Climbing Instructors
Whether they’re teaching a class or coaching clients through private training, allow us to introduce Session’s Climbing Instructors!
ALEJANDRA RODRIGUEZ
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Alejandra is an avid indoor and outdoor climber with 12 years of climbing experience and a joyfulness to help others progress. Alejandra believes the more we engage with nature, the better we take care of it and that, “climbing is never just climbing,” rather a space to clear your mind and feel proud. Community-minded, empowering, and inclusive, she founded Women’s Lead Club. Alejandra is Session’s Adult Programming Coordinator, but also guides backpacking trips for experiential learning high school groups as a NOLS Wilderness First Responder, and is an AMGA certified Single Pitch Instructor!
ABEL RAOLA
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Originally from Havana, Cuba, Abel found his passion for climbing after his time at Humboldt State University, where he studied Art and Philosophy before graduating in 2011. Since then, he’s been traveling and climbing as much as money and time would allow! He’s been all across the globe, from Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Spain, Canada and throughout the US. With 18 years of climbing experience under his belt, Abel joined Session three years ago, teaching Lead climbing, Top rope, as well as route setting, and outdoor guiding! As a certified American Mountain Guide instructor, he developed Session’s first Gym to Crag class, merging his love for climbing with his dedication to sharing knowledge aimed to create a vibrant climbing community in Sonoma County.
JUAN MARTINEZ VEGA
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Juan was born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA and began climbing after a trip to Yosemite in early 2021. During that trip, he stumbled upon Camp 4 and saw a boulder with a lightning bolt drawn on it with chalk, which is the classic “midnight lightning” V8 boulder problem. After seeing all the chalk marks on the holds he wondered how people could even climb up that boulder. When Juan returned home he began climbing at a local rock climbing gym and fell in love with not only the sport but the climbing community as well. Since then Juan has continued climbing and joined Session back in January 2023 working the desk and later joined the climbing instructor team in early 2024 teaching “Intro to Top Rope”.
LUIS CALITO
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Originally from Guatemala, Luis started climbing when he started his Kinesiology studies at Sonoma State University in 2021. His passion for climbing grew very quickly after he found out how amazing the climbing community was. He became a climbing wall attendant and setter at the Sonoma State climbing wall, and a year later, started his career as an instructor at Session, when it first opened. He has found beauty in climbing because of all the movement, and thinking involved. His routesetting skills help him challenge himself and others by creating puzzles on the wall that you can solve by learning how to move your body on the wall.
JONATHAN AMAYA
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Jonathan discovered climbing in 2022 when an old coworker at REI introduced him to Session. He dove into the sport with no prior knowledge and with that made many mistakes along the way. Now he has been hooked ever since. Climbing became a way for him to calm his mind and find balance and one of his goals is to ensure that new climbers find a way to feel the same. Now, Jonathan shares his passion by teaching Intro to Bouldering and welcoming climbers, yogis and fitness enthusiasts at the front desk. If he looks familiar, it’s probably because he’s been featured in many of Session’s Instagram reels! Whether he’s helping newcomers find their footing or hyping up the community, Jonathan is always bringing great energy to the gym.
HUNTER HOWELL
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COMING SOON!
