Where is Stephen from? Frankly, he’s not quite sure, but if you ask him, he’ll give you an answer that is somehow near where you’re from – regardless of where that may be. Plotting his life trajectory on a graph is a challenge that far exceeds his own mathematical prowess – that is to say, it’s non-linear at best – and upon recollection, the details of that trajectory occasionally perplex even him. What we do know for sure is that it has involved a love of nature, a lot of books, Balkan pastries, Seneca Rocks, tejo (Colombian cornhole but with gunpowder), Michael Sandel, remote Alaskan glaciers, a deeply concerning quantity of coffee, and a non-zero number of clowns.

Generally speaking, his favorite climbs are any that are long, remote, and cold but you’re likely to find a smile on his face in any vertical terrain (like the corporate ladder) or while taking a nap in his trusty Honda Odyssey in the parking lot.