The Team
The Pinnacle Sports team consists of some of the most experienced and friendly outdoor adventurers going around today. We all love getting outdoors and just having fun on the rocks! Find out more about the team below:
Adrian 'AJ'
General Manager
You'd be hard pressed to find a climbing store or gym in Brisbane that AJ hasn't been involved with in some way. He's been climbing for two decades and has worked in a variety of roles within the industry, from sales staff to height access technician, to eventually taking over ownership of Pinnacle Sports in 2008.
Since taking over Pinnacle Sports, AJ has pushed the business to new heights, establishing it as a premiere equipment, guiding, and inspection outlet. His passion for the business is fueled by his love of climbing in general. Over the years he has climbed in many different locations, including China and New Zealand, and has played a role in establishing climbing areas closer to home.
He still gets out for a climb when he can, but these days he is busy running around performing installations, inspections and maintenance of climbing walls all over South-East Queensland.
Emily
Operations Manager
Oh, the places you’ll go… a very apt Dr Seuss quote! When Emily first started climbing in 1998 she never imagined that climbing would have such big impact in her life. Her climbing journey started by following a boy (he was a keeper) and climbing has shaped her travels, work, and personal life.
Emily was part of the committee that organised the inaugural Queensland State Titles Climbing in 2003, back in the days when entry forms were hand written, payment was cash on the day or cheque only and small children were gainfully employed by running competitor points back to the admin desk for data entry. Competition days ran very much in overtime.
Emily has traveled to many of the world’s premier climbing destinations, with her favourites being Getu and Yangshuo in China and Castle Hill in New Zealand.
She turned to the bouldering arts once kids arrived (lazy walk ins, faster pump outs, and it doesn’t matter if you’re ‘that’ climbing partner that bails) and is an expert in not only packing climbing gear but also an armada of snack foods (carefully chosen by the length of time it takes a small child to consume), drink bottles and Thomas bags.
The climbing community is tight knit and is filled with encouraging, positive people. The industry is vibrant and the gear evolves constantly. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be part of. Jia You, Pinnacle Sports!
Ben
Climbing & Abseiling Guide
Ben has always had a love of the great outdoors, starting with family visits to Binna Burra as a kid. He preferred bushwalking. His first abseiling experience was far from a success as he clung to dear life trying to crawl down the cliff.
So, he got into playing music instead, playing guitar in many a cover band all over Brisbane for the next couple of decades.
Fast forward and Covid killed all the live entertainment venues, so he decided to get back into the great outdoors, first with bushwalking, followed by all manner of roped adventure activities, starting with abseiling, and progressing to climbing.
These days you’ll find him hanging out at Kangaroo Point or the Glasshouse Mountains, either climbing on top rope or sport lead.
Jonas
Courses Instructor | Climbing & Abseiling Guide
Jonas is a climber with a passion for the arts & nature. Throughout his career as a young arts worker he has contributed to a number of cultural development projects in Queensland, Brazil and Colombia working with young people to develop confidence, self-esteem and cultural identity.
Since migrating to Australia in 2008 with a pair of climbing shoes, harness, new undies and books he has extended his practice further in fields such as marketing, event management, creative industries and outdoor adventure. Co-directing an arts organization called MARACCAS Jonas has participated in and performed in a number of events and festivals building on his techniques in clowning and physical theatre. Flicking the jokers coin, Jonas also has a serious face of a Rope Access dude with experience in maintenance, stage rigging, inspections, rescues and supervision of workers at heights.
He brings his diverse experience of work from other areas to his guiding and is always able to help people get the most out of their outdoor adventure and course. His easy-going nature and background helps to generate a fun and safe environment for his climbing and abseiling clients.
Lauren
Climbing & Abseiling Guide
Lauren is happiest when all four limbs are in a crack, placing gear in a crack, talking about crack, or dreaming about the crack proj.
Between crack climbs, Lauren teaches primary school Japanese, guides at KP, assists the QUT Cliffhangers, and catches up with friends at Urban Climb.
This complete life takeover by climbing happened gradually over the last 5 years. Lauren isn't unhappy about this. Just returned from 7 months of finding cracks to climb around Aus, Lauren is looking forward to doing more guiding in SEQ, and climbing at Coolum again!
Peta
Courses Instructor | Climbing & Abseiling Guide
Peta has been an active member of the Queensland climbing community for over 20 years. A technical trad climber at heart, she has spent many seasons honing her crack skills and placements at Frog Buttress, Mt French, where she claimed the first female ascent of many of the harder routes. In recent years Peta has been hard at work sport climbing on the limestone tufa crags of Europe and Asia.
Peta was Operations Manager, Head Coach and Head Coursesetter at Urban Climb, back in the days when there was only the one location, before embarking on a year-long overseas climbing trip that got a bit out of hand.
Loving the traveling lifestyle a bit too much, Peta started working with Pinnacle Sports in 2013 and splits her time between instructing and guiding in Australia for half the year and jetsetting off on epic climbing trips during our hot summers. Peta draws from her considerable coaching and climbing experience to give a huge edge in improving the skills of participants on our courses.
Peta is also the creator and manufacturer of Handjam (climbing hand cream for rockclimbers) and a contributor to The Traveling Climber.
Sally
Media & Marketing | Climbing & Abseiling Guide
Sally first discovered climbing whilst completing her studies at QUT. With the cliffs being only a 10 minute walk away, she found herself climbing at Kangaroo Point more frequently, to the point where she was leading uni climbing nights at the cliffs. With her newfound love for climbing, she decided to make a career of it, starting out at an indoor climbing gym, working her way over to guiding outdoor adventures. As well as taking on Pinnacle Sports social media,Sally can also be found route setting among various climbing walls around Brisbane.
Being an avid boulderer, if she’s not at any of the indoor bouldering gyms around Brisbane, you might see her at White Rock using an unnecessary amount of knee bars. When she’s taking a break from bouldering she’ll be heading to Slider at Tibrogargan, or at Kangaroo Point teaching a new skill.
Scott
Climbing & Abseiling Guide
Once upon a time (about 20 years ago) one of his mates told Scott that rock climbing was a good way to meet girls. He thought this was a most excellent idea, but at the time - being obsessed with pushing big lumps of metal in the gym and taking his climbing tips from the recently released movie, Cliffhanger - he was pretty crap at it.
Somewhere in the last twenty years or so he discovered that he had feet on the end of his legs and that they could be used for things other than kicking footballs. This has lead to reasonable increase in his climbing ability.
When's he's not overseas climbing each year Scott can be found inspecting or building climbing walls, inspecting anchors both indoors and out, guiding and falling off local climbing projects.
Tegan
Retail Manager | Climbing & Abseiling Guide
Tegan's passion for the outdoors sprung from a desire to meet new people when she moved to London in 2011. Joining an outdoor adventure social group, she discovered a world of hiking, climbing and incredible people, and was hooked. Flash forward several years, and this passion would see Tegan leave office work behind to pursue the outdoors full time, working at school camps around SEQ.
These days, Tegan can mostly be found turning your old climbing gear into new treasures through her upcycling venture Send On Upcycling.
Guiding remains her passion, and her favourite thing about being part of this industry is helping people push past their fear and self-limiting doubts, and prove to themselves what they're capable of.