Stefani Dawn - Author, Climber, creator of Common Climber

.Creator of Common Climber and co-founder of Climb-On Maps

Stefani first took a rock climbing class back in 1990 where, completely uninitiated, she was thrown onto steep slab and (bloody) crack climbs. She didn't climb again for 20 years. In 2007 Stefani fully caught the climbing bug and has been climbing non-stop. With good mentoring and formal classes, she learned the ropes, including leading sport, trad, and multi-pitch climbs. Her favorite types of climbing are easy trad multi-pitch and technical sport 10s.

Her love of the sport and appreciation for people, has compelled her to engage with and give back to the rock climbing community. She is a co-organizer for a climbing meetup group and hosts some gym, but primarily outdoor climbs. The outdoor climbs target all levels of climbers and provide a fun, supportive, safe, and mentoring environment, especially for new climbers. Stefani firmly believes in learning, growing, and sharing to improve the experience of climbing and welcoming all who have an interest in the sport.

In this spirit, Stefani is the creator of the website Common Climber, which provides a forum for positive expression about people's experiences with rock climbing at all levels. She hopes that this will be a natural extension of the love of the sport, allowing people to share internal experiences that occur on the rock. Fear, anxiety, frustration, joy, and pride are just a sampling of the natural emotional spectrum associated with climbing (and life, of course). She believes that acknowledging and sharing our internal experiences will strengthen the connection of the climbing community, as well as one's personal connection with climbing itself.

Stefani is a passionate climber, but not a professional climber - although her current profession is in climbing. She and her husband, Rick started the business Climb-On Maps, where they have mapped some of the largest (and often confusing) rock climbing areas in the U.S. (http://www.climbonmaps.com/).

On the personal side, Stefani is currently married to a fellow climber and has an amazing teenage son (from a previous marriage). Her son tolerates (and sometimes even enjoys) being dragged into outdoor adventures. More importantly, though, he has his own passions, which include all things flying and airplanes.

In addition to climbing, Stefani backpacks, paddles (sea kayaking and white water), skis (back country, cross country, and downhill), scuba dives, and attempts to surf. The world is too beautiful not to make yourself part of it, so get out and play!

Contact: stefani@commonclimber.com

Stefani Dawn's writings on Common Climber (listed alphabetically which includes A and The ):

