My Story

In my own words

I’ve been climbing for a little over twenty years now. I’ve established first ascents in Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, various parts of the Sierra Nevada, the Northern California Coastline and Malaysia. I currently have one of the hardest route’s at the Incredible Hulk in the Sierra Nevada which remains unreapeated. I’ve put up big wall free routes in Hetch Hetchy as well. In addition to my first ascents I free climbed El Capitan via the Freerider Route in 2008 and have climbed a few 5.13+ routes traditional and sport. While first ascents have been my focus as a rock climber I’ve always tried to be a well rounded climber. I have discovered and developed bouldering areas in Tuolumne Meadows. Most recently I developed new sport climbing areas along the California Coast and in Lee Vining Canyon outside of Yosemite’s east gate. I have speed ascents on El Capitan as well as speed free solo ascents of routes in Yosemite Valley from my younger bolder days. At one point I was trying to beat Cedar Wright and Dean Potter’s freesolo car to car time up the Royal Arches Route in Yosemite Valley. I would climb the route then down climb and time my ascents. I was able to get my time under an hour several times on this 15 pitch 1500+ ft route. I came within one minute of beating Cedars time, climbing the route in 53 minutes car to car. I was the only one who would reverse the moves and down climb the route in this unconventional style as far as I know. I’ve done numerous first ascents in and around Yosemite since 2002. 

I began climbing after enrolling in an experienced based high school program that took inner city kids rock climbing, did volunteer work and capped the semester off with a two week backpacking trip. Throughout the years I’ve gone back to staff for their wilderness trips and have organized climbing days for the students. I have spearheaded rebolting efforts around Yosemite and in the San Francisco Bay Area with the help from ASCA (American Safe Climbing Association) and have also volunteered for over a decade for the YCA (Yosemite Climbing Association). Lately I have been volunteering a lot of my time with the YCA since my wife became the Operations Manager. We have attended and facilitated numerous clean-ups and service projects including the original Yosemite Valley Facelift. 

I have been a La Sportiva Athlete for 13 years and a BlueWater Ropes Athlete for 11 years. Since my first year in Yosemite I have felt like part of the community and have formed my strongest bonds, mentorships and partnerships there. In the Spring of 2000 I met a few seasoned Yosemite climbers who took me under their wing. This allowed me to grow into the climber I am today. I did make attempts at finding community at climbing gyms when I was totally new to it, yet unfortunately never felt welcome. I was fresh out of the Mission and had been involved with neighborhood street gangs in my early teenage years before finding climbing through the Urban Pioneer Program. I remember thinking once while I was dangling a thousand feet off the deck how less scary this was than getting shot at in the neighborhood I grew up in. For years after changing my life around and pursuing climbing as full time as possible I worked at TNF retail stores, auto shops, climbing gyms as a routesetter, really any job that would allow me the flexibility where I could take my Summers off and go rock climb. In the last few years I’ve dedicated myself to being a mentor for younger climbers, a responsible first ascentionist that views my new routes much like my artform and do my best to ensure my routes are safe and accessible for everyone, I work hard at being a good steward for the two climbing communities I’m part of. I still dream of being able to travel to far off places to establish first ascents and explore areas of the globe that are seldom visited with the backing of a full climbing sponsorship. There really aren't many Latino American climbers and even less who are fully sponsored athletes. With the growth of the sport I see that changing soon. I hope to spark that change. I see a lot of diversity in climbing gyms these days and have witnessed climbing change from the lifestyle it once was to the sport it is today. 

In 2013 I was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter for my accomplishments and unique background as well as a couple first ascents Cedar and I did in Malaysia. I’m also a board member for the non-profit Restore Hetch Hetchy. In early 2021 I made a short film with Timmy O’Neill, James Q Martin, Nelson Klein, Chris Burkard, Mikey Schaefer, and my wife Mecia Serafino about climbing and restoring access to the Hetch Hetchy Valley. “Finding Hetch Hetchy” The Hidden Yosemite, made its way through the 5 Point Film Festival and the Mountain Film Festival and is now available to view online. 

I feel I am as grassroots as they come. For work I do stage-hand and rigging gigs for the Local 16 Theatrical Union in SF, as well as the odd job here and there. I live with my wife in my grandparents' old house in San Francisco and we recently started renting a small cabin outside of Yosemite in El Portal since my wife started working for the YCA. My goals are to continue to inspire people on a grander scale, continue pushing my limits in climbing, establish routes because I love the creative process and fulfill some of these lifelong dreams of exploration in the process.