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.

Michael is a talented teacher and leader who began working with AMS in 2016, where he guides Denali expeditions and teaches courses. He is known for his patience, good humor, and full technical climbing skill set. Climbing and mountain travel are second nature to Michael, who began technical climbing in his youth in the Cascades Range in Washington State. His background is rich and varied: he was a climbing ranger on Mt. Rainer and taught rigging courses. Michael has many notable climbs under his belt: Yosemite’s El Capitan: Zodiac (A3 VI 5.7-5.10) and Washington Column: Astroman (1000′ V 5.11c); Montana’s Sphinx Mountain (1500’V WI5 M4); Mount Rainier’s Mowich Face (9200′ IV AI 3-4); Hyalite Canyon’s Maid of the Mist Mountain, Maid of Choss (first ascent, 600’WI5+ 5.9); South Early Winter Spire’s Hitchhiker (900’IV 5.11b); Juno Tower’s Clean Break (1500’V 5.10c); and Liberty Bell’s Liberty Crack (1200’V 5.11 C2); as well as two trips in Nepal to Rolwaling and Khumbu. Among his many talents, Michael is proficient in Spanish; he speaks and understands German. He has a BS in Earth Sciences with a snow emphasis from Montana State University. His certifications include EMT, AMGA Alpine Skills, Rigging for Rescue, NPS Rescue helicopter crewmember, and Avalanche II.

Coming to AMS in 2007, Larry’s extensive experience guiding Denali expeditions and instructing mountaineering courses for the school makes him a valuable asset. As a year-round professional mountain guide, he spends an impressive average of 150 days per year in the field. When not working for AMS, Larry leads high-altitude expeditions on Aconcagua in Argentina and on Mt. Vinson in Antarctica. He also guides multi-day raft-based fly fishing trips in remote parts of western Alaska. To thaw out from his time in the mountains, Larry can be found exploring far-flung tropical locations with his partner and his son.

A long-time AMS guide, Josh is our Operations Manager and is based at our headquarters in Talkeetna. He oversees expedition and course management, including fieldwork, briefings, communications, staffing, and strategy. He joined the school in 2006 and has been guiding Denali expeditions and custom technical climbs, instructing mountaineering and skills-specific courses, and working on film production assignments ever since. Along with his work at AMS, Josh works during the (Alaskan) winter months as a mountain guide in Antarctica and as an adjunct faculty member for Alaska Pacific University, his alma mater. In his spare time, when not guiding or exploring Alaska’s wilderness, Josh can be found playing music, gardening and fermenting foods.

Following his discovery of climbing and guiding in college, Kai spent a decade seeking expeditions and work globally before coming to AMS in 2015. Along with instructing mountaineering courses and guiding Denali expeditions for the school, Kai has worked with Outward Bound, NOLS, and many other international operations. When not guiding or instructing, Kai finds adventure all around the world. From using a bamboo raft in China, to climbing in Wadi Rum, Jordan, or even getting stormed off the Northern Ice Cap in Patagonia, Kai finds joy in exploring the outdoors.

A lifelong climber, Michael spent his childhood in the Teton Range of Wyoming, the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado, and the Himalayas. He came to AMS in 2013 and currently guides Denali expeditions and instructs mountaineering courses for the school. He holds an impressive resume of big mountain and technical climbs, including the fourth ascent of the Fathers and Son’s Wall on Denali, the Goat’s Beard Grade 5 ice climb in Washington State, and Mera Peak in Nepal, where at 10 years old he accomplished a complete snowboard descent. Along with his work for AMS, Michael guided in Grand Teton National Park and has taught at the Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal as a lead mountaineering instructor. A professional mountain skier and avid skateboarder, Michael travels extensively as a professional athlete with Arc’teryx.

When she’s not helping coordinate your expedition/course/workshop/custom program here at the AMS office, Amanda can be found climbing, fishing, traversing, and paddling her way through Alaska’s wilderness. Amanda has worked with AMS since 2014 and has a BA in Child and Family Studies. She was raised in the deep south of Charleston, SC, where she was first introduced to rock climbing and outdoor pursuits in the Smoky Mountains. Despite Talkeetna being her home base since 2010, Amanda is on a continual quest to find North America’s warmest and loneliest long-boarding wave. Amanda climbed to 14,200 ft on Denali’s West Buttress and completed a glacier travel and crevasse rescue workshop with AMS, so she has firsthand experience to help answer your climbing questions.