Zac Kitay

Zac Kitay has been helping grow climbing communities for seven years. His career in the climbing industry has taken him through almost every aspect of gym operations, from front desk staff and youth instruction to routesetting, event planning, marketing, and brand development.

His first job was as a climbing instructor and front desk employee the day he turned 16 at a climbing gym in Stamford, Connecticut, and he's been working in climbing gyms ever since. He earned a degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Media Arts and Production from the University of Kansas, a background that now helps his work in storytelling, marketing, content creation, and community engagement within the climbing industry.

Some of his favorite gym memories include creating a 37-foot mural outside Climb Lawrence in Lawrence, Kansas and developing Bark n' Board, a dog-adoption Kilter Board charity competition in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Today, Zac combines his passion for climbing with creative storytelling at Shift. When he's not planning the next gym gathering or Instagram post, he's usually trying new restaurants, drawing, or listening to records. His favorite climbing trips have been to Northwest Arkansas, where the world-class sandstone, unique climbing features, and welcoming climbing community keep him coming back year after year.