Christian Dittmar

I am deeply thankful to my parents for an upbringing immersed in nature. Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, I grew up in a city shielded from the Caribbean by Mount Avila. I took my first steps in the Yutaje Wilderness, deep in the Venezuelan Amazon. If we weren’t hiking El Avila or going to the ocean, we were exploring the southern Tepui mountains.

Tepuis are two-billion-year-old formations unlike anywhere else on Earth. Known for inspiring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, 'Tepui' means 'home of the gods' in the native Pemon/Kamarakoto language. Countless days scrambling in the sacred waterfalls and forests that spill from Auyan-Tepui shaped my childhood and gave me a profound respect for the natural world. I love actively engaging with landscapes, whether I’m surfing, trail-running, hang-gliding, or climbing.

Presently, I’m a Biomedical Engineering student at UW–Madison. While I love the movement and total attention required by climbing, what keeps me coming back is the spirit of exploration and play. Climbing is a medium that allows me to explore new landscapes, meet unique people, and uncover parts of my own psyche.

There are few things that 'fill my tank' like whole days outdoors, flowing through the landscape. Being able to share and teach this sport as an apprentice guide is truly a joy for me. I look forward to seeing you at the Quartzite Cliffs of the Lake!