Before establishing Tenaya, Jose Luis had already participated in the development and design of world-renowned rock shoe models, which he initially began researching while studying at university. He lives surrounded by mountains, in a region of Spain with a long tradition in the design and manufacture of footwear.
Jose Luis splits his time between travelling the world with climbing expeditions (establishing numerous first ascents not only on El Capitán but on Fitz Roy and other virgin walls in the Andes of South America) and competitive sailing, a sport in which he has participated in four world championships and has, in fact, been the champion of Spain. Obsessed with producing the perfect climbing shoe, Jose Luis uses everything he has learnt from his experiences in the mountains and on the water. His philosophy is simple: maximum performance is the ultimate objective and is the basis of all Tenaya’s designs.