Originally from New Jersey, Laura has lived in Talkeetna since 1996. She has managed admissions for AMS periodically since 2010. Having participated in most of our mountaineering programs and expeditions, Laura has first-hand answers to participants’ questions and emails. She is chief motivator for “skiing lunch breaks” and guardian angel of all pets here at AMS. She works hard keeping up with all the paperwork for courses, expeditions, and workshops. In the summer Laura works as an interpretive park ranger in Denali National Park and lectures on the topic of climbing Denali, and she is a certified Wilderness First Responder and Leave No Trace Trainer. Laura enjoys skiing and exploring the entire state of Alaska by ski “joring” (skiing with her husky dog team as they pull a sled loaded with gear). She also continually works on her cabin and enjoys an active life in a small northern Alaskan town.

Bace has been working with AMS since 2013 and guides our Denali expeditions, mountaineering and wilderness courses and skills-intensive workshops, and works on film production assignments. Bace grew up with Wisconsin winters, enjoying adventure racing, Nordic skiing, and trail running. In 2010 he began his climbing career in Alaska’s Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains. Bace is about the most easygoing and happy person you will meet––combined with mental and physical strength, this makes him a great person to have on your side in the mountains. His persistence and work ethic is evident in his other life’s work as an Alaskan commercial fisherman.

A truly global explorer, Adam has been a guide with AMS since 2012. He regularly leads Denali expeditions and teaches mountaineering courses for the school. His enthusiasm for and dedication to outdoor education is evidenced not only by his work at AMS but also through guiding for Exum Mountain Guides in Grand Teton National Park and teaching for the American Avalanche Institute. A passionate skier, he accomplished the first ski descent of Denali’s West Rib (2013) and has also amassed an impressive resume of first ski descents on other big mountains in the Western United States, Canada, New Zealand, Antarctica, Chile, and Argentina. Along with these accomplishments, Adam has completed both the Teton Cathedral Traverse and the Rocky Mountain Glacier Gorge Traverse.

Andy is an emergency room physician at Providence Hospital in Anchorage and an important member of our medical consultant team. With a long history of guiding and wilderness travel, Dr. Elsberg has a unique perspective on wilderness medicine and extreme-cold, high-altitude medicine. Andy began teaching mountaineering and skiing courses in Wyoming for NOLS in 1990. He first came to Alaska to climb the north and south summits of Denali in 1993 and the following year instructed the 30-day mountaineering courses for NOLS in the Chugach and Alaska Ranges. From 1997 to 2002, Andy taught courses for AMS and guided Denali expeditions for Alaska Denali Guiding and NOLS. He has led river and hiking trips in the Brooks Range for Arctic Wild. For many years he lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he trained and raced sled dogs in mid- and long-distance races including the Copper Basin, Percy de Wolfe, and in 2003, the Yukon Quest. Andy now lives in Anchorage and is married with two children; the whole family are avid skiers.

Brian co-founded Alaska Denali Guiding (ADG) in 1983 and directed the company until 2001, when the company merged with Alaska Mountaineering School, LLC. From 1983 to 2000 Brian oversaw more than 60 expeditions to Denali. He continues to be a mentor for AMS guides and serves as a lecturer and resource for a broad range of topics concerning the Alaska Range. For over three decades, he has climbed and guided around the world and throughout Alaska. His favorite stomping grounds are near his home in Talkeetna, where he has traveled many miles by foot, ski, and dog sled exploring Alaska’s backyard. Brian’s name is referenced in nearly every Alaskan climbing guidebook, with numerous first ascents to his credit. Renowned Denali climber and photographer Bradford Washburn said it best: “Brian has as much or more history in the Alaska Range and Alaskan mountains than anyone.” He is known for his annual dog sled explorations in Alaska’s Brooks Range and his photographs, which can be seen and purchased at the AMS Mountain Shop in Talkeetna.

Diane co-founded Alaska Denali Guiding (ADG) in 1983, directing the company until 2001 and overseeing more than 60 expeditions and hundreds of climbers to Denali and the Alaska Range. Her responsibilities ranged from managing the busy office to purchasing provisions to guiding yearly Denali expeditions and backpacking trips into the remote Brooks Range. Diane and Brian sold the company in 2001 to Colby Coombs and Caitlin Palmer, who had started Alaska Mountaineering School. The two companies merged, eventually becoming Alaska Mountaineering School, LLC. Diane’s love of Alaska’s wilderness and wildlife, combined with her background in natural history, makes her an asset on any backcountry expedition. She is also known for her annual Brooks Range dog sled explorations. After mountain guiding life Diane has spent summers working for Alaska Fish and Game, contributing data for scientific research on walruses on Round Island in northern Bristol Bay and hiking extensively in Europe. She lives in Talkeetna, and continues to be a source of inspiration to AMS mountain guides and instructors for her knowledge of client care, wilderness travel, and remote Alaskan locations.

Wes has a deep affinity for high and wild places, and his experiences and skills are varied and global in scope. A professional mountain guide since 1993, Wes began at AMS in 2013. He’s skied and climbed all over the world, but says Alaska is his favorite—especially Denali. He brings a lifetime of experience and a broad mountain sense to the expeditions and courses he leads, sharing it all with a joyful and clear communication style. When Wes isn’t skiing or climbing in faraway places, you can usually find him in Jackson, Wyoming, riding his bike on a remote dirt path or sitting in front of a coffee shop with human and canine friends.

