Joe grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and found an early outlet for his outdoor interests in Boy Scouts. During the summer before his senior year of high school, he took a month-long backpacking and climbing course in the Wind River Range with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), which sparked a lifelong passion for climbing and exploring the mountains of Wyoming. He studied geology at Ohio University and spent most of every summer during college climbing in the Tetons.
After college, Joe spent three years teaching climbing and mountaineering courses for NOLS during the spring through fall seasons and working at a ski shop in Jackson, Wyoming, during the winters. He then went back to school and got a PhD in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Joe started guiding with Exum in 2014. He guides climbing and canyoneering trips in Moab, Utah, during the fall, winter, and spring seasons.
Joe is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide with extensive climbing and guiding experience throughout the US and beyond. He wrote the geology chapter in A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range (Renny Jackson and Leigh Ortenburger, 4th edition), and he loves to share insights about the geologic story of these incredible mountains while hiking and climbing. Joe’s intimate knowledge of the range and his patient, calm demeanor are sure to help you feel more confident as you experience the magic of climbing the awe-inspiring peaks of the Tetons.
