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Team
Sterling's athlete program was started over sixteen years ago to test our products and get R&D feedback. Back then it was called the "Product Development, Product Test" team. Over the years more visible, well known climbers started to choose Sterling and the "PDPT" became our Ambassador Team. We called them ambassadors because we wanted our athletes to not only be positive representatives for Sterling, but the sport of climbing as well.
Today our Athlete Team is made up of some of the best and most interesting climbers from around the globe!
Click on 
below to 'meet' our team.
Team Members
Albert Leichtfried
Albert Leichtfried - Meteorologist - Mountain Guide - Professional climber I am a person who tries to spend most of his time outdoors. The element water in all its manifestations has been influencing my everyday life since I was a child - as an active...
Andrea Maruna
And now I can do again, what I really love to dogo out and climb beautifull rocksJ
Angela Hawse
Angela has been climbing for 25 years and is one of the most experienced woman alpine guides in the United States. She and Caroline George became the 6th and 7th women in the U.S. to achieve IFMGA Mountain Guide certification!
Anna Gatta
I started climbing when I was 22 and is today I am living in Cote d'Azur in France with my husband Philippe Gatta. Since 2004 I have been running my Creative Graphic Design Agency www.gattadesign.fr
Anna Gonzalez
I think its hard to explain the love affair I have with climbing Ill call it full-on Soul Capture!
Audrey Gariepy
Audrey Gariepy began rock climbing in 1999 and soon became addicted to it, giving up snowboarding and playing soccer to dedicate all of her free time to her new found passion.
Audrey Sniezek
Some friends in University tried it out and suggested I come along on one of their outings. We didn't have any gyms in the area and if you found a wall that was taller than you, that was as good as it would get. This cliff is about 20 feet
Bayard Russell Jr
I am New Hampshire based climber and guide who has had probably had more luck with winter climbing than rock climbing, but loves that elusive, summer tryst. I have a switch that goes back and forth, toggleing itself at 32 degrees and I don't look bac...
Ben Clark
Ben Clark is a world-class mountain climber, writer and explorer. Clarks recent adventures are on the leading edge of Alpine style endeavors being attempted in the worlds highest mountain range, the Himalayas. Applying a skill set of rock climbing,...
Ben Gilmore
Ben Gilmore has been a dirtbag climber and guide since the early 90s. His first climbs on the small sea cliffs of Maine during college became a regular lifestyle of road trips, guiding, and training for new routes on mountains all over the world. ...
Brad Weaver
One of the best parts about climbing is visiting new areas. So many people never leave their state or even their home town. Thats crazy to me. Traveling and meeting new people is one of the best parts about the climbing lifestyle. Life is too short...
Brittany Griffith
Brittany Griffith is obsessed with her garden. If you can't find her at the crags or roaming in her sprinter van, then Griffith is at home in Salt Lake City, puttering about in her garden with a tumbler of gin and tonic.
Canyon Cain
If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be? 1. to be able to climb every day. 2. to be the best all around climber in the world. 3. to get more kids involved in climbing.
Chelsea Rude
My name is Chelsea Rude and I currently live in Boulder, Colorado. I grew up in Atlanta, where I learned how to climb. In September, I decided to move away from Atlanta and live in the bubble, otherwise known as Boulder, and I haven�t been happier!...
Chris Sharma
Chris needs little, if any, introduction. The most exciting, yet understated climber in the world. Chris leads the climbing world having sent the most difficult routes out there.
Cody Roth
Climbing for me is what the rabbit hole was for Alice. Once you fall in, it opens you up to a void of infinite wonder.
Daila Ojeda Sanchez
it was very motivating to see strong girls climbing... that really inspired me... I wanted to do that!! :-)
Dave Sharratt
I love all aspects of climbing, really I can't make up my mind on what style I prefer. I am continually grateful for having time to pursue climbing and for the satisfaction, excitement and health that it brings.
Dodo Kopold
12 years ago in cold winter I was in High Tatras mountain. I climbed my first ice, then my first winter route, I lived my first winter bivy and after I decided that this is what I like :-)
Enzo Oddo
Je commence escalade en 2005 : en janvier mon premier7a, en avril mon premier 7c et en octobre mon premier 8a : jai 9 ans et je dcide darrter la danse et le kayak pour me consacrer lescalade.
