Ron Funderburke

As the CMS Director of Education, Ron Funderburke is a career educator, writer, guide, and servant of the climbing community.

As a writer, his instructional books are available through FalconGuides and include the following titles: Climbing: First Timer to Gym Climber, Climbing: Gym to Rock, Climbing: Knots, Climbing: Protection, Climbing: Toproping to Sport, Climbing: Sport to Trad, Climbing: Single Pitch to Multipitch, Climbing: Rock to Ice. Ron was also a contributing editor on Rock Climbing: The AMGA Single Pitch Manual. You can also read his work throughout Know the Ropes publications from the American Alpine Club, Rock and Ice, Gym Climber, and Climbing magazines.

As an educator, Ron began his career in the classroom at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, but his passion for teaching rock, ice, and alpine climbing has always drawn him into the mountains. Ron teaches for the AMGA as a trainer of AMGA Single Pitch Instructor providers around the country, and he is also a trainer of AMGA Climbing Wall Instructor providers. Additionally, Ron has taught AMGA SPI and CWI programs extensively throughout the country, and he can’t resist teaching climbers at all levels as well. Ron is also available as an education consultant to help climbing schools and climbing programs innovate and audit staff training, curricula, and programming. As Ron likes to say, he’s a teacher, a teacher of teachers, and a teacher of teachers’ teachers. Ron serves CMS as the Director of Education, where he strives to make CMS’ guides the most effective climbing educators of the most accurate and modern content in the country.

As a guide, Ron is an AMGA certified Rock and Alpine Guide. He teaches and facilitates all CMS products in Rock, Alpine, and Ice, and his extensive travels and experience broadens his range of availability from Colorado to every US state, territory, and abroad.

As a servant of the climbing community, Ron serves on the AMGA Board of Directors, the UIAA Training Panel and Mountaineering Commission, and he is the Education Chair for his local chapter of the American Alpine Club. Perhaps most importantly, his career and volunteerism are all borrowed time from his favorite climbing partners and lifetime adventure team: his wife, Mary, and his sons, Ronnie and James.