Kyle Hernandez

Gym Director

khernandez@planetgranite.com

Fun Facts

1. I have a +6 wingspan.
2. My best friend is a dingo.
3. I helped open Planet Granite Portland.

Primal Astrology: Jellyfish

Sasha

Assistant Director of Instruction

Fun Facts

1. I am very particular about pants.
2. I have been involved in climbing for over a decade.
3. I am a big fan of science fiction and fantasy books.

Favorite Color: Purple and Black

Aubrey

Assistant Director of Retail

Fun Facts

1. I hold the women’s trad record at 24 hours of Horseshoe Hell.
2. I am originally from Houston TX (but have since dropped the accent).
3. The desert is my favorite place.

Favorite Color: Oxidized Copper

John Dennery

Head Setter

Setter Tag

JD

About me

John has always followed his bliss and loves how climbing helps him “get his sparkle on” in the same way as meditation. He has a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition, a teacher training cert. in Qigong, and is excited to see how all of his various passions come together to form the masterpiece of his life.

Skills

Power climbing! He really shines on the overhangs, and if there’re pinches involved, he’s in Paradise.

Height: 6’0″
APE Index: 6’2″

Your setting style in three words

Challenging, Varied, Fun

Hillary

Fitness Manager | Instructor

About me

Growing up on a dairy farm, Hillary has never been a stranger to hard work or physical activity. She has participated in sports her entire life, running, basketball, and martial arts being her favorites. While in college, she joined the judo team, and began to discover her passion for human movement.

After graduating, Hillary and her husband moved from the Midwest to California. Shortly after this move she broke her collarbone in a judo practice and started to focus more on weightlifting. Once her collarbone healed she went to her first CrossFit class with her sister. It was love at first sight. Six months later she got her CFL1 and began coaching F10 classes at Planet Granite shortly thereafter.
In the years since, she has continued to grow as a coach and as a teacher. Her main loves are teaching basic gymnastic skills and Olympic lifts to beginners.

Hillary instructs her classes and individual sessions with a strong emphasis on quality of movement. A lift done perfectly at a light weight is far more impressive than a record setting lift done sloppily. While she prefers Olympic lifting and HIIT style workouts, she firmly believes that the best type of exercise is the one you’ll do on a regular basis.

When not in the gym, Hillary enjoys trail running, stand up paddle boarding, reading, and learning new things.

Certifications/Degrees

Bachelor of Science, Biology, Iowa State University, 2011
Bachelor of Science, Dairy Science, Iowa State University, 2011
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CPR, AED certified

Specialties

Knee and hip rehab
Strength and Endurance training
Olympic lifting

Ashley

Yoga Manager | Instructor

About Me

Ashley first came to yoga as a way to bring more balance to climbing, usually as a “rest day” activity. Like so many who start a regular yoga practice, Ashley found more strength and flexibility and soon began to marvel at the shift in energy and mental state that would take place after a class. It didn’t take long to notice that the benefits of yoga extend far beyond the practice done on the mat.

Inspired to share what she had discovered through her own practice, Ashley completed her 200-hr Teacher Training through the Bindu Yoga School studying under Jillian Glikbarg. She is currently completing her 500-hr training program through the Bindu School.

Ashley strives to teach from a place of joy and compassion. Her classes tend toward a strong vinyasa flow style with an emphasis on breath and mindfulness. It is her intention to help students use asana, breath, and meditation to bring about a greater awareness of body and mind and ultimately to find a deeper sense of peace and contentment that they can carry throughout their day.

Denise

Retail Coordinator | Supervisor

Fun Facts

1. My Ape Index is +6.
2. Chaotic Good with lawful neutral tendencies.
3. INT +1, CON +6, WIS +2, STR +4, CHA +4, DEX +5.

Favorite Color: #cf4477

Justin

Supervisor

Fun Facts

1. The first time I went to Bishop I locked myself out of my car and had to have the police open it for me.
2. I play spikeball every week.
3. Bouldering is the only true form of climbing. Any other climbing is contrived.

Favorite Color: Red

Derek

Supervisor

Fun Facts

1. I encompass and I eclipse.
2. I once rode a pterodactyl through the Taj Mahal.
3. I met the one penguin in Alaska.

Favorite Color: Coral

JJ

Supervisor

Fun Facts

1. I am really good at Melee.
2. I am really bad at yoga.
3. ZoMg LoVe OuTdOoRs AnD sPoRtS.

Favorite Color: Green

Raymond

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I collect and make keyboards.
2. My celebrity crush is Gal Gadot.
3. I believe in aliens.