Erwan Madore
I love all about mountain : ice, rock, ski, altitude, wind, sun, travel...
Florent Wolff
Climbing is my main passion but I have other great interests such as cinema, reading, writing, photography, architecture.
Freddie Wilkinson
Freddie Wilkinson is a New England-based professional climber, mountain guide, and outdoor writer
Gerhard Horhager
I grow up on a Refugio in the Zillertal Mountains and out of my family I am in the 4 generation UIAA mountain guide. So there was always a connection to the vertical world.
Janet Bergman
Janet Bergman, an Ohio native, moved to New Hampshire in 1998 and was soon hooked on the solitude of wilderness travel and the dynamic, gymnastic movement of rock climbing. A self-proclaimed sissy, Janet says climbing in the mountains is when she gets...
Jasmin Caton
I spend my summers climbing and guiding on the stunning granite walls of the Chief in Squamish, BC. During the spring and fall I escape the rain on road trips or overseas climbing adventures. In the winter I can be found breaking trail and skiing powder...
Jason Nelson
Jason Nelson began climbing at the age of 18 on the small crags of New England and survived sans mentor or much proper instruction. These days he lives in Ouray, Colorado establishing first ascents of rock climbs up to 5.13 and mixed climbs up to M12...
Jean-Pierre Ouellet aka JP aka PeeWee
Although, Ive touched and enjoyed every aspects of climbing (Rock, Ice, Alpine), I consider myself a rock climber. Theres this feeling with the rock I cant find in any other type of climbing. Crack Climbing is my favorite and the rest is only training...
Jen Vennon
I believe three words sum up my day to day life; climbing, teaching, relationships. I constantly strive to find the balance between those three things. To finding enough of myself to give to each of my passions. To finding the energy to be at my...
Joe Kinder
Joe Kinder�s first climb was in Estes Park on a family vacation when he was 13, but it wasn�t until two years later, while living in New Hampshire, that Joe became fully overtaken by climbing.
Kate Rutherford
climbing IS art!!!
Kevin Jorgeson
I climbed EVERYTHING as a little kid. You name it. When I was about 12, I stumbled into an outdoor shop that had a climbing wall. I was too young to climb it (lame!), but there was a sign saying that a local climbing gym was opening, Vertex Climbing...
Kevin Mahoney
I am a husband, father, climber, and guide who lives for the life I have created.
Killian AVOCAT-BENAN
Climbing it's my passion.
Leslie Timms
A Bunch of friends in college took me out to a boulder in the woods with a few problems on it. It all started on the warm up V1 in which I tried like 20 times until my fingers bled and I sent. I caught the climbing bug and I bought shoes and a chalk...
Lisa Hathaway
Lisa Hathaway is a long time desert rat who has been a Sterling Rope Athlete for many years, joining the team in 1997.
Loic Gaidioz
I'd like to continue practising climbing the way I do today, while sharing common vision with the brands that support me while fascinating me at the same time. Would be great to continue collaborating with them contributing to improve their visibility...
Lonnie Kauk
That is "Cow - K" Pro snowboarder - Climber
Lucas Dourdourekas
Climbing is my life.. I love to climb all the time and to travel to new destinations...
Malin Holmberg
Malin Holmberg aka "The terrier" She first started climbing in her hometown Kiruna (in the north of Sweden) on a indoor wall and enjoyed it a lot, however she didn't stick to climbing after her first contact with it because she was more motivated to...
Marcus Eder
After my first climbing day I realized that this is what I want to do the rest of my life. Since this day my life is very influenced by climbing and I am trying to spend as much time as possible at the rock.
Margo Talbot
Who served as your inspiration in life? Katherine Hepburn and Georgia O'Keefe, for uncompromisingly and unapologetically living out their passions and dreams! Suggested reading "All That Glitters" www.allthatglittersbook.com
Mark Synnott
I am a professional climber and an AMGA certified mountain guide based in Jackson, New Hampshire. I�ve been a member of The North Face climbing team since 1996 and have been running my own climbing School, Synnott Mountain Guides, since 1997. I am...
Markus Bock
I'm 30 years old right now and climb for more than 20 years. Most of the time I climb in my homearea Frankenjura, where I also live. Climbing is my life, gives me all the motivation for it and means a lot to me.
