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Planet Granite Sunnyvale Staff

	Eliot Carlsen - Manager eliot@planetgranite.com A native of Sonoma, Eliot's dad introduced him to camping, backpacking and mountaineering at an early age. After taking a rock-climbing course in Leavenworth, Washington, he immediately became hooked. While studying the last few years at UC San Diego, Eliot made the granite laden foothills of Mt. Woodson a home away from home. He's recently back in the Bay and is always looking for enthusiastic climbers to share a rope or crash pad.
	Nick Gerrard - Asst Manager nick@planetgranite.com You may remember Nick from the old Santa Clara days when he worked event staff and set routes. Well, after a five year intermission he’s back. When he’s not working or climbing at Planet Granite, he can often be found clipping draws or cruising boulder fields with a crash pad on his back. And when a break from climbing is needed, he’s usually on the mat training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Nick's accomplishments include bouldering V10, sport climbing 5.13b. He also teaches a variety of classes here: - Belay Lesson - Beginner Rock Climbing - Balance and Technique - Power and Endurance - Lead Class - Coach for Youth Climbing Team
	Adriel Adriel likes every aspect of climbing. He likes it because it challenges him over and over again. It never gets too old. Climbing has given him the chance to travel all over the U.S. and has introduced him to genuine people who are like him, psyched on climbing. He also enjoys running.
	Kyle Kyle was introduced to climbing while attending a summer camp during his youth. He actively started pursuing climbing at the age of 19. He has experienced all types of climbing including trad, aide and ice. He has recently (past 2 years) taken a liking to sport climbing and bouldering. He finds Planet Granite the gold standard of training for sport climbers. If you catch Kyle climbing at PG he’s usually finding ways to get stronger and developing climbing technique. His favorite climbing spots are South Shore Tahoe or Yosemite Valley. He usually teaches belay lessons at PG but is always willing to give beta/advice on any bouldering problem. Outside Planet Granite Kyle LOVES to snowboard. Any day off during the winter he’ll be in the snow shredding the slopes. If there is no snow, Kyle will usually be playing basketball outside or on a bike ride through the south bay area (when he’s not climbing or working hard at Planet Granite of course).
	Martin Martin came to Planet Granite in October 2007. A lifelong adrenaline junkie, Martin grew up surfing, skateboarding, skiing and participating in competitive sports. He discovered climbing as a new way to satisfy his addiction to adventure. He holds a B.S in Physical Education and is a certified Crossfit instructor at Crossfit Sunnyvale, located here inside Planet Granite. Martin is also available for personal training sessions.
	Jonathan Jonathan graduated high school in 2007. Tired of sitting in a classroom he opted to take a year off before starting college. In his gap year he went on a three-month wilderness course with the National Outdoor Leadership School. Climbing in the Rockies did to Jonathan what it would do to many of us, and he was hooked for life. Whenever Jonathan isn't at Planet Granite he's usually at the UC Santa Cruz library face-down at his regular desk trying to catch up on sleep. Every once in a while his dreams come true and he goes on a climbing trip outside. Jonathan is down to climb anything from pebbles to alpine multipitch. At Planet Granite he works the desk and teaches belay lessons and Beginner Rock Climbing courses. He answers to a variety of nicknames including "J. Guy" and "Johnny Blue Eyes." In fact, if you call him Johnny Blue Eyes, he may very well blush.
	Anthony Anthony has been a fixture at Planet Granite ever since he could grip a climbing hold (approx. age 6). His Father got him started in all the after school programs PG had to offer. It was only natural that Planet Granite would hire him at the age of 16. Spending 2 years belaying children as PG event staff, now behind the desk, Planet Granite has always been a second home for Anthony. When Anthony is not in school or working, Anthony enjoys going out and bouldering anywhere and everywhere. At Planet Granite, Anthony teaches BRC, belaying and is great with kids. A little known fact about Anthony is he finished his Eagle Scout. This is something he is very proud of and is an achievement very few reach.
