Char Tomlinson
Guide, cartographer, GIS specialist, and lover of all things topographic.
I have a deep passion for adventure and exploration. Whether it's traversing rugged terrains or mapping trends, art, or experiences, I thrive on the brink of risk and reward.
Char grew up in the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and got her start climbing early on classic east coast crags like Seneca Rocks. After making the move to California to pursue outdoor education, she started climbing in the Sierra and has never looked back. She is a graduate from UC Berkeley Geography where she studied mapping, geomorphology and geographic theory, with a keen interest in topography and anticolonial mapping practices.
Char is based all over the West Coast, with seasonal ties to the North Cascades, Smith Rock, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, and Indian Creek.
AMGA Assistant Rock Guide, Apprentice Alpine Guide. Certified SPI.
C.V.
CHAR RAMWELL TOMLINSON
AMGA Assistant Rock Guide, Apprentice Alpine Guide, and Geospatial Information Specialist
EDUCATION
University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA
Bachelor of Arts in Geography(GPA: 3.98) 2023 Co-founder of GIS Community of Practice, “Campus wide Geospatial Community and Opportunity Network”
Awards: Department of Geography Commencement Award-Service
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Verticality and volumetric landscapes, geomorphology, critical cartography/GIS, remote sensing, participatory mapping, environmental justice, relational epistemologies, ecosystem interactions, outdoor access, climate change effects, risk in mountainous terrain, climbing accident trends, political ecology
RESEARCH POSITIONS
Fall 2022 - Spring 2023 studio.geo-? Researcher | UC Berkeley, Department of Geography “Disorienting the Map: Alternative Cartographies for Alternative Futures.”
P.I., Professor Clancy Wilmott
Fall 2021 - Spring 2023 URAP Apprentice | UC Berkeley, Department of Geography “Building Partnerships for Participatory and Collaborative Community Mapping”
P.I., Professor Clancy Wilmott
Spring 2021 URAP Apprentice | UC Berkeley, Risk Resilience Research Lab, “Transforming justice services and supervision”
P.I., Professor Jennifer Skeem
RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE
Guide and Cartographer | Berkeley Geography, Nepal, Fall 2024-Present
Spent one month as an assistant guide for Professor Kurt Cuffey in the
Kanchenjunga Region of the Nepali Himalaya. Ensured the success of the trip
through support and planning. Currently working on creating geo-visualizations, maps, and data visualizations of debris-covered glaciers for Cuffey’s upcoming work. Programs using: ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, Adobe Illustrator, QGIS, Gaia GPS
Cartographer/GIS Specialist | Freelance, Remote, 2023-Present
Published maps for navigation to climbing and bouldering routes in Rock
Climbing and Bouldering in the Chuckanut Mountains, a guidebook by Jason Martin. Programs used: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Gaia GPS
Mountain Guide | American Alpine Institute, WA, OR, CA, NV, 2023-Present
Leads clients and teaches students in technical mountainous terrain
(i.e. glaciated and crevassed stratovolcanoes, vertical rock faces and spires, waterfall ice flows, and alpine ecosystems). Usually ranging from 1-12 days. Scheduled to Guide Denali in May 2025 (24 days). Founding member: Washington State Guiding Association. Companies worked for: American Alpine Institute, Kaf Adventures, Mountain Bureau, North Cascade Heli-Skiing, Athena Rock Climbing, REI Local Experiences.
Remote Sensing Analyst | NASA Develop, Remote, Spring 2024
Completed a 10 week feasibility study mapping Urban Heat Island Effects in
Bridgeport, Connecticut for the purposes of future Green Infrastructure placement. Developed a “Social Vulnerability Index” using census data and created the
Principal Component Analysis in R Studio. Programs used: R Studio, Google Earth Engine, ArcPro, QGIS, and Adobe Illustrator.
