Pisgah Climbing is now Cultivate Climbing Guides. Same guides, same climbing, same adventure! This website will soon be redirected to Cultivate Climbing Guides website.
IS NOW
Meet our team of friendly, talented guides. Everyone on our team holds at minimum Wilderness First Aid and CPR. All of our climbing instructors hold the AMGA's Single Pitch Instructor certification or higher. Whatever adventures we share you can rest assured you are in the hands of a welcoming, professional, and capable team.
--------------- AMGA Senior Instructors and Guides ----------------
Owner, Instructor, Community Outreach Coordinator
An NC native, Peter has loved climbing since he was 13, when he first climbed on Looking Glass. A software engineer and a father of 2, Peter cut his teeth facilitating climbing for summer camps in the 90's. Seeking to grow his ability to help folks discover themselves through climbing, Peter pursued, and gained, his AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certificate in 2019. Peter also is Wilderness First Responder certified.
Peter Dickson
Instructor
Rostyn Hamilton
An NC native, Josh began guiding in 1997 and, with undergraduate and masters degrees in outdoor education, he has worked from Patagonia to Alaska and everywhere in between. Settling back in NC, Josh now splits his work between rock guiding and cycling coaching. Josh is particularly focused on working with underrepresented youth and helping female and BIPOC become leaders in the outdoors. Josh is an AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor, Apprentice Rock Guide, and Apprentice Alpine Guide.
Instructor
Josh Whitmore
Instructor
Nora grew up adventuring in the outdoors and began rock climbing in college. As a climbing instructor for the NC Outward Bound School, she realized that she loves to take people climbing just as much as she loves climbing on her own. Nora earned her AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certification in 2019. She is also a Wilderness First Responder. When she is not climbing, Nora teaches Spanish at a local middle school.
Nora Randolph
Instructor
Needs Bio
Tommy Nance
Instructor
Hailing from Florida, Jamar began climbing in NC in 2018. He has since climbed throughout the southeast including establishing first ascents in TN. Jamar is also a classically trained and grammy award winning pianist. He currently splits his time between guiding, teaching piano, and performing across the country.
Jamar Woods
Instructor
Stuart began climbing at Devil's Lake in WI in 1987. That first summer lead to a life of adventure taking him all over the U.S, the mountains of Canada and South America, and a thru-hike of the A.T. Eventually settling in Asheville, Stuart began one of the first indoor rock gyms and outdoor rock guiding company (which became Pisgah Climbing in 2020). Stuart is an AMGA certified Climbing Wall instructor, CWI provider, and has completed the Alpine Guide Course. Stuart is also WFR certified.
Stuart Cowles
Instructor
Raised in both California and NC by forestry-loving parents, Danielle is passionate about making climbing more accessible to all. She values both guiding and instructing, with a background working with students of all ages and affinity groups at NC Outward Bound, Flash Foxy, GirlVentures, and Davidson College. Danielle is a certified AMGA Single Pitch Instructor and NOLS Wilderness First Responder.
Danielle Johnson
Instructor
As a Carolina native, Alan spent his earliest memories exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains. After graduating college and taking up rock climbing in his early twenties, he then started traveling far and wide in search of more adventure. Alan decided to pursue guiding as a means to take his passion forward and share the experiences with a broader community. Alan holds certification as an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor as well as a Wilderness First Responder.
Alan King
Instructor
Kellett arrived in western North Carolina in 1995. Initially working as a physician and later as a health care executive, he now teaches math and climbing at a local high school. Kellett has climbed throughout the US - Tetons, Acadia, Red Rocks, Red River Gorge - yet North Carolina crags are his favorite. Climbing seriously for the last 15 years, Kellett has enjoyed sharing the joys and challenges of outdoor climbing with his daughter, son, friends, and students. Kellett is certified as an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor and as a Wilderness First Responder.
Kellett Letson
--------------- Assistants ----------------
Jessi Davis