Favorite Color: Lilac

Alex

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I am addicted to rock climbing.
2. I play Smash Bros.
3. I love waterfall hikes.

Favorite Color: Maroon

Olga

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I love traveling.
2. I am addicted to climbing.
3. I am a professional photographer.

Favorite Color: Black

Stephanie

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I started climbing 3 years ago but recently fell in love with slacklining.
2. I love plants and gardening.
3. I am currently learning to speak Spanish to visit the mother land (Peru).

Favorite Color: Green

Ben

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I took a gap year.
2. I went to a boarding school in Canada.
3. I have a dog and his name is Tucker.

Favorite Color: Blue

Ethan

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I am an armature blacksmith.
2. I am a die hard Warriors fan.
3. I will say hi to all the dogs I see.

Favorite Color: Purple

Niv

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I am a volunteer firefighter and EMT.
2. I have done every board sport (wake, skate, snow, etc).
3. My family is originally from Israel.

Favorite Color: Purple

Leila

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I love fancy cheese, sunrises, and unexpectedly long hikes.
2. I’ve only gotten horribly lost in the woods once or twice.
3. ve gone paragliding and skydiving, but the most fun I had was riding an electric bike downhill.

Favorite Color: Turquoise

Zachary

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I love to go to Tahoe to ski in the winter and boat in the summer.
2. My favorite food is pizza.
3. I am huge into yoga, climbing, mindfulness, and movement.

Favorite Color: Blue

Johann

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I am from Seattle WA.
2. I go to SCU.
3. I am a metal head.

Favorite Color: Maroon

Varun

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. All of my money goes to Magic the Gathering and art for my room.
2. I am a struggling artist trying to make it in the cold streets of Sunnyvale.
3. I definitely peaked in high school.

Favorite Color: Hot Topic Pink

Hakeem

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I like to read. Ask me what my favorite book is.
2. My ears are the same size.
3. Gooooooaaaaaaallllllll.

Favorite Color: Burgundy

Hunter

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. My favorite show is South Park
2. I listen to the Backstreet Boys.
3. I love toast.

Favorite Color: Tiffany Blue/Turquoise

Danny

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I love a bowl of rice with a fried egg on top.
2. I love being outside with friends.
3. I LOVE false grips.

Favorite Color: White

Emmet

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. My namesake is Robert Emmet, who led a failed rebellion against British authority in Dublin in 1803. He was executed after his capture but went on to inspire his compatriots through his selfless actions and famous words, particularly those delivered upon his sentencing, in what is now known as Speech from the Docks.
2. Tottenham Hotspur is the finest team in all the land.
3. On lazy Sunday afternoons, you can find me sipping a beer and noodling around on the electric guitar.

Favorite Color: Purple

Kyla

Front Desk

Fun Facts

1. I was born in Southern California (Norwalk!).
2. I love eating tomatoes and salt.
3. I turn my tongue upside down both ways.

Favorite Color: Burnt Orange

Tinh

Fitness Instructor | Personal Trainer

About Me

Tinh has been a fitness enthusiast since 1999. He has dabbled in Crossfit, long distance running, cycling, and bodybuilding in the past two decades but his true passion is strength training, which he started in 2011. Tinh has participated in a number of strength competitions placing as high as second overall in one meet and winning the masters category in two other meets. He believes strength training is one of the best ways to improve one’s self, physically and mentally.

CERTIFICATIONS/DEGREES

USAW Level 1 coach

SPECIALIZATIONS

Strength training, endurance training, conditioning

Patrick

Fitness Instructor

About Me

Patrick is a Midwest native, and graduate of Michigan State University. By day, he is a marketer in the tech industry; by early morning, and night…and sometimes lunch, he is engrossed in all things climbing, and strength and conditioning. As most midwest over-stokers, once Patrick visited the Sierra Mountains he had found a reason to elevate his training with goals and intention, to be more efficient and stronger in the alpine.

While climbing is at the heart of his motivation, when it comes to fitness Patrick loves pairing exhaustive cardio with compound movements, attempting to simulate the effects of altitude and the demands of performance. Suffer now so we can summit later.

Certification

ACE GFI