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About Us

In 2011, three friends came together with a vision to create a new kind of climbing gym. Co-Founders Alice Kao, Wesley Shih, and Wes Chu recruited Chris Sharma, one of the world’s most recognized climbers, as a founding partner and investor.

Our Philosophy

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean.

Quality over Quantity

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

Design Focused

Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean.

Alice Kao

Co-Founder, CEO

Alice discovered climbing while living and working in London in 2008, following a difficult breakup. She was inspired by the healing and self-discovery that climbing brought her, which led her to co-found Sender One in 2011 upon returning to the United States with her business partners.

Alice hates following rules but loves rallying people to believe in an idea. She wears her heart on her sleeve and is not afraid to cry in meetings. She was born and raised in Taiwan and moved to the US when she was 12. Alice's superpower is her ability to ask for help relentlessly -- because no one has all the answers!

Wes Shih

Co-Founder, CSO / GC

Having done almost all of the different jobs at Sender One, these days Wes mostly helps others with their projects and responsibilities, while doing a fair amount of writing, and leads the risk management team. Every so often, he gets to work on special projects, and once in a while, gets to design a new gym! Wes grew up in Wisconsin and Southern California. He dreams about going back to Castle Hill and Ceuse pretty regularly.

Nicole Pate

Vice President of Operations

Nicole grew up exploring the Santa Monica Mountains but didn’t discover climbing until after college. Her first experience climbing was at the New River Gorge in West Virginia, and she was immediately hooked. Once back home, she honed her new skills in the mountains she grew up in, and shortly after, moved to Costa Mesa where she found Sender One SNA. She started working at Sender in December of 2013 after being a member for a few months. In 2016 she moved back to Los Angeles to open Sender’s LAX location and continues to share her passion for climbing there today!

Moses Potter

Director of Gym Design and Development

Moses was the first hire at Sender One in 2012. He helps design, builds, and organize the look and feel of our gyms. The route setting at Sender One reflects his vision of aesthetics and movement. He even turns a wrench on occasion! Moses grew up climbing on the Central Coast of California and still travels extensively to climb.

Dersa Cyr

Director of Finance and IT

Dersa is a Lake Tahoe native and no stranger to the outdoors. She learned to ski, climb trees, hike mountains, swim in ice-cold waters, camp in the wild, and respect nature by the age of three. When Dersa moved to Southern California she was invited out to New Jack for rock climbing and was hooked. Dersa is also a passionate animal lover, minimalist, and environmentalist. She is often trying to make a difference by small changes in her actions every single day.

Morgan Sander

Director of Operations

Morgan connected with climbing and yoga because of their unique combination of mental and physical challenges. With her background in competitive gymnastics and developmental psychology, she became fascinated with the way that these movement practices affect our mental states, encourage creative problem solving and play, and build community. Today, Morgan teaches a multitude of movement activities including climbing, aerial silks, yoga, and acro yoga, and she strongly believes that anyone, of any background, can grow mentally and physically by mindfully challenging themselves through these practices.

Jeffery Tamayo

Human Resources Manager

Jeffrey retired from long-distance running back in 2016 due to destroying his knees. I guess you can say being injured all the time was not the bee's knees. He started climbing more as an alternative. Though he's been climbing for almost 10 years, it will always remain a recreational sport for Jeff. Don't get it twisted - he will try hard on occasion, but don't expect much. Jeff did most of his outdoor climbing when he was living in Yosemite and now aspires to become the best belayer in the world at Sender One. Jeff mostly rope climbs, but he is not a morning person (not sure why those two things would go together, but it felt right for you to know that). Finally, he enjoys listening to people.

Czar Goss

Training and Development Manager

Alex Erdmann

Digital Marketing Manager

Caitlyn Nicholas

Merchandise Manager and Buyer

Caitlyn was introduced to climbing in 2008 and fell in love with not only the sport itself but the culture and climbing community as well. She is passionate about connecting new and experienced climbers with all the gear they need to get their sends! Caitlyn is the mother of two bright and compassionate little girls, and she can't wait to share climbing with her daughters as a way to discover themselves and connect with others. Her favorite thing to do when she’s not at work is spend the day at the park with her wife, the girls, and their furry canine brother, Russ.

