Today we’d like to introduce you to Olga Ortiz.
Olga, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, it is in our nature to love the outdoors. I grew up being a swimming team member and competitor, training daily and eventually became a swimming instructor. Back in those days, I wasn’t aware that rock climbing existed, so swimming was my everyday’s favorite hobby. I got a sports scholarship to college. After college, real life began – work, family, and a new start in California where I was introduced to outdoor climbing. Most people start climbing indoors, but I started outdoors. Met a great guide from Spain who’s amazing skills and personality gave me the inspiration to try something that seemed impossible, to me at least. After having my first child, I developed a fear of heights. A fear that became very obvious when I tried to rock climbing for the first time. Climbing rocks was not natural or easy for me, I used to panic and hide my tears of fear every single time I climbed a rock or stepped on a cliff’s edge. My desire to overcome fear grew and the risk involved in the sport became overwhelming. All of this and more pushed me to train and learn the proper skills. Years later, we began to notice a great number of new climbers coming outdoors without the proper skills. We found ourselves in numerous situations in while someone would need our help or needed rescuing from a bad situation. Having these problems continue to grow got me down to think and try to figure out why were there so many people going outdoors without the appropriate training and realized two things; training programs were limited and people simply did not want to invest money on outdoor climbing education. After doing research and drafting down what I could do to help this situation, a good friend suggested I became an outdoor climbing instructor since he had noticed my natural desire to teach and patience to help others learn. With a background of over twenty years in healthcare and financials, I decided that this would be the perfect path for me, being an outdoor fan and being chained to an office for so many years. Rock Climb Every Day comes from a combination of love for the outdoors, a desire to educate others how to enjoy a great sport safely, doing something meaningful for the community, teaching strangers the importance of wilderness conservation, bringing jobs to the guiding industry and much more.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The start-up of the company was very difficult. The mountains of paperwork and ensuring compliance were overwhelming, luckily my background in business helped greatly. Our biggest struggles have not involved paperwork, but simply being a new kid on the block of outdoor guiding companies.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Rock Climb Every Day – what should we know?
I am the proud founder and owner of Rock Climb Every Day. My specialties go a long way, from guiding to keeping our programs in order. What makes me most proud is to see our student’s progress over months and years. What sets us apart from the rest, is that our program offers unique opportunities for our students to continue practicing skills learned during class after their courses for free. We provide ways for our students to join outdoor climbing events and volunteer our spare time to ensure our new members continue to improve their skills safely.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Of course! I could not have done this without the support of my husband, my son, and step-daughters, good friends and mentors, our incredible staff, and of course our biggest fans – our clients who have shared their gratitude with the world.
Pricing:
- Beginner Rock Climbing – Starting at $99
- Rock Climbing Anchors – Starting at $99
- Rock Climbing Adventures – Starting at $99
- Sport and Traditional Lead – Starting at $199
- Self-Rescue – Starting at $199
- Rappelling Adventures – Starting at $75
- Private Instruction – Starting at $249
- Multi-Day Packages – Starting at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rockclimbeveryday.com
- Phone: 818-570-0481
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockclimbeveryday
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockclimbdaily/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rock-climb-every-day-joshua-tree-3
- Other: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106366122648680362952
Image Credit:
Rock Climb Every Day, Chris Rodriguez, Marie Ramirez
