James Lucas writes stories, takes pictures, makes films, and rock climbs.

A climber for over half his life, James takes storytelling as seriously as possible for a man who does occasional stand-up. Dedicated to embedding himself in the scene and learning all that he can, James’s stories blend wit with facts, creating compelling narratives that draw his audience into his world.

Dean Fidelman photo of James during a night session of Camp 4’s Midnight Lightning.

Dean Fidelman photo of James during a night session of Camp 4’s Midnight Lightning.

Experience:

In the past 11 months my two co-authors and I finished self-publishing the 463-page Yosemite Valley Bouldering Guide. We have successfully sold over 40% of our print run since mid-October.

For the four years prior, I worked as a senior associate editor at Climbing Magazine. I edited and wrote features, scheduled articles for the magazine, assisted with layout and design, provided photos and helped with photo editing, managed payment, and facilitated the development of new writers.

I am experienced with Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as Adobe Lightroom, Premiere, and InDesign.  

Education

Graduated with a degree in Economics and Business Management from the University of Santa Cruz in 2008

Work:

Senior Associate Editor at Climbing Magazine Spring 2016-2020 for 30 issues

 Freelance publications with Adventure Journal, Alpinist, California Climber, The Cleanest Line, Climbing, Outside Online, Trainingbeta.com, Rock & Ice, The Stone Masters: Climbers in the Seventies and other print and online media venues since 2005.

Touchstone Climbing- Blog writer/Content Editor of over a thousand posts from July 2009 to March 2016 with an emphasis on developing the community of the nine California climbing gyms.

Fixe Hardware- Sales Representative and Marketing work with Kevin Daniels to advertise Aliens Cams and Fixe bolts through social media, print ads and grassroots events from March 2010 until March 2016.

Prior to these jobs, I worked at Climb High in Burlington Vermont, The Yosemite Mountain Shop in Yosemite National Park, The North Face flagship store in San Francisco, and Bugaboo Mountain Sports in Santa Cruz selling outdoor equipment and clothing. 

Services

Writing
Photography
Filmmaker

Clients

Patagonia Reel Rock
Climbing Magazine Sentinel Press
The North Face Wolverine Prees
Alpinist Outdoor Gear Lab
Training Beta