Biography

Xavier grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, spending a lot of his childhood indoors playing video games. It was not until college that he discovered a love of all things outdoors, especially climbing. Xavier studied at Washington University in St. Louis and spent his weekends climbing in nearby crags like the Holy Boulders, Jackson Falls, Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, and the Red River Gorge. After graduating, Xavier spent some time teaching environmental education and guiding backpacking, canoeing, and climbing trips in Wisconsin, Colorado, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, California, and New Mexico. Most recently, Xavier made his way back to Colorado working as an outdoor educator for the Colorado Outward Bound School in Leadville. After moving to Boulder at the beginning of 2022, Xavier was recently hired as the American Alpine Club’s new Event Coordinator, where he will be planning gatherings for climbers like the Shelf Road Craggin Classic (@shelfroadcraggin) and Annual Benefit Gala. Outside of his work with the AAC, Xavier has found a strong community in many of the organizations he volunteers with. Xavier helps facilitate outdoor experiences for Latino families through Latino Outdoors (@latinooutdoorscolorado) and helps facilitate meet ups for the BIPOC climbing organization Cruxing in Color (@cruxingincolor). He recently received his AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Certification in hopes of bringing more outdoor climbing accessibility to all. He hopes to utilize his SAMI experience to provide climbing access, education, and support to the queer climbing communities in the Front Range.

ATHLETE MENTORSHIP INITATIVE