Staff
Charlie has been coaching for 8 years and as previous head coach at High Exposure, sent climbers to Nationals every season. Charlie has been climbing for 11 years and has been bouldering and sport climbing at a Competitive level for 10 years. He has attended 10 National Championships and 2 Bouldering World Cups with training from world class coaches. Charlie has climbed all over the world and has climbed at the V12 bouldering level. See Charlie’s schedule and book private lessons where you see availability.
Nick Picarella
Nick Picarella has been climbing for 12 years and competing for 10. He
was a national team member in both boulder and sport for several years and earned a national title in 2011. Since then, he has competed on pro level circuits, winning multiple Dark Horse events and making finals in many others. While Nick enjoys competing, he loves the outdoors as well having climbed in areas like Joe’s Valley, Priest Draw, The Red River Gorge, and more. His proudest ascent is getting the first ever flash on Kinesthetic Awareness, V11, at Mt. Gretna. Nick has spent the past few years honing his setting skills, building volumes, and sharing his knowledge of climbing and competing with different youth teams. When Nick isn’t climbing, you can find him sitting at the piano or planting in his garden.
Jackie Finklestein
Born and raised in Northern PA, Jackie is an adventuring wanderlust and loves all types of outdoor activities including climbing, skiing, snowboarding, biking, and running. She also indulges in oil painting, cooking gourmet vegetarian food and amateur photography. She has a double BA in Philosophy and Business Administration, and a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies. In 2006 she began climbing at a local rock gym after taking a yoga class at the facility. From there she grew into her climbing passion learning to love all three disciplines of climbing from traditional to sport to bouldering. Her love for climbing in the outdoors has taken her all around the country. Her most memorable climbing trip was off the coast of Iceland. Sport climbing along the ocean’s edge on black sandy beaches with local Icelandic climbers left its imprint. For Jackie, coaching is a rewarding experience because there is so much to be learned from children. These are the years in which they are being shaped into who they will become. Coaching them allows her to help them accelerate in their climbing and also be a mentor in whatever else they may bring to practice with them. Climbing builds confidence not just on the walls but in most everything a climber does in life.
Chelsea Sommer
Chelsea Sommer has been climbing for 7 years and has been setting for 3. A previous setter at Inspire Rock and Austin Bouldering Project in Texas, Chelsea now calls Philadelphia her home. Chelsea’s favorite style of climbing is thin, techy slabs, and boy does she know how to set good ones! Her favorite outdoor climbing area is Pep Boys, a bouldering area down south. She loves route-setting and climbing for the enjoyment of designing a situation that can be solved by a diverse range of people. She likes to experience that same thing when she climbs and likes the challenge of recreating the experience with different tools. Chelsea also loves eating healthy, has an affinity for plants and is a secret Scooby Doo fan!