Maribeth Olsen stumbled upon rock climbing at the same time she began her career as a K-12 teacher in 2012. A certified educator in 3 states, she discovered she could use climbing as an effective pedagogical tool and soon merged her two passions to launch The Young Ascenders in 2020. Supported by an incredible community of Front Range therapists, educators, and the climbing community, Maribeth’s decade-long dream of bringing accessible Therapeutic Climbing programs to the US is finally coming to fruition in Colorado. She is obtaining two Clinical Climbing Therapy certificates in the summer of 2023 and is so indubitably stoked to currently serve youth in Larimer, Weld, and Boulder County! Maribeth has lived in Boulder for 7 years with her chatty heeler named Sage, teaches weekly piano lessons, loves “failing forward” in Boulder pottery classes and plays kickball on a pretty serious jort-wearing Boulder rec team.
Our core team is certified in trauma training and works with us every two weeks in Fort Collins.
Thank you to Cory, Spencer and Sasha!!!
We're always on the lookout for amazing people who can contribute their energy to working with youth, are interested in trauma training, and also have a passion for climbing. <3
Tiffany started climbing at the age of 7 in Santa Cruz, California and competed internationally to represent the USA Team in multiple disciplines, including the 2009 World Games. In 2014, a broken ankle woke her to the world outside of “just climbing”, where she subsequently spent several years working with a community through the at-risk youth program “Escalando Fronteras” in Mexico. Wanting to expand the network’s support EF to similar programs lead to establishing MBB formally as a nonprofit in the USA.
When not in the mountains in pursuit of meaningful experiences, she’s looking for more ways to benefit youth outdoor programs.
Andrew is the beloved program director at Ascent Studio in Fort Collins, CO. A past competitor himself, he now coaches young guns with healthy training techniques focused on the whole child.
Ethan is the Executive Director of Kids at Heart, a nonprofit that provides respite programs to parents and gives their children the chance to build relationships with others in adoptive, foster and kinship families, creating a safe environment for kids to participate in meaningful activities together that will increase their skills and resources.
Ethan's primary focus is underserved groups and communities. For more than 10 years he has worked with vulnerable populations of all ages who struggle with mental wellness challenges. Ethan has most recently worked in healthcare with a large Native American community in Eastern California.