WHAT IS A SCPC AMBASSADOR?
A SCPC Ambassador is a climber… a steward of the land… a person that volunteers to improve our climbing areas… and a person that wants to build a positive climbing community. They are the direct connection from the land owners and land managers to the climbing community. They help keep climbing areas open to the public, they organize Adopt a Crags, organize events such as Competitions and Gym to Crags, create community events that promotes connection, and they help educate the public about our best practices as climbers in this rapidly growing sport.
MEET OUR AMBASSADOR TEAM
Xandra Christiana
Community Ambassador
Xandra was bit by the climbing bug over two decades ago. She maintains that love of climbing by replacing traditional vacations with climbing trips, being a weekend warrior as often as she can, or squeezing in time at a local crag. Her desire to give back to the climbing community lead her to volunteering at SCPC events and organizing social and fundraising events such as Movie nights at Zoetropolis in Lancaster, PA, The Safe Harbor Guidebook Release at Columbia Kettle Works in Columbia, PA, and Mixers at places like Cristiano Winery. Have an idea for something fun and exciting? You can find her setting and climbing at Climbnasium, gallivanting in the woods, or spending time with her kiddos.
Brian Martin
Shaffer’s Rock and Pond Bank (aka White Rocks) Ambassador
Originally from Ohio, Brian came to south central Pennsylvania in 2007 through his work as a veterinarian. His buddy Jeff (a fellow vet in Greencastle) introduced him to rock climbing, and the hobby quickly became a passion. Brian proposed to his wife Megan at the top of Jim’s Throne at Pondbank. The couple got married at Seneca and honeymooned in Las Vegas, scaling the cliffs of Red Rock Canyon. They've also climbed together on the sea cliffs in Ireland, the Gunks, the New River Gorge, and many more. He looks forward to the day when his toddler Logan is old enough to strap on a harness and climb with him (the little guy already likes to scramble on the boulders around Shaffer).
Ryan Miller and Laura Miller
Community Ambassadors and SCPC Store
Ryan and Laura Miller are Lancaster residents who call the Safe Harbor crags "home" (i.e. they can climb slab pretty much anywhere, but roofs and massive overhangs shut them down every time). You may see them at various local crags with two kids in tow or at youth climbing competitions cheering on their eight-year-old Rope Gun In Training. Nook and Lititz Rec Roc are their standard training haunts but they prefer to sport climb outdoors as often as possible (usually between kids' soccer games).
Seth Derr
Safe Harbor Ambassador
Seth started climbing in 2007 after reading a book about a bunch of people that died on Mt Everest and getting psyched to try to do what they were doing. In the ensuing fifteen years he’s participated in exactly zero minutes of mountaineering, instead opting to spend a healthy chunk of his time clipping bolts at the local road cut then spraying about it in books and on the internet. Favorite places he's ever been rock climbing (other than Safe Harbor of course) include Yosemite in the off-season, Squamish for the fifteen minutes it wasn’t raining, The Zillertal Valley in Austria, The Elephant's Perch, and the New River Gorge. If you're at Safe Harbor North on a Sunday between late October and early May there's a good chance you'll run into him. Feel free to say hello.
Ken Hull
Donation Rocks Ambassador
Ken started climbing late in life but instantly fell in love with it. He always had a deep connection with his environment and community so only after a few years frequenting his local crags, Ken felt the need to try and give to rocks instead of just taking. He organized spring cleanup days and frequently showed up with a leaf blower, weed-wacker, chain saw, or whatever it took to make sure the crag area was accessible, well maintained and safe. He’s also a passionate “people person” and loves talking to climbers old and new, even offering informal tours of the crags to first time visitors.
From 2019 to 2023 he was an Access Fund Community Ambassador and learned much more about conservation, access issues, stewardship and ethics. Now as an SCPC Ambassador, he hopes to put all those tools and resources along with his stewardship and people skills together to help make his local crag even better now and into the future.
Ken is also the current Vice President of SCPC and more info can be found in his bio on the Mission and Board tab.
Scott Kaltenbaugh
Donation Rocks Co-Ambassador
Bio coming soon
John Goldman
Chickies Rock Ambassador
John was introduced to climbing shortly after graduate school, by a friend who was working in a gym at the time. Climbing quickly became a total obsession, which has enabled him to develop life long connections within the local community. While John enjoys clipping bolts, he found a passion in long moderate routes and adventure climbing. John can be found most weekends climbing or cleaning up routes at Chickies. If he isn’t local, John takes every opportunity he can to go on climbing trips all over the county. When he is not climbing, John works as a therapist in the local community.
