The biggest variable that is completely out of your control as a climber, and will make the difference between a safe and successful climb (or an Alaska Range suffer fest), is the weather. There is nothing you can do to change the weather, but with good Denali weather forecasts you can maximize your opportunity to…
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Written by Denali guide Marcus Bailado Climbing Denali is hard. The mountain doesn’t care who you are or what you have been through. It will push you further physically and mentally than you thought you were capable of. Sometimes we summit, and other times we do not, but every time we grow. Success on Denali…
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In a piece for the Telluride Daily Planet, ski and alpine guide Maddie Crowell explains how she snacks for peak performance in the mountains. Check out her full piece here. Snack Often (aka avoid the Hanger) Snack breaks are arguably the best part of snacking. It’s important to snack well, but also often. Most…
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Reaching Baseline for Your First Backcountry Season with Kaylee Walden, Mountain Trip backcountry ski guide and avalanche educator The following is an excerpt from a Mountain Trip collaboration with SheJumps, in which our female guides share their tips and tricks of the trade. Visit the SheJumps blog to read the rest of the piece…
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How do you know if you are ready for Mount Everest? By: Bill Allen Himalaya Program Director (3 time Everest Summiter) The difficulty and challenges involved in a Mount Everest climb have, in some spaces, been totally over-hyped with people equating it with a death defying experience only for the most incredible athletes, and in…
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Fueling for Endurance in the Mountains Bill Allen One of the most important things you can do to stay strong on long days on the mountain is to keep your body fueled so that you can perform well today and recover for another big day tomorrow! It turns out that coffee and doughnuts might not…
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The question “When is the best time to climb Denali” is not an easy one to answer, and one that we get nearly every day here at the Mountain Trip HQ, what we call the “million dollar question”. Todd Rutledge, co-owner of Mountain Trip and Denali guide for over 20 years put together the following…
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On Saturday July 23rd we lost a beloved member of the Mountain Trip family and our extended climbing and guiding community. Gary Falk, a husband and father of two rambunctious boys and a highly respected guide died while guiding on the Grand Teton in Wyoming. Gary was a consummate professional and a fully certified…
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As guides, we often have opportunities to go to remarkable places around the globe. It’s hard to pick real favorite trips, but whenever I think about trips that are generally just plain fun and enjoyable, I tend to think of Aconcagua. My first time up the mountain was in 1996, when my mentor on Denali,…
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Mountain Trip seeks the best guides in the business. Our guides are well traveled, highly knowledgeable, professional and awesome people. But, don’t take it from us, get to know our guides for yourself! Nick Shepherd joined the Mountain Trip family in 2006 and epitomizes the adventurous spirit of the guiding life. Nick packs a lot…
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