Angel Lopez

Mountain Biker

Angel was born in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and grew up moving through various cities across the country due to their parents line of work. By his early teens, Angel lived mostly between Tijuana and the Sonoran Desert. Although moving so often didn’t seem enjoyable at the time, Angel later came to appreciate the contrasts between places and the adaptability I developed along the way.

Angel’s first love was skateboarding, which they discovered at age 13. Through his teens and early twenties, they spent most of my time on a skateboard, figuring out his path. In Angel’s mid-twenties, he committed to learning tattooing—a decision that changed everything. Tattooing ultimately led Angel to rock climbing, which was love at first sight. Angel dedicated around 13 years to rock climbing, and it became deeply woven into both his lifestyle and artwork as a tattoo artist. Recently, Angel added mountain biking to his life, which has also influenced my art and approach to living.

In 2018, Angel launched a fundraiser called the Climbers Tattoo Special, where they donated 20% of each nature- or climbing-inspired tattoo to Access Fund, raising awareness about the importance of supporting nonprofits to preserve the places we love. This project ran for over a year and a half until the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterward, Angel began mountain biking and initiated a new fundraiser called Trail Luck, which supports the San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA) and remains active today.

The biggest lesson Angel has learned is to follow his heart and trust my instincts. Angel feels incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by friends and colleagues who live by similar values.

Angel is a father of three beautiful kids and husband. He also funded and co-own Outdoor Traditions Tattoo in Jamul Ca, San Diego county.