Lead Mountain Instructor | Outward Bound USA, 2021-Present
Leads students on 12-30 day expeditions in the High Sierra and the North
Cascades. Focuses on the intersection of technical skills and affinity programming for Women, Non-Bianry and Queer students. Specializes in teaching off-trail
navigation in alpine environments, facilitating meaningful connections. Bases worked on: Northwest Outward Bound School, Outward Bound California
REPRESENTATIVE PAPERS & PROJECTS
Published Work
Tomlinson, C.R., Kirsch, S., Roseto M., Hocknell, J., “Bridgeport Urban Development: Leveraging NASA Earth Observations and Sociodemographic Data to Assess Urban Heat Vulnerability and Inform Cool Corridors in Bridgeport, Connecticut”
Martin, J.D., “Rock Climbing and Bouldering in the Chuckanut Mountains” (Cartography by Tomlinson, C.R.)
Representative Work
Tomlinson, C. R. “An exploration of shaping landscapes: The North Cascades: Exogenic processes and environmental phenomena”
Tomlinson, C. R. “Reported Climbing Accidents in the American West: Proportions of Accidents within the Region (2015-2020)”
Tomlinson, C. R., Moorehead, J., Camillos, M. “Modeling campgrounds in Yosemite National Park: Designing Alternative Pedestrian Access”
Tomlinson, C. R. “Mapping Movements of the San Francisco Bay Area”
Tomlinson, C. R. “Geographies of Spotify: Cocoons, Cyborgs, Surveillance, and the City”
Tomlinson, C. R. & Wood, A. E. “Platform, Space, Affect: Location in Spotify's Emotional Landscape”
PRESENTATIONS & LECTURES
Published Presentations
2024 Tomlinson, C.R., Kirsch, S., Roseto M., Hocknell, J. “Bridgeport Urban Development: Leveraging NASA Earth Observations and Sociodemographic Data to Assess Urban Heat Vulnerability and Inform Cool Corridors in Bridgeport, Connecticut”
Other Presentations
2023 Tomlinson, C. R. “Mapping Projections”, GIS Community of Practice Map Week, Berkeley, CA
2022 Tomlinson, C. R. & Wilmott, C “Rematriating the Map: Indigenous Cartographies for Alternative Futures”, UC GIS Week, Berkeley CA
2019 Tomlinson, C. R. & Dolphin, D. “Queer Ecology: Inclusive Teaching Methods” AEOE (Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education) Conference. Placerville, CA
AWARDS
2023 Department of Geography Commencement Awards: Service ($500)
2023 American Mountain Guide Association Grants for Rock and Alpine Guide Tract Courses, American Alpine Institute ($2000)
2022 Guide Like Liz Daley Scholarship, American Alpine Institute, Bellingham, WA ($2500)
2022 Scotty McAndrew’s Professional Development Fund, Outward Bound California, ($1000 for attending the National Outdoor Leadership School Conference in Burlington, Vermont)
2021 Scotty McAndrew’s Professional Development Fund, Outward Bound California ($550 for Avalanche 1 and Single Pitch Instructor Certifications)
TEACHING
University Teaching
Fall 2021 Undergraduate Student Instructor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology: Introduction to Human Physiology Lecturer Robin Ball UC Berkeley
Professional Teaching
2019-2020 Farm and Wilderness Program Coordinator/Youth Leadership and Development Intern, Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hills, CA
2018-2019 Americorps Garden Teacher, Education Outside: The Chinese Immersion School at Deavila, San Francisco, CA
CERTIFICATIONS
Professional Associations
2024 – Assistant Level Rock Guide (AMGA)
2024 – AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Rescue
2023 – Apprentice Level Alpine Guide (AMGA)
2023 – Leave No Trace Trainer
2022 – Single Pitch Instructor Certification (AMGA)
2022 – Wilderness First Responder
RELEVANT SKILLS
ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, QGIS, Geospatial Platforms (Mapbox, Leaflet, CARTO), Front-EndDevelopment (novice level)(CSS/HTML, JavaScript, web design), Python, R, Java, Adobe Suite(Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), Statistical Analysis