Mountain Trip guides have climbed and guided all over the mountains
of the world. Our lead Denali guides have all climbed the mountain at least five times, and most of them have 10 or more ascents under their boots. All of our guides hold current medical certifications and are trained in the latest mountain safety protocols.
Their goal is to ensure you have an enjoyable,
safe and successful climb. Climbing any big mountain is serious and you should have high standards for whomever you choose as your guide.
: What can we say about the founder and spiritual
head of Mountain Trip? His resume of ascents in Alaska is
legendary: the first ascent of the SW. Face of Mooses
Tooth, the first winter ascent of Mt. Hunter and the second
ascent of the NW Buttress of Denali, to merely name a few… He
cut his climbing teeth in Yosemite Valley where he and Charlie
Porter did the first ascent of The Shield on El Cap. Hidden
Peak, the Kangshung Face on Mount Everest, Pik Lenin have
all felt the poke of Gary’s ice axe. A certified AMGA Alpine Guide, he currently lives
in Anchorage, but spends a fair amount of time at his family
cabin in Yosemite or in the high desert country of Utah. Above all for the members of the Mountain
Trip family, Gary is our mentor, advisor and favorite uncle
rolled into one.
: Todd has 16
years of experience guiding in Alaska (including 16 Denali
expeditions), South America, Antarctica, the Himalayas, Carstensz Pyramid and in Europe.
An avid rock and ice climber; he has climbed numerous Big
Walls and has guided successful ascents of Patagonian towers.
While he spends a lot of time in the office as co-owner of Mountain Trip, he still gets out in the hills and he led a trip up the seldom climbed West Buttress Direct on Denali in 2007. Todd resides in Ophir, CO, living the dream with his wife Lisa, their boys Logan and Dalton, and their
Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Lola.
: Bill has 13
years of experience leading trips throughout Alaska, including
twenty expeditions to Mt McKinley. He has guided on Mount Vinson, Kilimanjaro,
Carstenz Pyramid, led 12 trips to Aconcagua in Argentina
and many expeditions to Nepal. He was up on the West Rib of Denali in 2005 and on Mount Foraker in '06. The co-owner of Mountain Trip, Bill lives in Ophir's famous "Cabin 3" with his wife, and fellow Mountain Trip guide, Sonja Nelson.
: Sue joined Mountain Trip
to lead the original Women's Expedition in 1983 and has
been an integral part of the company ever since. A very experienced
climber, Sue has
climbed and guided in Alaska, Russia, the Alps, Pakistan
and Nepal. She was a member of the first successful women ’s
ascent of Ama Dablam and is a champion cyclist and Nordic skier. Over
the years she has helped hundreds, if not thousands, of children working
as a physical therapist for the Alaska Public School System. The Mountain
Trip family is really fortunate to have Sue as one of our role models.
: An Alaskan school teacher,
Kirby has been guiding for Mountain Trip for over ten years. He did
his first Denali Traverse in 1989 and has climbed extensively in the
Chugach Mountains. Kirby’s winning smile and unceasingly positive
attitude have earned him accolades from climbers over the years. Kirby
may have caught the bug from his father, who also guided for Mountain
Trip. We can only hope that he ’ll pass the bug on to his sons, Karsten and Korben.
: Mountain Trip's
Big Wall ace is equally at home in the Alaska Range, South
America or running it out on sketchy gear on El Cap. He has
numerous Denali ascents under his belt including two traverses of the mountain and is a strong technical
rock and ice climber. His skill and tenacity on steep rock
is mirrored by his willingness and ability to undertake the
craziest construction projects in his community of Salmon
Beach, WA.
: A full-time Alaskan;
Ryan leads Denali, Aconcagua, Africa, Antarctica and Nepal expeditions. "Ryan's contagious strength of will got us to the top" is a common comment we get from folks on his trips. Ever confident, competent and always upbeat, he spends his winters
teaching telemark skiing and fighting his way up
mixed climbs in South Central Alaska. Ryan led a group to the summit of Carstensz Pyramid in August of 2005 and to the top of Mount Everest in the spring of '07.
: Zach has guided fourteen Denali expeditions and we’re psyched to have him back leading trips for us in 2008. His confidence-inspiring demeanor has the uncanny ability to enable tired climbers dig deep to find that inner reserve needed to make the summit. He’s climbed extensively in the Alaska Range and the Chugach. Zach is one of Mountain Trip's "Guide Magnet Award" recipients, which helped enable him to push a new route up the Bear's Tooth in April, 2007.
: Bill lives in Anchorage, Alaska but is looking forward to moving to the Bush. He graduated from Alaska Pacific University with an Outdoor Studies degree in 2003 and has worked in the mountains since then. He has been with Mountain Trip since 2001 and has worked on ten Denali expeditions and has guided other ascents in the Alaska Range. Bill is a passionate climber, guide and instructor and enjoys sharing his love for all things mountainous.
