The Team

Jeff started climbing at age 40 and has done his best climbing since turning 60. After 32 years as a high school teacher and track and cross country coach, Jeff has retired into a life of house husbandry, climbing and route development. He’s looking forward to helping Willamette Valley climbers and crags develop a mutually beneficial relationship.

JD is a PhD student in Astrophysics at UO, and an all-rounder climber with FAs in all disciplines and 100+ new sport routes in the Willamette. He was also a mentee in Steve House's Alpine Mentors program, 2016-2018.

Andrew began climbing some 15 years ago in a land devoid of any climbable rock, where, after numerous groundbreaking FA's of building facades he moved to the beautiful Willamette Valley. Now, he takes an active role in bolting, rebolting, trail work, and aims to help build a strong community around this obsessive sport. When not lost in the choss, Andrew works as an engineer, manages a professional rope access team, and volunteers with Eugene Mountain Rescue.

Dee started climbing in 1989 with a 6 month old in tow. She immediately loved the movement and challenge of the sport. She develops routes with her spouse, Dave, does crag trail work and led “Women's Night” at the Crux rock gym for 17 years. She continues to climb, put in routes and advocate for responsible climbing that values and protects the beautiful landscapes that our climbing areas reside in.

Tom latched on to the mental and physical challenges of climbing while living in Salt Lake City, UT. He enjoys trying hard but appreciates the outdoor areas climbing takes you to as much as being on rock. Born and raised in Eugene, Tom is excited to be a part of the local climbing community and give back where he can.

Ben moved to Eugene in 2019 and started climbing outside the following spring, immediately falling in love with the unique medium in which climbing allows us to commune with nature. His favorite climbs are long multipitch adventures, but you'll often see him at the local sport climbing crags. He is stoked to be a steward for our local crags, and has already gotten involved in trail work, route cleaning, and rebolting.

Kimberly's first climbs were at The Columns and Smith Rock in 1997. Hiking adventures became the focus while raising kids, but now she's back to climbing whenever she gets the chance. She enjoys the movement, problem solving, and camaraderie that goes along with climbing. She's very excited to be a member of the WACC Board, advocating for continued access at our local crags and the protection and conservation of the land that makes climbing outdoors possible.

Andrew has been climbing in and around the Willamette valley since 2011. He earned a Masters degree in nuclear engineering at Oregon State University and was a founding member of the school's indoor rock climbing club. He frequently visits his local crags and cares deeply about their stewardship.

Eli has been passionately climbing since 2009. Growing up in the Midwest, he cut his teeth at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky and Devils Lake in WI. In search of more rock, he moved to Eugene in 2021 and has been psyched on the local climbing community ever since. You'll find him mostly sport climbing, along with some route development and occasional bouldering.

Belle first started climbing 10 years ago and instantly fell in love with it because it connected her appreciation for the outdoors, desire for community, and personal will-power. She felt so welcomed into the climbing community that she diverted her career into routesetting 5 years ago when she moved to the PNW from the East Coast. She enjoys spending her time outside, whether that's bouldering, sport climbing, hiking with her 2 dogs, or basking in the sun. She is passionate about making climbing both indoors and outdoors a welcoming and safe space for all individuals.

Savannah started climbing at the University of Oregon climbing wall in 2013 and quickly transitioned to outdoor climbing at Smith Rock and The Columns. She loves the movement and problem-solving aspects of indoor and outdoor climbing. Her first love is crack climbing, but she also enjoys everything from long multi-pitches to hard sport routes (her current obsession is bouldering). She is an avid supporter of access to local crags and regularly participates in trail work, route cleaning, and other volunteer projects.

Our work is supported by the Willamette area climbing community! Whether it's helping out on a WACC subcommittee, showing up to crag maintenance days, attending WACC events, or just being a stoked climber, our community is what drives us. If you're interested in getting more involved with our work, contact us at info@willametteclimbers.org to find out how!