I recently returned from a beautiful 3 week trek in Nepal with Lakpa Rita Sherpa as our team's guide. It was magical to see Nepal through his eyes, his hometown of Thames, tea at his parent's house, and his incredible knowledge of the area where he was born and grew up. Our 4 guides on this trip were safe and knowledgeable about the geography as well as climbing/trekking. This was my 4th International expedition with Alpine Ascents and I have climbed many Washington state peaks as well. I've been guided by Lakpa, Pete, Devin, Vern, Ben, Jangbu, Pasang, and many more. They have been fantastic teachers. The Nepal trek has a first class itinerary, the nicer tea houses, and a pace designed for slow travel. The gear list includes everything I needed and more. My guide went out of his way to take us to places we asked about, outside of the itinerary. Highly recommend. read more

First time with this guide company was on a 3 Day trip up the Muir route of Rainier and for sure this company knows what they're doing and how to keep everybody safe. We were led by a stellar team with Craig, David, Peter and Matt at the helm. Already signed up for a 6 Day on Mt Baker to get more skills in the mountains, looking forward to going on another trip with this guide company! One of the top outfitters for mountaineering in the Cascades with several international trips available as well! read more

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Some friends and I just got back from a three day climb/ski trip of Mt Baker and had a fantastic time. Guides Ian and Bryce couldn't have been better. We had a group of mixed experience levels, and they did a great job being patient with the newer folks, ensuring everyone had the necessary tools and knowledge, and not speaking down to those that were a little more experienced. The highlight of the trip was a unique descent route - although there were plenty of other parties on the mountain that day, all parties skied down the ascent route. In contrast, our guides took us down the fall line, a much more scenic ski between ice falls and away from the "crowds."  Although not attributable to Alpine Ascents, it didn't hurt that we have a few inches of fresh powder to ski! At times, it was pretty socked in with zero visibility, and our guides quickly navigated us back to camp without issue. Great trip, and wouldn't hesitate to do another trip with AAI. Sure does. read more

Alpine Ascents International - Climbing Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Just wrapped up the 9 day mountaineering school with a successful summit of Mt Baker and Mt Rainier. This was the first time experience anything like this and Alpine Ascents set the bar high. The set up the trip for success. From the detailed emails to full comprehensive gear list and training protocol, AAI is top notch and I can't wait to book my next trip. Our guides were warm and welcoming yet direct and firm. Safety is the goal in mountaineering, summiting is merely a bonus. There were many times I was made aware of my short coming during the training course which helped make my summit of Rainier a success. Don and Madhu were our guides on Baker. They were highly trained and experienced mountaineers. They were friendly, warm and open guides. They were knowledgeable of the mountains and glaciers made the experience that more fulfilling. AAI has opened up a new world to me and brought my love for the mountains to a new level. I travels with a buddy but met a great group of guys from across the country. Can't wait to book my next trip with AAI! Oh and the blueberry pancakes on the morning of Rainier summit day kicked a*s. Thanks John. read more

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I first climbed with AAI several years ago on a Mount Rainier trip. I was so impressed with their service and expertise, I've continued to make them my go-to guide service for alpine adventures. For a "weekend warrior" who likes to get out into the mountains, they make the otherwise impossible into the possible. Most recently, Lee Lazzara, an awesome AAI guide, took me up Mount Baker via the North Ridge Route. I'd been up Baker before, but loved this different and more challenging route to the summit. If you live in the Vancouver, BC area, are reasonably fit, and want a new challenge, then check out AAI. It's fun to look at that peak and know you've been up there! read more

Alpine Ascents International - North Ridge Route on Mt. Baker - Climbing Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Climbing with Alpine Ascents is a hit or miss. You can have great guides or the worst. It's like tossing a coin. The thing is, having a bad guide is not like having a bad meal at a restaurant, where you have wasted maybe $50-100, you can forget and move on. A long expedition means weeks-month long of vacation time and thousands of $$. Management's response was a weak, half hearted sorry, and a little bit of discount. They know very well who the problematic guides are but these guides continue to be lead guides to my and many climbers' horror. Clearly Management cares more about defending their rude and arrogant guides, than helping their clients achieve their goals. On my climb, I was subjected to rude behavior and humiliation almost every day. The guide treated me very poorly and made me so miserable that I tried to get as far away as possible. I was so miserable that I wanted the trip to end and move on. The trip came at a huge financial and mental cost to me and I feel let down. So if you sign up with them, hope you get lucky and get a good guide. It's not guaranteed. Why would I pay money to be humiliated and spoken to rudely by a guide on my vacation? Alpine Ascents here's my response to your comment on my post: --I have already provided adequate feedback after my climb about my experience. The intention of this post is for future climbers to know the good and bad of your company. As I mentioned some of your guides are good. -- yes this climb happened in the past but the memory is so bad that it still haunts me. --yes this is a real review. Why would I pick a random guiding company and write a review? read more

DANGER! Poisoned corporate culture! I was lied to repeatedly by director Gary and subsequently he was defended by director Jonathan for lying. Apparently they hadn't gotten their stories straight and the best they could do was offer me a ???free??? climb in the future to shut me up?!?! I couldn't trust my safety in the mountains to a company built on lying to their clients and you shouldn't either. read more

