Our Team

Director of Operations

Morgan was born and raised in Corvallis, Oregon. He started climbing at a very young age and as a kid growing up in Corvallis regretted the lack of climbing opportunities the area provided. He has continued to follow his passion for climbing, majoring in outdoor recreation, working as a guide, instructor, and route setter, and exploring the worlds climbing areas. All of his knowledge and experience finally bringing him back to his childhood dream of opening a climbing gym in Corvallis. Morgan also enjoys fishing, playing soccer and foraging for wild food! 

General Manager

Johanna is an avid adventurer with a passion for wellness, active living  and building community. Over the past 10 years, Johanna has worked as a climbing instructor, an outdoor educator for NOLS, a climbing guide and a teacher. She  is driven to help make climbing more accessible to people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities through community engagement and lowering barriers to entry. When Johanna isn’t climbing, you can find her trail running with her pup, gardening, snuggling with her cats or baking. 

Floor Manager/ Retail Buyer

  Mark Frost is a recent Oregon State University graduate originally from Oakland, California. He has a background in construction and mechanical engineering but his true passions have always involved tinkering, gear, and spending time outdoors. His passion for climbing began eight years ago and through his involvement with the gym truly grew. He has been at Valley Rock Gym since the beginning and enjoys being able to bring his passions and interests into the gym to improve the facility and connect with the community. When not at the gym Mark can be found cooking, biking, skiing, and working on his truck.  

Floor Manager/Party & Group Coordinator

Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Cedra moved to Corvallis 10 years ago. She is a student at Oregon State pursing a career in special education and dreams of one day opening a bakery. She was a gymnast throughout her childhood and has since discovered her love of climbing. She is also a writer and plant mom, and gymnastics teacher. In her free time, Cedra also likes to roller skate, bake, and hang out with her friends and cat.  

 Comp Team Asst. Coach/Program Coordinator

    Born and raised in Corvallis, Sahalie is currently pursuing dual degrees in Biology and Child Development at Oregon State University. With an extensive background in soccer as both a player and a coach, she was eager to explore new challenges. She discovered a deep passion for climbing and has since fully immersed herself in the sport and its community. Sahalie is excited to bring her focus, enthusiasm, and dedication to the climbing team.  

Head Setter/Team Member/Instructor

  Evan Powers has recently moved to Oregon from the southeast, where he has spent most of his life. He went to college in Tennessee for a degree in audio engineering and music production. While in college, Evan discovered rock climbing, and spent many years enjoying the high quality rock the southeast has to offer. He considers places like Red River Gorge, Little Rock City, and Horse Pens 40 to be his home. He has spent several years managing a gym, routesetting, and leading outdoor trips. Evan is excited to utilize his skills and knowledge with the team to help build Valley Rock Gym into a quality establishment. 

Youth Instructor

Originally from Southern California, Sarah moved to Corvallis to attend Oregon State University's PhD program in biophysical kinesiology. She was first introduced to climbing on a camping trip with her family in Yosemite National Park. After seeing climbers scale El Capitan and Half Dome, Sarah turned to her parents and declared, “I'd like to do that.” On her first day of climbing way back in 2003, she immediately fell in love with the sport and its amazing community. As someone who studies kinesiology, Sarah enjoys the unique movement patterns that this sport has to offer and is alway excited to talk about the intricate sequences and body positions on each climb. Furthermore, she loves how much the sport challenges its participants both physically and mentally, all while teaching valuable lessons in patience, perseverance, discipline, and resilience. With a background in competition climbing and nearly a decade of employment in the gym industry, Sarah has a passion for coaching and loves working with kids of all ages and abilities. When she is not at the gym or local crag, Sarah enjoys hiking, playing piano, solving Rubik's cubes, and hanging out with friends.  

 Comp Team Head Coach/Setter

Tyce recently moved to Oregon, coming from Boise, Idaho where he was born and raised. He grew up racing motocross since he was 5 years old. When he graduated high school and after several injuries from racing, he found rock climbing and fell in love with it immediately. Since then he has spent most of his time in gyms trying to move his way up to be a route setter. In his free time he enjoys cooking, going to church, being in community and playing with his pug. He has also started a climbing club since moving to Corvallis. He is very excited to bring his positive attitude and skills to Valley Rock Gym.

