Jeff Ward has been working as a full-time professional mountain guide since 1995. During that time he has had the opportunity to guide in a variety of places including Europe, South America, Nepal, Africa, Mexico, Alaska, Canada, and throughout the Western U.S. Jeff's schedule usually includes trips to Colorado and Canada for ice climbing, the European Alps for ski mountaineering and alpine climbing, and the North Cascades for alpine climbing and ski touring. Jeff has been trained as a Wilderness EMT, Level 3 Avalanche Forecasting and High Angle Rescue. Jeff is also an Internationally (IFMGA) Certified Mountain Guide.

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Larry Goldie has been climbing for 20 years and guiding professionally for 16. He guides and instructs rock climbing, mountaineering and backcountry skiing. He has climbed and guided extensively in the Cascades, with additional experience in the Alps, Sierras, Rockies, Alaska and Canada. With a passion for skiing, Larry holds PSIA certification in the Nordic, Alpine, Telemark and Backcountry disciplines. As an AIARE trained instructor, Larry is one of our lead avalanche educators. Larry is an internationally (IFMGA) Certified Mountain guide.
 

Paul Butler has been guiding in the North Cascades for over 17 years. His experience has been a combination of private guiding and working as a Chief Instructor for the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School. His passion for climbing has led to adventures all over the western United States as well as abroad in Ecuador, Patagonia and the Alps. He is a level III PSIA certified Nordic and backcountry ski guide.

Mark Allen is a Washington Native, climbing since 1991 and guiding since 2001 and is currently is working towards IFMGA certification. His guiding experience includes alpine, ice, rock and ski trips extensively in the Cascades and Sierras with additional experience in the Alaska Range, B.C Coast Range, Red Rocks NV, and Joshua Tree. Mark has also led successful expeditions to Aconcogua, Argentina, Denali, Alaska, Patagonia, Antartica and China. He has enjoyed making challenging climbs and ski descents in New Zealand, British Columbia, Patagonia, Cascades, Tetons, and Sierra. His academic background is in geology with an emphasis on mountain building processes. Speaks travelers German, Spanish, and Chinese. Mark is an AMGA certified ski mountaineering and certified rock guide. Keep track of Mark's latest adventures on his blog - http://www.alpinelines.blogspot.com/

Tim Connelly has been around the world block a few times and with his 13 years of mountain guiding, he has found himself helping people fulfill their dreams from Alaska to Patagonia, from the Himalaya to the Alps to Antarctica with many a stop in between. Fully licensed UIAGM and the 2006 recipient of the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) 'Outstanding Guide of the Year' award, Tim has also received numerous honors from Denali National Park in Alaska for help with search and rescue operations. Tim is recognized throughout the guiding world for his expertise and passion for the peoples and experiences to be had in the mountains. Tim speaks Spanish and French.

Scott Johnston grew up in Boulder, Colorado where he began climbing in his teens in 1973. He has since climbed extensively in the U.S., Canada, Alaska, Mexico, South America, Europe and the Himalayas. He began his guiding career with the Boulder Mountaineering School in 1977. When not climbing Scott loves to ski. After spending 5 years Nordic ski racing on the U.S. ski team, Scott now focuses on backcountry ski touring. While pursuing personal and professional goals in the mountains, Scott supported himself with jobs in the aerospace and astronomy fields in his own businesses utilizing his formal education in mechanical engineering.
 

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Seth Hobby, a Washington Native climbing since 1998 and guiding since 2001.  His guiding experience focuses on technical alpine, rock, and ice.
Seth can be found guiding challenging alpine ice and rock routes in the North Cascades in the summer, Nepal Himal in the Fall, Norway Fjell for the winter, and the Alaska Range in the spring.  His love for climbing mountains has taken him to Alaska Range, Waddington, Bugaboos, Cascades, Sierra, Canadian Rockies, Norway, French Alps, Nepal and the Tibetan Plateau. Seth speaks fluent Nepali and loves the North Cascades.  He is a certified AMGA Alpine Guide.

