Elías de Andrés-Martos
Growing up in a multigenerational family of blacksmiths in Spain taught me values I carry today when venturing up mountains around the globe. A dedicated teenager to Track & Field (I can say I did OK if getting college paid for by chasing others around a track counts) added a physical gain that would pay back as I initiated myself in the world of climbing; nothing like learning to embrace the pains and suffering of exertion. Immersed in conflict about my future, I decided to jump the Atlantic from Europe to pursue my two true passions: mountain climbing and my American girlfriend, now wife (and No. 1 climbing partner) of nearly 20 years.
I’ve been guiding and instructing in the U.S. for 15 laps around the sun, and I strive to be a mentor (not just your vacation provider) for my climbing guests in what I hope is a long trajectory of well-thought-out mountain objectives, achieved through a logical progressio—you don’t want to be the guy who learns cramponing at Everest Base Camp, do you? Ice climbing is the discipline I’m the most passionate about. Rock climbing in the sun isn’t bad, but nothing beats scaling a frozen waterfall, and I can’t really ski, so …) Putting ice and rock skills to work together on a big mountain is the ultimate for me, and what I’ll try to convince you to do if we cross paths!
I currently hold certification as an AMGA Alpine Guide, FEDME (Spain) Mountaineering Instructor, Wilderness First Responder, and a Leave No Trace Instructor.
Over the last 25 years, I’ve climbed on ranges from the Alps to the Andes, and from the Himalaya to Alaska, where nearly 40 expeditions into the peaks of the Central Alaska Range make these mountains my favorite in the world, closely followed by a decade of exploration in Nepal. I call the enchanted small town of Ouray, CO my home, where besides being an ice, rock, and mountaineering instructor, I live, play, and train when not in a tent somewhere remote and nearly hypoxic.
