Jesse Wright
I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, where my passion for the outdoors sprouted as a young child. My family and I would often take vacations or spend weekends up to the White Mountains to go skiing every chance we got, which I believe is where my love for enduring the cold originated.
After high school I moved to Colorado to study Environmental Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. My studies helped expand my perspective and respect for the natural world while I learned about the important relationships between plants, animals, and the planet as a whole. When I wasn’t in class, I was either climbing or snowboarding in the mountains close by.
My junior year I was fortunate enough to partake in an Environmental Studies program in Alaska. I was sent to a remote town in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, where I helped compile weeks of in-the-field research. It was Alaska that truly opened the door for me; I fell in love with Alaska immediately. I got a job working at a local guiding operation in McCarthy, AK leading glacier hikes, remote backpacking trips, and came to run the ice climbing program throughout my eight years with the company. At that point in my life I was splitting my time between Alaska and Colorado. My winters in Colorado were spent guiding backcountry skiing and ice climbing in the Vail area. After a few years of back-and-forth between Alaska and Colorado, I decided to make the big move to Alaska in 2017.
My winters in Alaska are spent working and guiding at a remote lodge in the Alaska Range and guiding helicopter-accessed ice climbing. In the spring I transition to Denali season and work as the logistics and operations director for Mountain Trip, before leading a trip myself. I have been working for Mountain Trip since 2017.
I’m a certified Wilderness First Responder, AMGA Apprentice Alpine Guide, hold my AIARE Level 1 and 2 as well as Avalanche Pro 1, and am member of Wrangell St. Elias Search and Rescue.
When I’m not guiding, I enjoy spending time with my wife and teaching my new daughter about my passion for the outdoors.
