Staff

THE STUDIO MANAGER
Diane Ortega
Diane got her start with Touchstone at Pipeworks in Sacramento in June of 2005. She was hired to facilitate their awesome summer camp program and smoothly transitioned into working behind the front desk. She came to Sacramento from Chico, where she attended Chico State and graduated with a Bachelors in Political Science. Diane made the move to San Jose after receiving the management position and is loving the South Bay! She enjoys climbing, backpacking, bowling and pretending that she can mountain bike.








 

Cheyenne   Cheyenne was imprinted with a love for rock (and any shade of brown) by growing up in the high desert mountains of New Mexico. Cheyenne's parents, after realizing they did not want their children to grow up as orphans, curbed their passion for climbing and mountaineering. After weathering many tantrums and offering many bribes for ice cream, they managed to instill a love of the outdoors in their children. While Cheyenne's birth announcement was rock climbing themed, her obsession for climbing didn't begin until high school when she would escape up to Berkeley Ironworks everyday to climb. Then her obsession was fueled by trips to Bishop and working during the summer up in Tuolumne Meadows. She loves anything to do with climbing, good friends, good food, and (occasionally ill-advised) adventures. She is super excited to help build and become part of the climbing community in San Jose at The Studio!
	Zach Stoked climber, philosophy student, climbing gym employee/gym rat, urban cycling shred-ninja, vegetable enthusiast, pretentious beer drinker, wannabe barista, foodie, amateur photographer, literature & film fan, recreational writer, lover of lingo. The extent of my culture can be found in my bottle of kombucha.
Alex Alex has been rock climbing for seven years and considers it a priority. After moving to San Jose for college, where he later graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, he quickly joined the Touchstone Bouldering Gym. To this day he laments the loss of the gym, but managed to continue climbing through the turmoil and chaos that was the loss of the Touchstone Bouldering Gym. Thanks to a steady diet of climbing, biking, pizza, and cheesesteaks, Alex has returned to Touchstone like Gandalf returned after fighting off the Balrog of Morgoth. You will likely find Alex in the bouldering area of The Studio when he is not at the front desk with Kona, his sad-eyed and lazy Chocolate Labrador. When he isn't climbing, Alex enjoys brewing beer, building things, and playing guitar.
	Henry Henry is new to the climbing world. He has always loved the outdoors and is a natural at clambering and scaling things, so it seemed only fitting that he should take it to the next level by becoming a part of the Touchstone team. On his time off Henry enjoys climbing at Castle Rock state park, spending time on the beach, camping in the Sierras and spending time with family and friends. Though Henry enjoys all of these activities his true passion is to pretend he knows what he is talking about when it comes to climbing.
Christian Christian does not like talking about himself. You will never hear him brag about crushing a V6 on the bouldering wall even though both his ankles were broken and he was hungover that day. Oh, and his hands were wet. But he doesn't talk about that day. No, you will never hear him talk about how satisfied his students are after taking private climbing lessons- he prefers to stay modest about the raving reviews he frequently receives. Though he is tall, lithe, and shockingly handsome with eyes like the sea, he comes off as a very modest individual. He often brushes off compliments about his blinding intellect and broad scope of obscure, fascinating knowledge. He mostly enjoys cooking exotic meals for his beautiful girlfriend and showering her with affection and rare gems. With his free time he writes poetry and perfects his French and Italian. He doesn't always drink beer; but when he does, it sure as hell isn't Dos Equis.
	Matt The strong silent type. Matt has become a staple around the gym. He's been known to sneak trivia questions into the closing announcements and was a runner up in the Best Dressed contest at Touchstone's Annual Christmas Party. If you see Matt sitting at the front desk rather than standing - something must be wrong. Alert the authorities.