Carly Casternovia
From a young age, my older brother would share stories and images with me of time he had spent in the San Juans. Raised on the East Coast, I would dream about living in the mountains, and little did I know this would be more than a metaphorical endeavor. In 2017, I moved to Telluride and my curiosity grew in mountain pursuits.
Growing up as a gymnast, my first time rock climbing brought back the nostalgic feeling of undeniable balance and dynamic movement. Entranced by moving through mountains on technical terrain, the San Juans and nearby sandstone desert climbing became my training ground on world-class rock and ice. As I continue developing my personal and professional love for climbing and guiding, I can be found moving through multitudes of terrain, loving every form and style of climbing, and feeling drawn to the flow state that occurs while moving on rock and feeling connected to the landscape. Over the past few years I’ve spent time climbing in the Alaska Range, Spain, Greece, Southern Patagonia, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Yosemite Valley, to name a few.
I began working for Mountain Trip’s local Colorado program in 2019 guiding the Telluride Via Ferrata, rock, and ice. I hold a Wilderness First Responder, Avalanche Level 1, Avalanche Companion Rescue, Single Pitch Instructor, as well as Rock, Ice and Alpine training through the American Mountain Guides Association. I’ve also spent two seasons co-guiding trips up Denali.
When I’m not in the mountains you can find me teaching Pilates, pot-lucking with friends or scheming future objectives.