: Sonja began guiding in Alaska in the summer of 2000 to find some balance with her wintertime profession of ski patrolling at Telluride. She has guided in Nepal as well as on Denali and will be back on the mountain in 2007. When not guiding for Mountain Trip, Sonja works as a biologist for Alaska Fish and Game and is a ski guide at Silverton Mountain in Colorado. Congratulations to her for her recent marriage to MT co-owner, Bill Allen!
: Dave is the consummate guide and has been guiding Denali and big mountains for over twenty five years. He is one of the original spirits behind the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and is a certified Ski Mountaineering and Alpine Guide. Dave has led six Denali expeditions for us over the past three seasons and although he's lost track of how many Denali climbs he's led, the number is probably over thirty. We are proud to still have him working for us and his breadth of experience adds an extra dimension to any expedition he leads. This Alaskan made the first solo winter ascent of Denali's West Rib!
Heidi has been guiding around the world for over a decade and we are thrilled to have her on board as one of our lead Denali guides. One of the select few female, AMGA Certified Alpine Guides, she's based in Aspen, CO and does it all; guiding rock, ice and big alpine routes. : "Durny" is another resident Alaskan who Heli-ski guides in the Chugach Mountains during the winter. During the summer he guides wild Alaskan rivers and slays fish on fishing boats when he's not guiding Denali. This wild man guided Denali three times each season in 2005 and 2007! Off seasons, he can be found surfing down in Baja.
: Known in many circles as "Pi"; Peter has been climbing and guiding around the world for decades. He is the assistant avalanche forcaster for the Telluride Ski Resort during the winter and has participated on six Denali expeditions. Strong and solid as they come, he's an asset to any team. In 2007, after guiding two trips to the summit, Pi went back on his own and climbed and skied from both the north and south summits of Denali!
: A rising star, both in the guiding community as well as in the world of photography, Drew has proven himself an asset to Mountain Trip. He joined the Mountain Trip family in 2003 and has livened up five Denali trips with his high altitude slack-lining. He is a solid rope gun who loves climbing hard crack routes in the desert. If you find yourself in Ophir, check out the 120 year old mining cabin he's restored. Drew is another Magnet Award recipient, which he used to help take an AMGA Rock Instructor Course.
: We met David in Telluride, CO a few winters ago and were impressed with his good energy and boundless enthusiasm to go rally in the backcountry of the San Juans.He's worked as a mountain guide for Shasta Mountain Guides for years and has been in the Mountain Trip family for the past three seasons. Climbers on his expeditions love him and we were excited to have him back in 2007. He is working on his AMGA certification and guided Carstensz Pyramid for us in September of '05.
: Our "Rookie of the Year" in 2005 guided four more trips up Denali in 2006 and 2007. Dave is one of the few climbers to have summitted Denali from the North Side. I would expect you'd see a snippet of Dave in the dictionary next to the term,"infectious good energy." Dave was a recipient of Mountain Trip's 2006 Guide Magnet Award to help him pursue his AMGA certification.
: Kevin came to us on loan from San Juan Mountain Guides in 2005 and we don't want to give him back (Sorry Clint!). A true professional with boundless optimism and a serious work ethic, Kevin climbs hard ice all winter around Ouray, Colorado and has guided four Denali climbs as well as a Mount Foraker expedition for us. He is another Magnet Award recipient, which helped him take his AMGA Alpine Guide course this past July.
: We were really happy to have Clint join us on Denali in 2005. He is a fully certified AMGA/IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide who runs San Juan Mountain Guides in Ouray, CO. They offer a variety of quality climbs and instructional courses in Southwest Colorado and Southeast Utah in addition to international trips. Check them out at: www.ourayclimbing.com Clint guides loads of technical routes for us in Alaska.
: Nate joined the Mountain Trip family in 2005 for a trip up the West Rib and guided for us in the Ruth gorge in 2007. He is a super competent rock and ice climber who has organized and led expeditions around the world. Nate, an AMGA certified Rock Guide, owns and runs Southwest Adventure Guides in Durango, CO. We think they run great trips in the Southwest as well as in South America, so check out their website at: www.mtnguide.net
: Michael is a local Alaska climber who joined Mountain Trip in 2006. He's climbed on Denali and Mount Hunter and is pursuing an English degree at the University of Alaska at Anchorage.
: Jacob joined the Mountain Trip clan in 2007 and did a great job for us on two Denali climbs. He's guided all over the world, most recently in Pakistan on Spantik and on Cho Oyu in Tibet. He's a Big Wall aficionado as well as a super personable, hard working guide. Check out his work in progress website here.
