THE Team
SEAN HERLIHY - CEO
ISean Herlihy is the Founder and CEO of the Special Operations Climbers Coalition (SOCC). A career Air Force Special Warfare Operator and Pararescueman (PJ), Sean is also an AMGA Apprentice Rock and Alpine Guide. Between 2003 and 2021, he deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa multiple times. Currently based in Colorado, Sean works part-time as a mountain guide with San Juan Mountain Guides in Ouray, Colorado.
Sean cut his teeth climbing while stationed in Tucson, Arizona, making frequent trips up Mt. Lemmon and out to Cochise Stronghold with friends and teammates. His love for alpinism began after several winter training trips to the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado, sparking a lifelong obsession.
The loss of teammates in combat in 2010, 2011, and 2012 profoundly impacted Sean. He turned to climbing and alpinism as a means of healing, finding peace, and pushing beyond perceived physical and mental limits.
In 2020, a close friend and fellow PJ convinced Sean to join the AMGA Rock Guide Course, setting him on a new professional path. He completed the Alpine Guide Course in 2023 and is now pursuing full certification in all disciplines as he transitions out of military service.
Sean continues to find camaraderie and purpose within the mountain guide community, particularly among fellow SOF veterans. Together, they create lasting memories of climbing and skiing in some of the world’s most stunning landscapes.
Recognizing the lack of professional development resources and financial support for veterans pursuing careers as mountain guides, Sean joined forces with Kevin Carey, Sean Evangelista, Cory Beal, and Alex Potter to establish the Special Operations Climbers Coalition. The organization empowers the next generation of veteran mountain professionals through mentorship, training, and financial assistance.
KEVIN CAREY - president
IKevin Carey retired from the Army in 2024; he served in the 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Special Forces Group, and USASOC HQ. He now works full-time with Pisgah Climbing School. He is pursuing his AMGA rock and alpine certifications, and struggles occasionally to stay clipped-in to some skis.
Kevin lives in Brevard, NC, and does most of his climbing around Western North Carolina. He makes regular trips to the Pacific Northwest, New Hampshire, and Colorado to climb with the SOCC crew and his co-workers from Pisgah Climbing School.
Grew up in Central California racing dirt bikes and competing in endurance sports. Even though I was only 90 minutes from Yosemite National Park I never rock climbed until later in life. Joined the military at 18 years of age and became an Air Force Pararescuemen (PJ). Through our training I fell in love with climbing. After multiple deployments climbing became one of the few things in life that offered such clarity and purpose. It provided a healthy outlet to aid in the transition from combat to civilian living.
This love for climbing has led me to pursue formal accreditation through the AMGA. I’m currently an Assistant Rock Guide. I have been fortunate enough to climb all throughout the Western United States and Alaska. Some of my favorite places include Elephants Perch, Idaho, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Red Rocks, Nevada. While I enjoy all types of climbing, technical granite face will always be near and dear to my heart.
I am also extremely passionate about medicine and have been able to blend this with my love of climbing. I’ve had the pleasure of working as a Climbing Ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park for multiple seasons where we respond to severely injured visitors throughout the park. I’m a Nationally Registered Paramedic, Flight Paramedic, Fellow in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, and have my Diploma in Mountain Medicine.
CORY BEAL
ALEX POTTER
Alex is a photojournalist, trauma nurse, and co-founder of Global Response Medicine, a humanitarian non-profit bringing emergency medicine to low-resource and high-risk areas. Alex spent her early career documenting conflict in the Middle East, before spending two years as a wildland firefighter in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. She moved to Alaska to pursue a career as a Combat Rescue Officer, and while a twist of fate (and knee) changed that path, she remains passionate about mountain pursuits, far-forward medicine, and the ability to help others achieve their goals.
Sean spent twenty years in the SEAL Teams, completing ten combat deployments, and now works full-time for @sanjuanmountainguides in Ouray, CO, where he lives with his wife, Tamra. He is an AMGA Apprentice Mountain Guide pursuing certification in all three rock, alpine, and skiing disciplines. He is a certified single-pitch rock climbing instructor and an ice climbing instructor. Sean has made multiple expeditions into the Alaska Range climbing technical lines, think hands above your head type of climbing, and has guided clients to the summit of Denali.
Fun fact about Sean. He won’t watch horror movies because” They’re too damn scary”.
If you want to spend a day climbing or skiing with Sean in Colorado's San Juan mountains, email him at sean@mtnguide.net.
“I love sharing new experiences in the mountains with folks and creating great days together that are positive and unforgettable!” Sean “Evan” Evangelista