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Anne Keller, a Washington native, has been climbing since 1985 and guiding for 13 years. Her guiding experience includes over 40 ascents of Mt. Rainer, several expeditions to the Alaska Range, and numerous routes in the North Cascades and the Tetons. Anne has worked 5 years as a professional ski patroller and now works winters as a heli-ski guide in Mazama. She is an Emergency Medical Technician and has a formal education in Physical Therapy. Anne is an AMGA certified Ski Mountaineering guide.

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Ian Nicholson. Ian's experience ranges from having established over a half dozen first ascents in his home range of the Cascades as well as opening new routes in farther off regions such as The Waddington Range, Patagonia and The Alaska Range.  His other experience comes from having climbed extensively in Yosemite as well as Zion, the Tetons, the Alps, Canadian Rockies, New England, the Sierras and Colorado. Ian has been twice the recipient of the ACC Fellowship Grant and is a Wilderness First Responder, AIARE Level III certified and a Level I instructor. Ian is a AMGA certified Alpine and Rock guide who is activily pursuing IFMGA status. His passion to be out in the mountains has been known to spur people to greater heights.
Ian has recently been working with the American Safe Climbing Association after replacing nearly 100 bolts in the last 2 1/2 years.

Sean McCabe has recently passed away after a short but intense battle with Thyroid cancer. Some of you were fortunate enough to have climbed with Sean and will undoubtedly know what an amazing human he was. Many of you likely know of Sean through his art that NCMG has used for many years.  His images have appeared on our T-shirts, website, brochures and posters for many years, with some of his original oil paintings gracing the walls of our office.  Sean used climbing as inspiration for his art. His love for the mountains is apparent in all of his artwork, and his love for teaching has won him "Teacher of the Year" at the Methow Valley High School where he taught art. To see a sampling of some of Sean's work Click Here. Several years ago Sean began making prints of many of his most popular paintings.  Some of our longtime loyal guests received some of these prints as gifts over the last few years.  Sean's work will continue to be available through his website and will continue to be a source of income for his family.  Click here to go to Sean's website .
 

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Michelle Smallman, a native of the Northwest, has been climbing for over a decade and guiding professionally for 12 years. She has climbed and guided in Alaska, Canada, the Cascades, the Sierras, Patagonia, and Peru. While instructing for the National Outdoor Leadership School, Michelle has led over 15 month long expeditions to remote regions of North and South America. Her formal education is in Human Ecology and Spanish.

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Alexa Spivy is the NCMG office manager. If you can't find her in the office during warm months, she's likely out tending her vegetables, fruit, flowers, chickens, turkeys, pigs and cover crops. Alexa has an addiction to growing things controlled only by long deep winters. She owns and operates a 1.5 acre small-scale intensive CSA farm known as Twelve Moons Farm during our brief but extremely productive version of a growing season. She wouldn't want it any other way though, for she loves the long and snowy Winters here in the North Cascades with bountiful opportunity for rejuvenating backcountry tours, skate skiing, running with the dogs, sledding, winter pruning fruit trees and snuggling by the fire with her honey!

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Ray Thomas has found his home in the Northwest corner of Washington State and has been living here for 10 years. Ray has been climbing for over 14 years and guiding for 10 years. Long days in the mountains ascending classic mountaineering routes are a favorite pastime. But his deep passion is backcountry telemark skiing and he skis year around as much as possible. Ray is NCMG's equipment manager.

Chris Wright grew up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and explored the hills and crags of the Northeast before moving to the Pacific Northwest where he began guiding in 2006. Chris has climbed, guided, and established new routes in Alaska, Oregon and Washington and has climbed everywhere from New Zealand and Australia to Europe, Asia, Africa, Mexico and Canada.  Chris is currently an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, an Alpine Guide Aspirant, is AIARE Level 3 Certified, and holds a BFA from New York University. You can learn more about Chris and follow his adventures at Now!Climbing.com.

Scooby, a veteran member of our staff, helps us remember what is really important in life - face shots and good food. Scooby is a fully trained avalanche rescue dog and often accompanies us on mountain adventures. With a host of summits to her credit, she will usually travel 3-4 times the distance of any other team member without the slightest complaint. While not out in the mountains Scooby can usually be found making friends outside the Mazama store.