ELAINA ARENZ

Elaina started climbing in 1994 while studying at the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Creative Advertising in 1997. She's been around the climbing block for thirty years and during that time she has taught and inspired hundreds of people to climb all over the United States, Mexico, and Europe.

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You may recognize her from a series of tech videos produced by the AMGA in partnership with Outdoor Research. She's also graced the pages of Climbing Magazine, Rock & Ice, the Women of Climbing Calendar, and is featured in the coffee table book entitled Women Who Dare: North America's Most Inspiring Women Climbers

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She was one of the early developers of El Potrero Chico, Mexico. During her years there she owned and operated a climber's resort, guided guests, established new routes, and helped put EPC on the international climbing radar.

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Since 2003 she has been the owner/operator of New River Mountain Guides, a climbing school, and guide service based at the New River Gorge, West Virginia. She was also a co-owner of Chicks Climbing & Skiing, formerly known as Chicks with Picks from 2014 to 2019.

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Elaina is an American Mountain Guide Association Certified Rock Guide, and Apprentice Alpine Guide. She was the first female SPI Provider Trainer and has taught over 90 programs in places such as the New River Gorge, WV, Red Rock, NV, Joshua Tree, CA, Devils Lake, WI, Cody, WY, Boulder, CO, the Red River Gorge, KY, and Great Falls, VA. She has been instrumental in developing the AMGA’s affinity space programming for women and people of color and teaches in all-female spaces regularly.

 

In 2019 she was awarded the AMGA Instructor of the Year by her peers. This award is to honor an AMGA educator who has made great contributions to their students’ professional development and improving educational effectiveness at the AMGA.

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Elaina served two elected terms on the AMGA’s Board of Directors, serving as the Vice President and Secretary. She still serves on the Scope of Practice, and the Technical Committees. 

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In the work at height space, she's a dual Level 3 IRATA/SPRAT Rope Access Technician and Assistant Trainer at RIG Rope Access based in Las Vegas, NV. To date, she has accumulated over 3000 rope hours in her career as a Rope Access Technician.

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In 2026 she earned a ITRA Level 3 Certification and Instructor, the International Technical Rescue Association. This is the highest level of technical rope rescue certification that one can hold with the organization. She's also been an instructor cadre member of the National Park Services Basic Technical Rescue Training-East at the New River Gorge National Park and the Delaware Water Gap.

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Elaina splits her time between the New River Gorge where she manages the guide service throughout the summer and in Red Rock, NV guiding part time and picking up rope access work.​