 Rec Team Head Coach/Team Member

 Josiah moved to Corvallis in 2023 from Tennessee, where he spent most of his childhood. He’s spent most of his life around climbing and ropes. His dad had him roped up and climbing with the family by age 3. Though Josiah spent most of his childhood pushing the limits in vertical caving, in college he fell in love with climbing. Around the gym you can find Josiah helping wherever he’s needed whether at the desk, coaching, or helping our setting team. Outside the gym Josiah spends most of his time with his wife and kids playing together and looking for the next adventure life has to bring.   

Setter    

 Born and raised in Oregon, Rowan feels at home in places like Silver Falls, Mt.Hood, and Smith Rock. She started climbing in a small college-campus gym and was immediately like “yeah, I’m doing this forever!” If she’s not climbing or setting, Rowan is probably listening to music or doing something else outside. She wants to encourage people to find their own climbing style…especially if there’s super whacky beta involved 

Team Member/Youth Instructor 

 Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Zach is a senior at Oregon State University pursuing a degree in Digital Communication Arts while minoring in Japanese. Outside of the climbing gym, he enjoys cooking, hiking, running, and spending time with his friends. Since beginning his climbing journey four years ago, Zach has been able to share his passion for the sport with friends both locally and internationally.  

Youth Instructor

   
 Bryleigh is one of our enthusiastic climbing instructors and thrives on sharing their passion for climbing with young adventurers. Originally from California, she is an OSU alum who has embraced the vibrant community here. Teaching kids the joys of climbing is a highlight of her work—she loves helping them build confidence and discover their potential. When she's not on the rocks or helping her Real Estate clients find their dream homes, you'll find her exploring the local area and connecting with the community. 

 Team Member

   Andrew is from Carlton, Oregon, a small farm town an hour North of Corvallis, and has lived in Oregon his whole life. He moved to Corvallis in 2020 to pursue a degree in Construction Engineering Management at Oregon State University. After spending his middle and high school years doing competitive swimming, he started climbing in early 2022, and has been hooked on it ever since. He spends most of his free time at the climbing gym, but when not climbing, he spends his time enjoying the outdoors, caring for his plants, or expanding his collection of computer keyboards.

 Youth Instructor/Team Member/ Assistant Rec Coach 

  Growing up in the Willamette Valley, Lucy has always had a passion for the outdoors in all shapes and forms. She gained her appreciation for climbing in elementary school and has never turned back. Lucy has a love for the climbing community and is continuously looking for new ways to convince her friends to join her in a gnarly climbing session. When not at the climbing gym, Lucy can be found pursuing her Animal Science degree at OSU in hopes of becoming a veterinarian. 

 Team Member

Chloe was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she developed her love for climbing and the outdoors. She then moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where she spent many hours on hiking trails in and around the Coconino National Forest. She moved to Corvallis in 2024 to pursue her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies with a specific focus on understanding the impacts of adversity on aging. When she isn’t climbing or in class, Chloe loves going on hikes, reading, and cooking new recipes. If you see her in the gym, feel free to share your recommendations for local cafes or hiking trails!

 Youth Instructor

 Jack was born in Portland, Oregon, and moved to Corvallis to pursue an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering. He quickly fell in love with climbing after signing up for an after-school program in 6th grade. After a year of climbing recreationally, Jack decided to join Portland Rock Gym's comp team, where he competed for 5 years. He loves to share his enthusiasm for the sport by teaching new and interested climbers. When Jack isn’t climbing outside, you can find him in the ceramics studio or studying for his classes. 

 Team Member

  Originally from California, Evelyn moved to Corvallis to pursue Computer Science at OSU. Spending many weekends in Yosemite growing up sowed the seeds for its love of rock climbing, hiking, and the outdoors. After nearly a decade and a half of gymnastics and track & field it found its passion for climbing soon after starting university and now spends most of its time outside of the gym hiking, baking, listening to music, and biking.