ROGER BRIGGS began climbing in the Flatirons near Boulder, Colorado when he was twelve years old, and later became one of the leading rock climbers of his generation. In the climbing world he is best known for establishing many of the hardest free climbs on the Diamond, a high alpine wall on Long’s Peak which he’s climbed over 100 times. He was inducted into the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 for his lifetime of climbing achievements.

After studying physics and classics at the University of Colorado, Roger jumped into the world of public-school teaching at age 22. He became a renowned educator, coach, and a beloved teacher who touched many lives over the course of his 32-year career. He built a state-class distance running program at Fairview High School that produced numerous state championship teams, and he developed a two-year AP/IB physics program that was the first of its kind in the world, inspiring hundreds of young citizen-scientists. In 2002 Roger received the prestigious Amgen Award for Teaching Excellence, nominated by his colleagues.

Since retiring from the public schools in 2005, Roger has immersed himself in writing, community building, and environmental stewardship. He has written two books: Journey to Civilization: The Science of How We Got Here (2013), a seven-year project, and Emerging World: The Evolution of Consciousness and the Future of Humanity (2021), which became a launch point for The Planet Project, in early 2021. In between literary dives into the history and future of humanity, he focused his stewardship efforts locally, founding and growing a non-profit that promoted public lands stewardship in the climbing areas of Colorado’s Front Range. He received the Access Fund’s Sharp End Award in 2017 for his contributions to climbing stewardship.

Roger lives in the mountains near Boulder with his wife MaryAnn and their two amazing dogs, Jasmine and Luna. His lifelong work to create a more just and sustainable world is also continuing in the next generation of the Briggs family via Antora Energy, the start-up of his youngest son, Justin. With a talented team of researchers, Antora is working towards a zero-carbon future by developing a promising ultra low-cost energy storage solution to enable renewable, reliable and affordable energy for communities around the world.