Matteo Pino
I started climbing at age 14 thanks to a friend of mine, Carlo Colombo.
Mike Libecki
Mike Libecki closes all of his correspondences with the words Pursue PassionWhy Ration PassionDream Big..and Live Those DreamsThe Time is Now. This is exactly how he lives his life.
Monique Forestier
From a background in elite gymnastics and acrobatics Monique quickly found her feet and discovered a new outlet to channel her energy. She admits that she has a good “head” for climbing and loves pushing it to the limit with not being scared of t...
Muriel Sarkany
Since I was a little girl, I want to practice a sport at the high level, to surpass myself. After trying sports like karate and gymnastic, I began climbing at 16 years old and directly I loved it, I pass from 5a to 7a in one year.
Nick Martino
I was fortunate enough to spend much of 2008 climbing overseas. Having spent the winter traveling through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and China with no real epic, I flew to South Africa in May...
Nicolas Favresse
I am doing what I love and committed everything to be able to live fully my passion for rock-climbing. Whether it's a one move boulder problem or a big wall in alpine environment it's the same. It's rock and I love it all.
Nik Berry
I was born and raised in SLC, Utah. When to college at Northern Arizona University and am now back in college to become a nurse. Climbing is my ultimate passion and I love the places and people I get to see while climbing.
Olivia Hsu
I teach yoga. So my best accomplishment is when a student of mine can leave my class feeling better then when they stepped foot through the door. Yoga is my Dharma.
Olivier Froideval
I started climbing after seeing the very famous film with Patrick Edlinger called La vie au bout des doigts.
Pat Goodman
My neighbor needed somebody to take pictures for a high school project he was working on regarding the dynamics of rope work - I guess you could say I started as a poser...
Paul Robinson
Over the past decade Paul has proven himself among many of the greats in rock climbing and continues to strive to push the sport to the next level, a level in which people have only dreamed of achieving.
Petter Restorp
I got really hooked on climbing when I lived in Troms in northern Norway. We went out climbing almost every day during that first spring (even when there was 2 meters of snow at the base of the routes).
Philippe Gatta
I was born in Nice, France and I�m passionate about outdoors activities; running, skiing, rock climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking and canyoning.
Rannveig Aamodt
A famous Norwegian philosopher and mountaineer named Arne Naess summed it up by saying that when he was a kid, he didn't start climbing everyone else just stopped.
Rob Pizem
Rob Pizem has been climbing rocks for about 15 years and has been able to see his passion for climbing evolve with every adventure. Beginning on the best sandstone in the world at the New River Gorge and continuing to all the corners of the globe his...
Sarah Hueniken
Sarah Hueniken has been living and guiding in Canmore for the past eight years. As one of 10 women in Canada to become a full Alpine guide, she spends her summers guiding rock and alpine and her winters guiding ice and mixed routes. Having climbed for...
Sarah Seeger
I started climbing at the age of 15. Since then, climbing has taught me a lot about myself, other people and the world. Even if I am part of working life since a few years now, climbing has remained my passion and still motivates me for hard projects...
Sebastien Laurent
Sbastien is originally from Toulon. Before he dedicated his time fully to his passion, mountaineering, he has completed a degree in Alpine Geography. His thirst for adventure took him from countries such as Turkey and Peru to the high mountains of...
Shingo Ohkawa
I can't throw, catch, kick or dribble, swing a bat or a club, and so some of the more traditional team sports eluded me as a kid. Climbing seemed much more interesting--its rich history, its many colorful characters, its different disciplines.
Silvia Vidal
Silvia discovered climbing when she was 24-years old, and from that moment onward life was full of surprises.
Sonnie Trotter
Sonnie Trotter has been pushing the limits of free climbing for 15 years, although he�s spent most of that time on the road and in other countries, he is currently living in Squamish BC, where he climbs and guides professionally and eats local organic...
Thomas Anquetil
Im Thomas, I am 16 years old. climbing is my passion , my life I live in Chamonix (france) and the climbing is my passion , my life !
Whitney Boland
The more I travel and climb, the more I want to travel and climb. It's a vicious cycle
Will Gadd
It's a great time to be a mountain athlete! Nobody ever died wishing they had spent more time behind a desk.