Jae Wu

Financial Analyst

After taking 30 minutes to overcome a simple roof climb in a small highschool wall, Jae knew climbing would be something they would always seek out. Climbing strikes a balance between community, athleticism, and land appreciation, which Jae promotes as a coach and a member of the Sender Team. On rest days, Jae enjoys building out their homebrew world in Dungeons & Dragons, crafting chainmail, and being the very best like no one ever was.

Nichola Strother

Yoga and Fitness Manager

Nicola has been the Yoga and Fitness Manager at Sender One since its inception in 2013. Prior to a career change to personal training and yoga/fitness coordinating, she had a successful career as a stunt woman in Los Angeles. Being in peak condition in this field was critical, and the knowledge she garnered about pre and rehabilitation and overall body mechanics allowed a seamless transition. With a B.A. from UCLA, her current certifications include: Biomechanics Specialist, NESTA Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach, and a Pat Etcheberry Certified Trainer (tennis-specific agility for athletes). Nicola works with all age ranges and loves being able to make a difference in her clients' lives be it performing at an elite level or just living pain-free!

Ian McGarraugh

Santa Ana Gym Manager

A SoCal native, Ian has been climbing since 2009 and has been working in the outdoor industry for about as long. He prefers roped climbing, often switching between sport and trad from season to season. When not climbing, Ian pursues many other outdoor sports, including canyoneering, backpacking, and mountain biking. Every day he gets to connect with new people and loves when he gets the chance to teach people about climbing techniques and technology (almost as much as when he gets to connect about various nerd fandoms).

Art Alvear Garcia

LAX Gym Manager

Art dove headfirst into climbing in 2013, purchasing an annual membership during his second time climbing before working at that same gym only a month later. Since then, Art has integrated himself into the SoCal climbing community, helping to foster the same inclusive and welcoming environment that he felt immediately when exploring the sport. Art is extroverted and social, and can often be found forging new connections with any nearby climbers, at the gym and crag alike. Art loves bouldering, teaching people how to lead climb (though he's scared to lead fall himself), and he especially loves guiding people through their first outdoor climbing experience. He enjoys playing games, anime, cats, and generally having fun with people. If you see him, don't hesitate to say hello!

Melissa Garcia

Lakewood Gym Manager

Melissa is an alleged pie magician, Trader Joe’s enthusiast, beach bum, and expert in starting hobbies (and occasionally sticking to them). Her journey at Sender One started in 2017 when her sister taught her how to top rope at LAX. Legend has it, she wasn’t allowed to come down until she finished. As the Customer Experience Manager at Lakewood, Melissa ensures that her and her team are continuously creating unforgettable climbing experiences. Anyways, who wants to take a ceramics class with me?

Seth Davalos

Playa Vista Gym Manager

Seth, who has been climbing since 2019, began his journey at Sender One during the Covid pandemic by starting work as a customer experience specialist at Santa Ana in March 2021. He later transferred to Playa Vista upon its opening in August of that same year. With a versatile skill set encompassing roles such as climbing coach, community coordinator, and CX Supervisor, Seth now holds the position of gym manager at Playa Vista. Dedicated to cultivating a thriving climbing community, he remains focused on nurturing the gym's growth while fostering meaningful connections within the community. When he's not working or climbing, Seth enjoys watching and playing hockey. GO KINGS GO!

Christian Mercene

Team Sender One Head Coach

Christian started climbing in college and hasn’t looked back since. He loves working with kids and teaching climbing. He really enjoys helping people push past their current levels, whether physically or mentally. Competing in climbing competitions brings the best out of him, but he also loves climbing outside. Christian is psyched on bouldering and sport climbing and really pushes his limits while crushing!

Laurel Melton

Team Sender One Programs Manager

Mike Rohsler

Director of Routesetting

Mike grew up in climbing gyms and participated on climbing teams in New Jersey with his older brother. The incredible images of Southern California rock climbing plastered around the gym and in magazines set the destination for him. Twenty years of climbing, and nine years of routesetting later he arrived at Sender One, more psyched than ever to showcase his creativity to this community.

Marcus LaCavera

Santa Ana Head Routesetter

Marcus was introduced to indoor climbing during his last year of highschool in 2013; He was immediately hooked despite the torn skin and tired fingers. During his time at UCSB, Marcus discovered his love of routesetting, helped found the school's climbing team, and eventually stumbled upon an online listing for a setting position at Sender One. Nowadays, Marcus splits his time between setting, getting lost in Black Mountain, and playing too many video games.