Topologist is the founder of Crash Restraint, a free online instructional database of over 200 ties, and creator of the Core Rope Curriculum, a modern educational system for bondage built from the ground up for safety, diversity, and effectiveness. He has invented numerous new techniques, most famously the Somerville Bowline, which since its introduction in 2009 has become perhaps the most widely taught tie of non-Japanese origin. He is the facilitator of Rope Bite SF, and lives in the Mission District of San Francisco, where he teaches weekly classes.

In teaching rope, Topologist also draws upon his expertise as a photographer, engineer, climber, yogi, and aerialist; he encourages students to explore the mechanics, aesthetics, and experience of bondage from multiple angles, simultaneously developing muscle memory, intuition, and rational understanding. His classes are intensively hands-on while being structured to support multiple learning styles. Topologist’s non-dogmatic approach to rope places risk awareness and adaptability at the center of the process, allowing challenging ties to be performed while honoring a bottom’s limitations and avoiding unnecessary hazards.