In 1996, Colby co-founded AMS with Caitlin Palmer and the help of many friends. In 1985, at age 18, he climbed Denali with legendary guide Brian Okonek. It was this epic climb with storms, rescues, and an unlikely summit day that has led to over 40 expeditions and counting. A past NOLS instructor for 10 years and AMGA board member, Coombs roots are grounded in outdoor education and guiding. Coombs is an active board member of The Ritt Kellogg Fund at Colorado College, which gives grants to wilderness expeditions. He co-authored Denali: A Climber’s Guide with Dr. Bradford Washburn and Alaska: A Climber’s Guide with his climbing partner, Mike Wood. Colby went to university in England where he climbed in Scotland, Wales, and France.  He currently volunteers on NPS Denali patrols and specializes in programs for active-duty and wounded veterans.

John has been working with AMS guiding on Denali since 2011, as well as teaching mountaineering and wilderness courses, skills-intensive workshops, and assisting film productions. He is a great asset to any outdoor adventure; able to comfortably ice climb and guide Denali expeditions with a wide variety of people, from combat wounded soldiers to teens. John started his mountain education with a semester at National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Wyoming and has now become a teacher through Alaska Avalanche School. John has a passion for wilderness and is always on the lookout for the next human-powered adventure: he recently accomplished a month-long ski traverse from Mt. Iliamna in the Chigmit Mountains, across the Neocola range and over Mt. Spurr, finishing with a crossing of the Tordrillo Mountains to Beluga Lake.

Jimmy has worked with AMS since 2015 as a teacher for youth, leader on mountaineering courses, and Denali guide. Jimmy is a New Englander who, in 2012, moved to Hanover, New Hampshire to pursue a graduate degree in Earth Science. He is certified as a. While he worked on his degree, he spent a lot of time climbing ice. He took three months off in late 2014 after finishing school and spent time big wall climbing in Yosemite and Zion and climbing ice around Bozeman. Keen to climb as much as possible, he moved across NH to Conway to start guiding for Cathedral Mountain Guides. His personal climbing trips into the Alaska Range include the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna; Mt. Hunter via the North Buttress; Mt. Francis via the Southeast Ridge; and on Denali in 2015, where he climbed the Father and Son’s Wall with fellow AMS guide Michael Gardner. He excels in instruction of ice climbing and geology, and exhibits a natural leadership style.

Todd has been guiding and instructing with AMS since 2007. He has led AMS climbers on technical climbs on Moose’s Tooth, peak (11,300 ft), and Mt. Hunter’s Mini-Moonflower. For AMS he also guides Denali expeditions, teaches mountaineering courses, and works on our film production assignments. Todd is an avid, multisport wilderness traveler who regularly competes in (and wins) Alaska’s multiday endurance Wilderness Classic Race. Todd’s talent for climbing and big mountain guiding is complemented with his even-keeled response to challenge. He is a natural leader and people enjoy his focused climbing style and commitment to team goals.  Todd also works part time as an adjunct instructor at Alaska Pacific University. During the winter months, Todd guides on Mount Vinson in Antarctica. He spends his free time pushing his limits in both rock and ice climbing and is pursuing his pilot’s license. Todd lives in Lander, Wyoming, and Anchorage, Alaska.

Alex has been guiding in Alaska and on Denali and teaching mountaineering programs with AMS since 2009. From childhood summers on Wisconsin’s Devil’s Lake to mountain biking in Moab and hiking in Arches National Park, every kind of terrain has been a welcome challenge to Alex. After moving to Missoula, Montana for college, Alex added vertical ice climbing to his growing repertoire. He loves to know how things work, mechanical or otherwise, and he thinks through a route long before he sets out each day; he’s always ready to adapt to new situations with his calm and organized leadership style. In the winters Alex works at Big Sky Resort in Montana and explores the nearby mountains. He lives with his wife in Bozeman, Montana.

Nate began working at AMS in 2005 leading Denali expeditions and custom technical climbs. He made his first trip to the Alaska Range in 1999 and has been a seasonal resident ever since. Nate lives and works as a pro ski patroller at Big Sky in Bozeman, Montana, and when not working at AMS, he also guides in Jackson, Wyoming and Antarctica. Nate’s most memorable climbs have been the French Ridge of Huntington, Alaska Range; Winter Dance in Hyalite Canyon; the Needles of South Dakota; and El Capitan in Yosemite.

Kirsten began guiding and instructing for AMS in 2000, and if ever someone has followed her natural talent and dreams, it is Kirsten. She has been climbing since 1991 and began teaching and guiding in 1993. She has skied every season in the Chugach since 1993 and has worked as a heli-ski guide since 1996. Kirsten’s enthusiasm and adventures around the world are legendary: She has paraglided off of the Augille de Midi in Chamonix, skied from 18,000 feet on Denali, and won awards as an extreme skiing champion. She regularly climbs 5.12 rock routes and has put up first ascents in Yosemite Valley and in Alaska. Kirsten feels right at home either skiing down or climbing up. She has put in her time as a guide and it shows: she is a professional and is as famous for her exploits as for her indomitable spirit, her laugh, and big smile. She calls Chickaloon, Alaska, her home base, where she spends her time when not traveling abroad on countless climbing and skiing adventures. She skydives too. You want to be in the mountains with Kirsten––trust us.