: Zoe is a full time guide and outstanding all around climber. In 2005 she joined Heidi Kloos as one of the half dozen or so female AMGA Certified Alpine guides. Her engaging demeanor brings out the best in all who climb with her. She is certain to put the "Rock Star back into rock climbing!" Zoe is also an aspiring author and we invite you to check out her blog here.
: A long-time Mountain Trip and AMGA Certified Alpine Guide; Scott is available for private expeditions in Alaska and virtually anywhere in the world. He has been guiding Denali for 25 years and has been on top 30 times. He has summitted Everest three times via two routes and has climbed, guided and put up first ascents around the globe. His company Adventures International is based in Hood River, OR.
: Another long-time Mountain Trip guide and a fully certified AMGA/UIAGM/IFMGA Mountain Guide; Rodrigo keeps busy running his own company, Aventuras Patagonicas. Rodrigo has guided 24 Denali expeditions and 28 Aconcagua climbs. He's climbed and guided all over South America, the Himalaya the Alps and Antarctica.
: "Kremer" is like the sun in that she is energetic and radiates that feeling that everything's gonna be all right... She's guided for years in the Alaska Range and has helped develop some of the best rock climbing areas in Alaska. When she's not in the Alaska range she guides Rivers near Chickaloon, AK and spends her winters heli-ski guiding in Valdez.
: "Farmer" joined the family to lead our 2005 Denali ski trip to the summit and came back for more in 2006. He's an IFMGA Certified Guide and guides ice in Ouray Colorado, backcountry skiing in Silverton and alpine climbing in the Alps when he's not in Alaska.
: 2007 will be Kim's third season guiding on Denali for Mountain Trip. When not guiding in the Alaska Range, Kim ski guides at Silverton Mountain in Colorado and in the Chugach Mountains out of Valdez, AK. Kim is a boundless supplier of smiles and good energy. She's tough, skilled and super fun! : Born and raised in the Wasatch Mountains (Salt Lake City, UT), Clark started guiding for Mountain Trip in 2001, when he moved to Alaska . He is a year-round, professional ski and climbing guide with multiple guided ascents on Denali, Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Vinson Massif , and more. In 2005, he received the 'Denali Pro- Mountaineer of the Year Award' from the National Park Service. When not climbing, Clark works as a Lead Heli-Ski guide for Chugach Powder Guides in Girdwood , AK , as well as in Chile for Valle Nevado. In 2007, Clark lead a ski expedition on Denali where the team was able to claim 4 first descents. He spends his time-off on the beaches of Baja searching for waves...
: Paul has been guiding in Alaska and beyond for decades. His name is synonymous with first ascents in areas as diverse as Zion and Little Switzerland. We are thrilled to have him in the Mountain Trip family. Paul guides heli-skiing out of Valdez as well as runs many of the rivers of South Central Alaska when he's not climbing and guiding in the Alaska Range.
: Sherrie is an Alaskan who lives in Chugiak. She guided two Denali trips for us in 2005 and was back on the mountain in '07. She's climbed in Africa and South America and picks her way up hard ice during the winter in Alaska. She recently became engaged to our long-time senior guide Ryan Campbell- Good on you, Sherrie!
: Daymond is a veteran Denali and Aconcagua
guide and also guides in Nepal. His fluent Spanish and
amiable personality receive rave reviews from our clients.
Daymond
also runs one of the tastiest salmon smokeries in Southeast
Alaska, Dejon Delights (try their peppered smoked halibut).
: Doctor Robb, as we call him, is in his final
year of residency in Albuquerque, yet still gets in more
climbing than should be legal. We lost him to the National
Park Service in 2004 when he worked as a volunteer doctor
on an NPS patrol on Denali, but expect to have him back soon.
He’s guided in South America as well as on Denali and
tenaciously sweats out hard aid routes on big walls such
as El Cap when he gets a few days off from his rounds at
the hospital.
: Currently the
Office Manager of Mountain Trip, Lisa began guiding in Alaska
in 1994, following a couple of seasons working in Antarctica.
She is another school teacher by trade and has taught Alaskan
youths out on the Aleutian islands in the town of Dutch Harbor.
She grew homesick, however, and now teaches in Telluride,
Colorado where she skis the backcountry with Todd and their
Chessy, Lola . If she answers your phone call, listen for
the voice of their cute little boys Logan and Dalton in the background.
Some of the crew at Camp 3 on Denali in 2007.
From left to right: Peter Inglis, Todd Rutledge, Kim Grant, Drew Ludwig,
Heidi Kloos, Chris Kerrick and Dave Ahrens at bottom
Future Mountain Guides Logan and Dalton Rutledge
|
