Founded in 2015 in the back corner of an auto shop in Denver, CO, Tension Climbing was built not only on the idea that good design can improve the climbing experience, but also that the way we do business can drive improvement in our community and industry.
With some basic woodworking tools and borrowed time on CNC machines, we set out to turn a fresh eye to established training solutions. After launching our first round of products, we gained enormous support from the community. This allowed us to quickly grow beyond that small corner and into our own warehouse space next door where we are to this day.
Combining our collective expertise in climbing, coaching, and manufacturing, our small team has developed multiple training solutions that have become the industry standard.
As obsessive climbers ourselves, we are no strangers to creative problem-solving and hard work. Our values are reflected in our product designs, our manufacturing processes, and the way we do business.
Our People
Caleb Justice
Job Title: Director of Shipping & Quality Control
Hometown: Gunnison, CO
Likes: Adrenaline, making things
Dislikes: Broccoli
Granite or Sandstone: Sandstone
Favorite climbing style: Technical & balanced
Demri Medina
Job Title: Finishing
Hometown: Denver, CO
Likes: Music, Reading, Long walks with my Doberman, Wine, and from time to time a good ol’ box of Cracker Barrel mac n cheese.
Dislikes: Sprinklers watering grass when it is raining out.
Granite or Sandstone: Granite
Favorite climbing style: Powerful dynamic and feet first moves.
Derek Schad
Job Title: Inventory Coordinator, sanding extraordinaire
Hometown: Burlington, Connecticut
Likes: Bicycles, espresso, sunshine, 24hr breakfast
Dislikes: Escalators
Granite or Sandstone: Granite
Favorite climbing style: Low-traffic, exposed, unique.
Jeff Reardon
Job Title: Shipping assistant
Hometown: Army Brat
Likes: Hockey, Photography, Music, Skateboarding
Dislikes: mayo n mustard
Granite or Sandstone: Ice
Favorite climbing style: Spider Monkey style
Kerry Scott
Job Title: “I don’t know what she does, but we can’t live without her” – Zach
Hometown: Rockville, MD
Likes: Baking desserts, games, being busy
Dislikes: Lightning
Granite or Sandstone: Sandstone
Favorite climbing style: Lock-it-down-to-your-waist NRG crimpin’
Michael Rosato
Job Title: Brand Director
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Likes: Making, learning, good analogies, nostalgia
Dislikes: Bad crag etiquette, hard breaking through turns
Granite or Sandstone: Sandstone. Stupid question.
Favorite climbing style: Powerful, crimpy, punchy
Quinn Spadafora
Job Title: Puppet Master (Machinist/YouTube Manager)
Hometown: Evergreen, CO
Likes: Museums, Telescopes, Reading, Concerts, Sleeping In.
Dislikes: Cops (or any other form of state violence), Stingrays, Traffic, Being hungry, the word “kiosk”.
Granite or Sandstone: Sandstone
Favorite climbing style: Power moves on pinches, jumping between 20mm edges, and Underclings.
Roy Quanstrom
Job Title: Vice Instigator / Sales
Hometown: Fort Collins, CO aka The Northern Kingdom
Likes: Wide open spaces
Dislikes: Complaints about the parking in Rocky Mountain National Park
Granite or Sandstone: Granite, Gneiss to be exact. “The main difference between gneiss and granite is that gneiss is a type of metamorphic rock, whereas granite is a type of igneous rock. Rocks are naturally occurring solid masses or aggregates of minerals. There are three major types of rocks as sedimentary rocks, igneous rocks, and metamorphic rocks.” – The internet
Favorite climbing style: Ripping it, only second to flexing
Tucker Vana
Job Title: Sawdust Sniffer
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Likes: Authenticity, Learning, and Breakfast Burritos
Dislikes: Meeting Strangers, Formalities, and Slab
Granite or Sandstone: Granite
Favorite climbing style: Long reaches between cozy grabs
Will Anglin
Job Title: President
Hometown: Sykesville, MD
Likes: Space, music, coffee, manual labor.
Dislikes: Getting turned away at the Bear Lake parking lot.
Granite or Sandstone: Granite
Favorite climbing style: The weirder the better.
Zach Groenwald
Job Title: Director of Production & Manufacturing
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Likes: Music, coffee, machining, math
Dislikes: Everything besides music, coffee, machining, and math
Granite or Sandstone: Granite
Favorite climbing style: Awkward dynamic moves