HERA Ovarian Cancer Climb for Life^SM
Colorado

Pro Athletes

Majka Burhardt

Majka Burhardt is a writer, climber, and guide. Based in Boulder, Colorado, her experience as a guide and writer enable her to take on assignments not only in North America, but throughout the world. Her first book, Vertical Ethiopia: Climbing Towards Possibility in the Horn of Africa, was published in February. Majka is and AMGA certified Rock Guide and was the fourth woman to be certified in the AMGA in any discipline. She has been guiding for over a decade. Learn more at www.majkaburhardt.com

Malcolm Daly

Malcolm Daly has been in the outdoor industry since 1975 when he got his first job in a climbing shop while attending Colorado State University (BS, 1978). He has worked as a sales representative, shop manager, forest fire fighter, climbing guide, waiter, cook and marketing director for a large backpack manufacturer. In 1991 he founded Great Trango Holdings to manufacture innovative climbing gear and women's activewear. Malcolm is a founding board member of the Access Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping climbing areas open and served on its board for 13 years. Malcolm is an amputee, having lost a foot to frostbite after a climbing accident in Alaska in 1999. In addition to his Paradox Sports board responsibilities, Malcolm is on the Board of Directors of No Barriers and is the Executive Director of Paradox Sports.

Shannon Forsman

Hey, my name is Shannon Forsman and I am 20 years old and a Boulderer from Boulder. I currently go to school at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and I am getting my undergraduate degree in Natural Resource Conservation and I am loving living in Canada. I am sponsored by Evolv and Verve and my favorite places to climb are Hueco Tanks, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Squamish.

Eric Harrison

Nickname: EZ

Born: 4/8/1968

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 140 lbs wet

Reside: Erie Colorado

Occupation: Construction Sales

Years climbing: 13

Types: Mostly bouldering, but all types on occasion.

Sponsors: Evolv, Metolius

Relationship: Engaged to Danielle Hoffman

Animals: Pit bull, Peanut.

I have been climbing for about 13 years. I started out climbing traditional routes and some sport. When I went to school full time at night and worked full time, I fell into Bouldering because of convenience. I wanted to stay in shape without having to go out and climb all day. Bouldering was the perfect alternative. I fell in love with the energy filled environment of the bouldering community and have never looked back. Recently I've turned 40 and am finding that I am still getting stronger and smarter. Staying motivated is the hardest thing for me as I get older. Having to hold down a full time job and pay a mortgage makes it hard to train and push myself to do harder things in climbing. Fortunately, I have met a great girl that also climbs and that helps to motivate me to get out and climb even if it seems like there are too many other responsibilities. Staying balanced seems to be the winning recipe for me.

Teaching people how to climb is also super motivating. Everything is new to them and it reminds me of when I was just starting out. Climbing has been the best thing that has ever happened to me besides meeting Danielle and Peanut. I am proud to be a part of such a amazing community that supports great causes like the Hera Climb For Life Foundation.

Danielle Hoffman

A 26 year-old nursing student, Danielle Hoffman loves to boulder and sport climb. She is engaged to Eric Harrison and has a two year old pitbull named P-Nut. Danielle's favorite climbing areas are Squamish, B.C., Rocky Mountain National Park and Bishop. She used to be a wilderness guide in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. She was almost killed by a cow two summers ago while virus-hunting!

Alli Rainey

Climbing since 1992, Harvard graduate Alli Rainey lasted for a single year working a real-world job before she chose to take a different route, becoming a rock climber and freelance writer. As a climber, Alli’s accomplishments range from redpoints of more than 30 5.13’s up to 5.13+ (including many unrepeated first ascents) and onsights of more than 150 5.12’s up to 5.12d, to bouldering V9, to winning and placing highly in numerous local, regional, and national bouldering competitions throughout her tenure as a climber. Alli’s climbing sponsors include Acopa, Clif Bar, Flashed, Native Eyewear, Petzl, prAna, Rocky Mountain Sunscreen, and Sterling Rope. As a writer, to date Alli has completed several full-length book projects, including Bouldering USA, as well as writing numerous articles for a variety of magazines and journals, including a monthly rock-climbing column she writes for Rocky Mountain Sports and articles published Men's Fitness, Rock & Ice, Climbing, Alpinist, Gripped, American Alpine News, and Boulder Magazine, among many others.

Lately, Alli’s focus in the climbing community at large has turned to public service, with her efforts in 2007 geared toward participating in as many community-oriented climbing events that she can fit into her traveling-climber lifestyle. You’ll find Alli at community-oriented happenings such as the Red Rocks Rendezvous, Sterling Rope Women’s Weekends, Petzl ROC Trip, HERA Climb for Life events, and more. Alli’s philosophy is simple: she believes that it’s these types of events—the unique opportunities to reach out to the climbing community and/or the community at large and to speak the language she knows best (the language of rock climbing)—that enable her to positively impact the world around her in the most effective way she can. In sharing her infectious passion for rock climbing, which has defined and shaped so much of her world, lifestyle, and core being, Alli has found a way to take her relationship with climbing onto the more meaningful level of benefiting others.

When she’s not climbing or writing, Alli enjoys spending her time exploring and playing in the woods and the desert with her friends and her dog, Jedi; cooking; reading; listening to and playing music; eating good food (good being a relative term, since anything tastes good if you’re hungry enough); running; and laughing.

Paul "PABLO" Stein

ROCK / ICE / MIXED CLIMBER

Pablo currently lives in Utah and specializes in mixed climbing establishing first ascents ranging from M6 to M10-. Working as a guide for Exum in the winter in Utah gives him the chance to network with many climbers from all around the country. Ouray, Colorado is another favorite climbing area noted for diverse backcountry and farmed routes. Rock climbing face and crack in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming makes him a well rounded climber. Teaching rock climbing for a University gives him an opportunity to network with the next generation.

“I enjoy climbing on all mediums and am very goal oriented. My main focus is to push my difficulty level. I pursue traditional and sport rock climbing depending on the season and my inspiration. My attraction to mixed climbing comes from the blend of style and technique that make anything possible!"

Kevin Wilkinson

Heidi Wirtz

Heidi’s love for adventure and exploration has been the driving force behind her climbing accomplishments. She enjoys all types of climbing, finding herself high on giant rock walls and frozen waterfalls throughout the world. She has been climbing in the U.S. as well as parts of Canada, Baja, Great Britain, South America, and India over the past twelve years and doesn’t plan to ease up on her globe-trotting any time soon, with plans to climb in Europe, Tazmania, and Greenland in the near future. While continually raising the bar for her personal performance and for women’s climbing in general, Heidi envisions a broader view for her role in the sport in the years ahead, hoping to do more work with people in need around the world and create opportunities to “give back, help and inspire.”