Cooper Hanson
AMGA Single Pitch Instructor
St. Paul, MNFeel the fear, and do it anyways. 🌄
I work as an educator year round, and when summer arrives, I trade the classroom for the crag working as an AMGA-certified Single Pitch Instructor. Whether I’m teaching students or guiding climbers, my goal is the same: to help people discover their strengths, learn to trust their abilities, and build a meaningful connection with the outdoors.
Discipline: Outdoor Recreation
Specialty: Rock Climbing
✅ Completed the three-day AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course and successfully passed the two-day SPI Exam. 🏔️ Summited Mt. Whitney (the tallest peak in the Lower 48) via the Mountaineer’s Route. 🧗🏼 Trusted gear tester for Mountain Hardwear and Outdoor Research, and proud partner with Mammut and Ombraz.
Cooper Hanson's Expert Gear Recommendations
Saftey and Communication
These are the essential pieces of gear I carry to stay safe, connected, and prepared for any emergency situations.
- Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio by Rocky Talkie — These are the walkie talkies I bring along when climbing multi-pitch routes so I can make sure I can stay connected with my partners. They’re super durable and have a 3-5 day battery life which is amazing on longer trips. My favorite part about them, though, is that they have a carabiner attachment and backup leash built into their case that you can clip right to your harness or backpack for easy access. Take 10% off your order with my code “COOPER-10”!
- Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus by Garmin — This is the satellite communicator I trust with my life, and I love that Garmin upgraded the inReach Mini 3 to allow you to send photos and voice messages in addition to the normal texts and SOS signals. It also responds to voice commands and has a color touch-screen display, which makes it super easy to use on the go.
- Petzl Swift RL Headlamp by Petzl — This is my favorite headlamp to use for serious climbs and adventures. It weighs in at only 100 grams, and yet it can cast up to 1,100 lumens which allows you to see up to 155 meters away. My favorite feature is that it has a reactive mode (with a minimum of 7 hours of battery life!) that senses ambient light and adjusts automatically to help you see what you need to so you can focus on the task at hand and not on adjusting its brightness.
