adventure travel
camps, and Boone’s own Mountain Alliance over the years introducing people to the outdoors and climbing. He works full time as a middle school Social Studies teacher when he is not outside climbing on his own or introducing people young and old to our local crags. Russ has climbed across the Southeastern Region and United States. His favorite climbs are moderate traditional multi-pitch routes and easy mountaineering routes anywhere. He enjoys traveling with his wife and family across the country and internationally. He is an active volunteer in his community as a 23 + year volunteer with the local Watauga County Rescue, and a 13 year Senior Ski Patroller at Appalachian Ski Mountain. For the last seven years he teaches Fly Fishing through Appalachian State’s PEA program. He is a North Carolina EMT, North Carolina Rescue Technician with specialty certifications in Water and Mountain Rescue. He holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, an M.S. in Middle School Social Studies, and is a Nationally Board Certified Educator in Middle Grades Mathematics.

Chad attended Appalachian from Fall 2011 to Spring 2015, gaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Management with a concentration in Outdoor Experiential Education. Chad took courses focused on climbing instruction in his Rocksite Facilitation course and PCIA Base Managed Climbing Instructor course, and now helps teach alongside Recreation Management faculty. Chad also took courses on urban and wilderness first aid in his college career. During the Fall of 2014 Chad attained his Wilderness First Responder certification through Landmark Learning, and passed his state EMT-Basic test in the beginning of 2016. He completed his PCIA Top Managed Climbing Instructor certification in the spring of 2015. Chad loves the challenges and hard work climbing has to offer and enjoys seeing those new to climbing succeed.

Drew moved to Boone in 2013 to attend school at Appalachian State  University where he chose to major in Recreation Management and to focus on outdoor experiential  education, graduating in December of 2015.  Drew has been a climber for 4 years, and  has found bouldering and sport climbing to be his favorite types of climbing. His first outdoor climbing  experience was on an Outward Bound course where he climbed a multi-pitch route on Table Rock at Linville  Gorge.  Since that experience he has been honing his skills as a rock climber and instructor.  Drew holds the  AMGA climbing wall instructor certification as well as the PCIA Single Pitch Climbing Instructor  certification.  He is also a Wilderness First Responder through WMI.

His passion for climbing expanded out of the gym and into the outdoors as he began to discover and explore Boone’s many boulder fields and crags with his dog, Luna. Alec is now a prominent boulderer and sport climber and is glad to call the High Country home. Alec tends to frequent Grandmother Mountain, The Dump, and Holloway Mountain. Alec is epinephrine certified, Wilderness First Aid certified, and is a PCIA assistant guide. Alec has worked as a climbing wall supervisor, head route setter, and belay clinic instructor for App State Outdoor Programs.

There, he became the Head Instructor for the climbing wall, developing curriculum taking climbers from their first day in the gym climbing to building traditional anchor systems outside,  as well as a Lead Instructor in charge of climbing expeditions, where he lead trips ranging from bouldering on campus to multi-pitch traditional climbing around North Carolina. During his time at UNC he led and managed logistics for a student-based photojournalism expedition to rural Nepal in the wake of the 2015 earthquake, as well as completed the Landmark Learning Outdoor Educator Semester. After graduating with a B.S. in Geology and obtaining his AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certification in Spring 2018, he traveled and worked in a variety of places, bouncing from the retreating glaciers of Southeastern Alaska, to the snowy Rocky Mountains of Colorado, to the sheer limestone cliffs of El Portrero Chico, Mexico, and more. Now he’s back in Boone climbing, guiding, and pursuing further education as he works towards finishing his Medical School applications. His favorite type of climbing is high-exposure multi-pitch, but he enjoys virtually any type of climbing or mountain-based recreation, including cyclocross, ultra-distance running, whitewater kayaking, and adventure photography.

 Zak maintains certifications as a Wilderness EMT, North Carolina/National Registry EMT, AMGA SPI, Leave No Trace Master Educator, and ASHI CPR and First Aid Pro Instructor.