	John John Dennery started climbing in Spring 2008 and began working at Planet Granite that Fall. He loves the challenge of bouldering and hopes that one day he will be as strong as his hero, Mike Abell. He also enjoys running, surfing, music, and Ninja Warrior. He is studying to be a composer at San Jose State University.
	Dan I started climbing about nine years ago, meeting more experienced climbers at our school indoor wall who taught me to climb outside at local areas like Castle Rock and Pinnacles. Most of my climbing has happened around the Bay Area, and I love having my climbing history rooted in places that I've come to know well and feel like home. Yosemite was the site of my first trad lead on a 5.4 and still the place where my biggest aspirations lie. I love anything on rock - bouldering, sport, and trad - and am constantly pushing to get better at all three. Climbing offers so many different types of rewards, and the variety is a big part of why I love it. The social and gymnastic elements of bouldering make it the most fun in the moment, while the dedication of working on a sport project lends extra motivation to training and gives you sequences to mime out while chomping at the bit during the week to get back to the crag. Trad climbing lets you climb the biggest, raddest, most beautiful pieces of rock, and the added challenge of routefinding, controlling your emotions, constantly making decisions about managing risk, and working together with your partner to top out some awesome and intimidating feature are all ingredients in the majority of my most memorable climbing moments. Plus I think there's no better feeling in climbing than cruising up a bomber handcrack. I teach private lessons in both crack and face climbing, as well as overall fitness. As one of the Crossfit instructors at Planet Granite, I'm constantly experimenting with what forms of strength and fitness training complement climbing well. When not climbing or training for it, I run, build web applications, coach Crossfit and the youth climbing team at PG, and try to balance time with two groups of great friends: those who are likewise obsessed with climbing and those who haven't figured out how awesome it is yet.
	Mitch Mitch has never been great at any of those other "normal" sports, but when he was met with climbing in the summer of 2008 he was hooked. Mitch mostly enjoys hanging low on his latest boulder projects at Castle Rock State Park, but also likes the meditative feel of longer sport routes. His love for nature and distaste for city traffic goes hand-in-hand with the long drives up to the crag. Mitch started out as Event Staff for Planet Granite in October of 2009, but he now serves as desk staff sporting a fancy green shirt. Climbing is important to Mitch because it helps him level his stress and puts him at ease, aside from the fact that climbing is just super fun. Mitch hates crocodiles and has a major fear of anything sharp, so he will definitely not be doing any ice climbing ever.
	Zach I have been climbing since June 2009. My dad had taken me top roping and bouldering a few times as a kid, but it wasn't until last year I really started climbing. My dad instilled the love of sports and the outdoors in me. I didn't ever start climbing in a gym but I got books on climbing and taught myself technique. I love bouldering, sport climbing, traditional climbing and I am currently training for my first big wall in Yosemite with my brother Jacob. I train hard for rock climbing and keeping a high fitness level. I am working on sending my first 5.13 sport climb and V10 boulder problem outdoors. I also enjoy running, snowboarding, surfing and slacklining. He ran track and played soccer in high school. His favorite climbing place is Yosemite.
	Justin Justin has been climbing since 1991. Among his accomplishments, he has scaled numerous big walls in Yosemite, countless sport climbs around Bishop and Mammoth, plenty of multi-pitch climbs in the Valley and Red Rocks, and not quite enough summits in the High Sierra. “Climbing isn’t just mountaineering, or sport, or trad,” he says. “For me, it’s wild adventure.” So when he’s not cramming his foot into sticky rubber, Justin can be found hiking and backpacking anywhere there’s mountain scenery and rugged terrain. More recently, he decided to check out the bouldering craze. He’s even contemplating a crash pad purchase. Professionally, Justin has worked off and on in the industry since 1995. Between earning an undergraduate degree in philosophy and completing a teaching credential program, he has taught climbing programs for beginning, intermediate and advanced climbers. He has also guided extensively at Castle Rock and Pinnacles.