A Unique, Big City Crag: Buenos Aires, Argentina Climbing – You’ve probably never seen a crag like this one!
Backpacker/Trad Climber Tries Alpine: The Mt. Ogden Spanking (Part 1) (by Stefani Dawn) - An experienced backpacker and multipitch trad climber forays into to world of alpine climbing and learns that alpine climbing is more than the sum of its parts.
Backpacker/Trad Climber Tries Alpine: The Mount Whitney Whipping (Part 2) (by Stefani Dawn) - Mt. Ogden (Part 1) was training for Mt. Whitney. The author applied what she learned from the Mt. Ogden experience to Whitney and...
Bliss: Climbing in the Blueys (by Stefani Dawn) - Epics, mini-epics, near-epics, and zones of craptitude make for good stories...But, most of the time things are pretty dang chill. Fun. Enjoyable. Cool. Sometimes there is even bliss.
Bolting and Ground-fall Potential (by Stefani Dawn) - Learn how to visually determine whether a bolted sport climb is poorly protected.
Bouldering: JTree Made Me Do It (by Stefani Dawn) - The author has been rock climbing since 2007 and has intended to boulder, but other than an occasional gym session, never seemed to get around to it - until now -- "JTree made me do it."
CLIMBING CHECK LIST
Work your way down the list and hit every single climbing area in a state that has more than 40 climbs! The list shows the number of climbs that are bouldering, sport, or trad.
1. Climbing Areas in the U.S.: Part 1: Alabama to California
2. Climbing Areas in the U.S.: Part 2: Colorado to Michigan
Climbing, Community, and the U.S. Election (by Stefani Dawn) - A rock climber explores the importance of rock climbing and community in light of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election
Climbing Drinking Games (by Stefani Dawn) - Have a little fun with: Guidebook Roulette; 15 Minutes My A**! and "Nice!" at the Crag.
Climbing Gyms: The Gateway Drug (by Stefani Dawn) – WARNING: Climbing may be addictive. Sort of.
Climbing Resolutions: A New Year's Conversation with Myself (by Stefani Dawn) - A climber has a New Year's conversation with herself...Can you relate?
Diversity in Climbing (& the Outdoors) is Not a Bandwagon (By Stefani Dawn) - Diversity is not a bandwagon. Bandwagon implies short-lived popularity. This is a movement to create some needed shifts in our sociological landscape. So what are some things we can do as this landscape changes?
Don't Take Granite for Granite (by Stefani Dawn) - Every new crag and rock type brings a unique experience. But one type of rock - granite - is the most unpredictable.
Dorothy, We Aren't On Havanah Anymore (by Stefani Dawn) - Have you ever gotten on the wrong climb and realized it a little too late?
Fuck "Gumbies" and "Noobs" (By Stefani Dawn) - I’m just going to say it. Fuck “gumbies” and “noobs.” No, I’m not talking about the people that these words supposedly personify. I’m talking about those words.
Guide Books Follies (by Stefani Dawn) - Ever had an epic (or a mini) because a guidebook left out important information?
It's a F-ing Chimney (By Stefani Dawn) - I used to avoid chimneys like the plague. If a route description said chimney, I’d move on to find a different route. Here’s why...
Improv at JTree: Three Characters Attack Bad Bolts With Humor, A Device, and Dedication (By Stefani Dawn) - Joshua Tree has been around a long time, and so have many of its bolts. Kevin, John, and "IE," a lean, mean bolt-replacing team, would joke that those things haven't been around as long as they have...
Joshua Tree: Heinous Approaches (by Stefani Dawn) - When boulderfield meets desert the approach can be unpredictable - sometimes it's no big deal, sometimes "hell boulderado."
Joshua Tree: The Bolting Pressure Cooker (by Stefani Dawn) - Meet Farai and Kelly, "new school" route developers in Joshua Tree. For some, using the words “new-school,” “route development”, and “Joshua Tree” all in the same sentence can be hair-raising/red-flag inducing/trouble-making. For others it elicits great relief and gratitude. What exactly does “new school” mean in JTree?
Kevin Powell: Photos, First Ascents, and Finding Joy (By Stefani Dawn) - He stood on the 5.10 JTree slab, 20 feet up, and drilled the first bolt. This is not your get it over in 15 seconds with a power drill, this is with a hand drill...on lead... slip in these helmet-less days would result in carnage no one wanted to see or experience.
Mastering Joy on Easy Street (by Stefani Dawn) - Sometimes there are moments when a special experience reveals the right goals.
Multi-Pitch Tips: Why I Carry Two ATC-Style Belay Devices (by Stefani Dawn) - Some might say it's overkill, but I have two great reasons why I carry two guide-mode capable ATC belay devices on all multi-pitch climbs. One of which saves time...
My Husband Climbs Stronger Than Me - (by Stefani Dawn) - I am a woman. I’m a climber. I am strong. My husband is stronger. Is that defeatist or sexist of me to openly admit that?
No Health Insurance Changed How I Climb (by Stefani Dawn) - When my husband and I quit our jobs and started our own rock climbing-related business, we lost our health insurance. This definitely impacted how we approached our climbing (and some of it's embarrassingly funny).
Onsight vs. Flash vs. Redpoint vs. Pinkpoint vs. Tronsight - (by Stefani Dawn) An incredibly serious tongue-in-cheek discussion about the nuanced differences between these "you either did it -- or you didn't" sending terms.
Rock Star Groupie (by Stefani Dawn) - A climber finds herself following a route-setting rock star. Who is it and why?
Rope Buying 101 (By Stefani Dawn) - A frank guide (based on experience) to buying your first rock climbing rope and the why’s to back it up.
Sketchy Anchor Bolts! (by Stefani Dawn) - Sometimes you reach the top of a climb and the anchor bolts are super sketchy. What do you do besides cross your fingers and hope for the best?
Sliding-x Anchor (by Stefani Dawn) - Video and photo tutorial on how to build this useful anchor.
Social Climbing Networks Come to the Aid of Lonely Climber (by Stefani Dawn) - Mountain Project and Meetup.com save a lonely climber.
Sorcerer and the Kidney Stone (By Stefani Dawn) - Ow… ow…. Owwwwwww…. I sure as shit am not going to die on Necromancer – the dark black patina-covered wall in Red Rock Canyon named after a person who communicates with the dead…
Starting Over (by Stefani Dawn) - We all love climbing. We are dedicated to it. We’d do it every day if we could. But face it, we’ve all been there - be it from injury, work demands, location, or lack of partners – we have to start over, again, and again, and again. And it sucks every… single…time...
The Bane of Northwest Climbing (by Stefani Dawn) - @#$%^&* moss! Enough said.
The ONE Item to Stockpile (by Stefani Dawn) - As climbers we love our equipment, but of all the gear we use there is ONE item worth stockpiling.
The Zone of Craptitude (by Stefani Dawn) - A climber enters "the zone" - a different kind of zone...
Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip (By Stefani Dawn and Rick Momsen) - A photo and video tutorial on how to use a stick clip to: (1) Clip a draw (with the rope) to the first bolt (the basic clip); (2) Insert the rope into an empty draw already on a bolt; and (3) Remove a draw from an overhead bolt.
Todd Gordon - “We had teenie weenies and big egos!” he said with animation and a Cheshire grin. This is Todd Gordon, the rock climbing "mayor" of Joshua Tree.
Tony Calderone (by Stefani Dawn) - Perseverance. Tenacity. Grit. Commitment. Transformation. These are the words that describe what I know of Tony Calderone. Controversial. Opinionated. And, perhaps a few other choice words, also float around the rock-climbing ethers of his stomping grounds in Utah and Idaho.
Top 10: Climbing Best Practices (by Stefani Dawn) - Being a better climber doesn't mean crushing the hardest grades, it means consistently using best practices. Find out the TOP 10!
Top 10: Increase the Climbing Grade When... (by Stefani Dawn) - A climber ponders climbing grades and invents a new game…Increase the climbing grade when...
Trad Climbing is for Chicken Sh*#s (by Stefani Dawn) - A trad climber, who is on the lower end of the bravery scale, explains why trad climbing is good for those who get scared easily.
Which Way Should I Carry My Trad Rack? (by Stefani Dawn) - Any f'n way you want! This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of three different ways to carry a trad rack. Choose the way that works for you.
Why I Started Common Climber (by Stefani Dawn) - If the only voice and messages we receive about what being a climber means are the ones we receive from the popular climbing media, then we will almost always be disappointed in ourselves.
WTF 5.7? (by Stefani Dawn) - Some climbing grades (especially in trad), more so than others, are simply unpredictable and can blind-side you.
8 Reasons I Carry A Full Rack on Every Trad Climb (By Stefani Dawn) - "I stood at the bottom of that 40 foot 5.5 crack with my full double rack up to a #5 cam. My friend and climbing partner looked at me with a wry smile, pointed at my excessive gear, and said with a laugh, 'What’s all this? Is there a whole other mountain up there?'"
18 Climber Types: What Type of Climber Are You? (by Stefani Dawn) - It can be helpful to know who you are as a climber.

Gear Reviews:

Location Reviews:

The Basics