About us
Mission
Alpine Ascents’ philosophy is based on a true love and understanding of mountain wilderness. Our mission and goals are simple: By using the best climbing talent in the country, we offer the opportunity for climbers at all levels to achieve their personal aspirations through quality, challenging, safety oriented, environmentally friendly, ethically sound and fun expeditions/courses. We also look to provide guides an outstanding and career developing work environment.
ALPINE ASCENTS GENERAL STATEMENT
Entering our 36th year of leading successful expeditions in 2022, Alpine Ascents International, Inc. is a leader in the climbing industry and has been instrumental in setting guiding standards in the international climbing community for most of our history. This year, we will offer more than 30 different expeditions and 50 training courses in 14 countries, including the Arctic and Antarctic regions. These expeditions range from three-day climbs of Mount Rainier to six-day training courses in the North Cascades and Alaska ascents of Kilimanjaro to three-month expeditions to Mount Everest. In addition to our newest ski trips and avalanche courses we recently added expeditions to New Guinea, Patagonia, Nepal and India in our continued quest for remote destinations. At Alpine Ascents, we pride ourselves on the excellence of our safety record. When making decisions or organizing expeditions, safety is our primary focus. By establishing a prevention program, we ensure each expedition and each course is as safe as possible. As important as the protection of our climbers is the protection of the natural environment.
climbing world through its unparalleled ability to guide, train and develop climbers. Alpine Ascents leads expeditions to the highest mountain on all seven continents and has achieved prolific success on our Mt. Everest expeditions (operating regularly since 1992). Alpine Ascents has guided over 280 climbers to the summit of Everest. While we may have guided more climbers to the summit Everest than any other outfit, more importantly it is the success and safety record which we are the most proud of. Climber happiness is the true goal. In an effort to continually explore and share more remote places of the world, expeditions have been developed recently in Bhutan, Iceland, Patagonia and India. We also support our guide staff in exploring new areas through our JRG exploration grant. Alpine Ascents’ reputation in guiding peaks around the world and training climbers is unsurpassed we look to continually challenge ourselves to be better each season.
A Brief History
Founder Todd Burleson has traveled the globe incessantly (from eight Everest expeditions and the Seven Summits, to Greenland and Mongolia), not only out of his love of guiding but his never-ending pursuit of perfecting the Alpine Ascents approach. In 1986, there wasn’t much of a business model for international guiding, but making a living at something you love has its merits. While Todd’s proficiency in climbing was well regarded, he also showed a flair for not only guiding and teaching, but looking at mountains as to how they might be successfully and safely guided (routes, camps, guide ratios, supplies and itineraries).
This included Willi maniacally developing the Alpine Ascents Mountaineering School, with the theme that any graduates should possess enough safety skills to call themselves a climber. Enter Gordon Janow, who brought his eclectic background of writing, business and many years of traveling through Asia, to galvanize Alpine Ascents as a business and mindset. This led to other strategic and opportune partnerships with old climbing friends such as Vernon Tejas, Peter Athans, and Jose Luis Peralvo, as well as recruiting, developing and training a host of younger guides that eventually became the core of the Alpine Ascents guiding staff.
ALPINE ASCENTS INTERNATIONAL TODAY
Alpine Ascents International leads expeditions that have become benchmarks of quality in the climbing community. We operate what we believe is the finest mountaineering school in the country. This expertise is based upon years of accumulated experience-not just from individual mountain guides , but through experience on particular mountains where details are fine-tuned over time. We maintain our process of multi-leveled and critical evaluations for each expedition. Innovations like daily weather reports, established season-long base camps, environmental pioneering, and operating our trips with small climber-to-guide ratios led by Alpine Ascents guides are just some of the factors that keep us in the forefront. Our guides are the primary reason that Alpine Ascents has built such a unique reputation. Many of our guides have been with us for most of their careers and have had the opportunity to participate in a wealth of climbs and programs. Many are not seasonal employees who may teach a few courses and head back to “other lives”; they are committed to a life of climbing.
Environmental Leadership
Leave No Trace principles are fundamental to our program, and we encourage all who climb and trek with us to understand proper wilderness practices. We help facilitate this effort by passing on Leave No Trace training and literature to every Alpine Ascents climber.