Meet the Team
The faces behind Remarkably Human Adventures
Roderick Russell
Founder, Lead Guide & Educator
A native of New England, Roderick has traveled the world in many capacities over the past two decades, coaching, guiding and teaching his clients and audiences how to perform their best while at the edge of their comfort zones.
His own climbing career began in Alaska, where his first experience was ice climbing on a glacier with a guide. Immediately taken by the experience and recognizing the potential of the mountains and climbing to deliver transformative experiences, he began a relentless pursuit of education and exploration which ultimately led to finding fulfillment in facilitating similar opportunities for others, from complete beginner to seasoned athlete.
In addition to his work as a rock climbing guide and instructor, Roderick is also a professional speaker and world-record-holding sword swallower. An unusual pursuit to be sure, and one that is often called the “holy grail of mind-over-body stunts.” On stage and in workshops, Roderick combines the lessons learned from being a sword swallower – and pushing his own comfort zone – with those of a rock climber and guide, to provide the techniques and tools necessary to approach, work with and succeed under the stress of challenging thoughts and situations. He speaks to corporations, organizations and schools in the United States and abroad, while also working with coaching clients one-on-one.
While his speaking and educational work has taken him all over, Roderick has also climbed, trekked and adventured all across the United States and Canada, Central America, Europe, South Asia and in the Himalaya.
Roderick’s work has been featured in many places, with highlights including the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, CNN, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Forbes, Inc. Magazine and the Guinness Book of World Records, as well as countless radio, television and newspaper interviews across the country.
Between his work in the field and on-stage as a presenter, he currently reaches over 50,000 people each year, live and in-person. He’s also been active in broadcast media, including having created and hosted Remarkably Human Radio, a podcast which skyrocketed to the number one spot on the iTunes charts, and has been heard in over 130 countries.
He is certified by and a professional member of the American Mountain Guides Association and serves on the Board of Directors of CRAG-VT, one of the oldest and most successful non-profit climbing conservation and advocacy organizations in the country.
When not traveling or in the mountains, Roderick resides in Burlington, Vermont with his wife Gwen.
Adventure shouldn’t wait until tomorrow.
We are based in beautiful
Burlington, Vermont
While our programs take us all over the country, we are proud to call Vermont home.
Not only is Vermont a beautiful state, it provides us easy access to the best climbing in the Northeast, including the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Adirondacks in New York, and of course the Green Mountains right at our doorstep.
As climbers, we proudly support our local climbing organizations and are advocates for conscientious access to the outdoors, conservation of our land and resources and the protection of our wildlife.