Blaine Smith

Blaine has been guiding and teaching in the Alaska Range since 1989 and working with AMS since 1996. He was born and raised in Alaska and enjoys sharing this beautiful landscape with others. Blaine teaches and speaks at the AMS yearly staff training on such topics as guide professionalism and the physics of climbing systems, and he leads AMS custom courses. The depth of his climbing and guiding experience combined with his easygoing personality give Blaine the unique qualities it takes to be a life-long mountain guide. Besides summiting Denali 12 times, he has climbed hundreds of peaks in other mountains in Alaska and Canada, including Mt. Blackburn, Marcus Baker, Mt. Logan, King Peak, and Mt. Sanford.

His travels have taken him to Yosemite, Ecuador, Mexico, and Argentina. Blaine is also busy as a carpenter, and as a poet. Blaine is the AMS resident engineer, scientist (mad), and mathematician, to name just a few. Blaine is an instructor and board member at Alaska Avalanche School and is certified as Wilderness First Responder and Leave No Trace Trainer.

He has been an instructor with Rigging For Rescue and is keeping very busy in his retirement from his work with the Alaska State Parks. He lives with his wife at the end of the road in Eagle River, Alaska.