Chris Cartier: Climber, World Traveler, OGE Staff

Chris Cartier is a new addition to the OGE family, though he is not new to Burlington. Chris has spent the last year traveling and he says that while he loved being on the road, he missed the community that Burlington and OGE provide. Chris was born and raised in Hopkinton, MA. Growing up, his dad was always taking the family camping on Cape Cod or hiking in the White Mountains. "Some of my earliest memories are of hiking Mt. Monadnock and fishing the Cape," reflected Chris. "I am extremely grateful to have been raised to love the outdoors, and I know it has made me the person I am today." Chris' passion for the outdoors was fueled when he moved to Burlington to study music at UVM. "I bought a pair of climbing shoes and quickly fell in love with the sport," said Chris. "You could always find me in the dusty bouldering hall at UVM. I became obsessed with the sport and wanted to learn all I could learn. Since then, my life has more or less revolved around climbing." After two years at UVM, Chris moved to Salt Lake City, UT. "I wanted to climb somewhere new and experience something new," said Chris.

From Utah, Chris moved back to VT and worked at OGE for a few months before embarking on a two month trip to India, where he spent 40 days in the Kumaon Himalaya on a mountaineering course and rock climbed in Manali. Two days after arriving back in the States, Chris flew to Washington State and spent a week climbing and skiing Mt. Rainier. "Even after seeing bigger mountains, I'm psyched to be back in VT," said Chris. " Burlington is an epicenter for climbing. The Adirondacks, Rumney, Whitehorse and Cannon are all less than three hours away. Right now I'm most psyched on multi pitch trad routes on Cannon and in the Adirondacks. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of what New England has to offer." In his free time, and when Vermont is snowy and white, Chris telemark skis, fly fishes, mountain bikes, slacklines, and plays music.

"I'm relatively new at the OGE but really psyched to be part of such an awesome community," said Chris.