Sarah Ballard
Community Ambassador
Bio coming soon….
Ross Purnell
Chickies Rock Ambassador
Ross Purnell is the editor of Fly Fisherman magazine and has worked in the outdoor industry for more than 25 years. He learned to rock climb at Lumpy Ridge in Colorado and since then has climbed rock and ice in the Bugaboos, Banff, Jasper, Joshua Tree, Cirque of the Towers, Acadia National Park, Mount Washington, and Stone Mountain. His home crags are the Gunks and Seneca, and closer to home, Chickies Rock where he’s been climbing since 2001.
Jocelyn Hillman
Community Ambassador and JEDI Team Leader
Not long after moving to Central PA, Jocelyn began climbing in the gym and soon found a love for climbing outside. Jocelyn loves following moderate multi-pitch routes that end with great views! Jocelyn is passionate about equity in the outdoors and has taken the lead on SCPC’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) initiatives in an effort to make climbing more inclusive and accessible in Central PA.
Ian Fenimore
Safe Harbor Ambassador
Ian got pulled into the climbing world at Penn State University when he heard the on-campus climbing wall would open up in 2017. Quickly finding love for the sport and community he took the drive outside, exploring and learning how to climb on real rock at Hunter’s Rocks and Donation rocks. Almost six years later he’s resettled where he grew up in Chester County and now calls Safe Harbor his most frequented “home-crag”. He and his wife Mary love to explore the untouched stretches of cliff North of the dam, searching for new lines with a focus on safe and sustainable bolting practices in tandem with providing opportunities for climbers of all ability levels. Additionally, Ian assists with route maintenance and rebolting efforts to keep the old classics safe and climbable. Outside of climbing Ian is passionate about food and family, helping Mary run her micro-farm out of the back yard.
Tom Rowan
Community Ambassador
Bio….
Shawn Daugherty
Hunter’s Rocks Ambassador
Shawn was first introduced to climbing as a Penn State student in 2009 by members of the Nittany Grotto Caving Club. He began frequenting local climbing areas near State College including Hunter’s Rocks, Donation Rocks, Coburn, and others. After graduation, his work as an Aerospace Engineer brought him to several different locations but his love of climbing grew as he explored new climbing areas, got into route development, and began routesetting at PRG. In 2021, he moved back to Central PA and became involved in SCPC where (when he’s not working, climbing, or snowboard instructing) he volunteers to promote climbing area conservation, stewardship and ethics.
Cait Handlin
Community Ambassador and JEDI Team
Cait grew up in the South Central PA area and started climbing through her high school climbing club in 2015 (thanks, Joe!). She studied Visual/Cultural Anthropology and Spanish at West Chester University and became a Trip Guide through their Outdoor Adventure Pursuits Program teaching students how to backpack, camp, mountain bike, rock climb, and how to get in touch with themselves through nature. Combining her investment in culture, language, and global justice with her passion for visual storytelling to help improve the quality of life for others in the environmental world, she serves on SCPC's JEDI Task Force with the goal to create a more inclusive community and continuously push to be a better steward of the earth. Cait loves bouldering and sport climbing, and her favorite climbing memory is sport climbing in Pitumarca, Peru. When she's not climbing, she's either watching reel rocks or thinking about chocolate covered pretzels.
Eric Sauder - Chickies Rock
Bio…
Kyle Matulevich - Safe Harbor crags
Bio…
John Ulizio - Shaffer’s Rock and Pond Bank
Bio…
Jon becker - Shaffer’s Rock and Pond Bank
Bio…
Adam Hartman - Governor Dick (aka gretna)
Adam has a been an Ambassador to GD for over a decade, his involvement with protecting GD was before the creation of SCPC in 2015. Adam is also the Vice - President of SCPC and more info can be found in his bio on the Mission and Board tab.
RYAN SHIPP - Governor Stable (GS)
Shipp has a been an Ambassador to GS for over a decade, his involvement with protecting GS was before the establishment of SCPC in 2015. Shipp is also the current President of SCPC and more info can be found in his bio on the Mission and Board tab.