I had a horrible experience on a climb with Alpine Ascents. Without going into detail, an overzealous guide made the trip a nightmare. My ankle got broken in self arrest training. He hooked my heel doing a running pull and twisted my ankle. There was a good deal of pain involved. I tried to tell him but he dismissed it and me. It gets worse. We continued up to Camp Schurman. All the way up he berated and humiliated me for having a hard time with turns and fundamentals. I have been climbing with RMI, IMG, Summitclimb, African Walking Company, Mountain Madness and never experienced this kind of insult style guiding. What I got out of this climb with Alpine Ascents was that I didn't belong, I was unwelcome, a broken ankle - and I will never go on a guided climb again. That trip cost me three months and about 1500 dollars in medical bills. read more

I recently climbed Mt. Rainier with Alpine Ascents and had a great experience. The guides (Travis, Don, Andrew and Jake) were awesome and provided helpful instruction. I felt that they did a great job in teaching the basics of being apart of a rope team, self arrest and using crampons. The guides all reiterated the effort that would be required for the final climb to the summit and made sure that everyone knew what to expect. I'm looking forward to another climb or class with Alpine Ascents in the future. read more

Alpine Ascents International - Summit of Mt. Rainier - Climbing Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Everest Base Camp Positives: The itinerary is well set out after all these years. Cons:For a company that's been around for 40 years, I was really shocked by the level of communication and the fact that they don't have protocols in place for Covid or Altitude Sickness. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. No one was checked for Covid when they landed or even within a couple days into the trip, or when the coughing started. I had specifically asked to have my own room to avoid any issues to find out when the trek started I would have a roommate in the teahouses. Already into the first day one of the participants was having a hard time and I notified the company. Our guide was not checking on people at night. I was basically told to mind my own business. Well, that individual was helicoptered out with oxygen. Within a couple days participants were exhibiting symptoms, coughing, respiratory issues. Yes, there might be a Khumba cough, but when I mentioned to the guide that I believed people had Covid, he responded that there is no Covid here. How ridiculous. Trekkers from all over the world bring it in. I asked my roommate to test and right away she showed Covid. She was helicoptered out. She ended up having quarantine for 9 days. The guide felt terrible, but why weren't people tested earlier symptomatic or not living in such close quarters? Then another participant also tested for Covid and he was allowed to walk back down the mountain staying in teahouses knowingly sick. Crazy. How unconscionable. Then others on the trip decided they were testing because they didn't want to have to leave and be quarantined. Again, no protocol from the company. I, miraculously did not get Covid. I made the decision to wait for symptoms before taking Diamox because I had bad reactions in the past. At 16,300', on a second rest day I began to experience altitude sickness and took Diamox, but it was too late and we were trekking the next day again. My 02 saturation levels were between 60-69, severe headache, chills so I made the wise decision to leave the next day though the guide said those levels weren't too bad. At this point, the guide was supportive to some degree. I have no idea why I wasn't given oxygen like she was, and no one made any calls to the 24 hour/7 day insurance company to get preapproval. We waited about an hour for the helicopter and it was freezing outside and I was still experiencing chills. I was moving around a lot to keep warm and the guide accused me of dancing and being happy I was leaving. Of course I was looking forward to going to a lower altitude to be rid of my symptoms. I found out that our guide told the other woman who was sick that she should say I was accompanying her, though I was also sick and needed preapproval. Then when I got back, another man who takes care of the details on the ground told the other woman to tell her insurance co that she was alone in the helicopter, though there were 3 others with her. Then I asked the leader of the other group how their trip went and she replied, "Great." Then I found out that 4 of their participants were helicoptered out. To their credit, they took care of the helicopter bill and gave me money back. read more

Thanks to Gordon and Yatish and the Alpine Ascents team for putting together an epic cultural and educational adventure through a fascinating slice of India. Can't say enough about the curation, logistics and attention to detail ... not to mention their combined deep knowledge of the region. We visited beautiful and hard-to-get-to cities and villages in Rajistan and along the sacred Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh, stayed in great hotels, learned a ton, ate fabulous food and sipped plenty of chai. Great group and look forward to a return visit with Alpine Ascents! read more

Most of their guides are wonderful and their logistics and gear department is excellent. My group's lead guide had no prior experience leading an expedition and was conceited and rude. Although this issue was raised with management, the guide continues to lead expeditions which shows management is willing to subject other climbers to the same bad experience. This is consistent with the fact that Alpine Ascents has another guide who is known by other guides and climbers to climb to the summit at a very fast pace and turn climbers around. This has nothing to do with climber safety but has to do with this guides philosophy of climbing. This is known to management yet they continue to have this guide lead expeditions. This is a pattern of management not caring about clients and their goals and continuing to subject clients to poor lead guides. read more

I had a great experience climbing Mount Rainier with Alpine Ascents even though I did not make it to the top. This was my first time climbing. The guides were great, we were fed well, I learned some mountaineering skills and I got to camp on a glacier at 11 thousand feet with fantastic views. . Be warned it is very physically challenging so if you want to make it all the way be ready. I would highly recommend Alpine ascents to anyone who wants to climb a mountain. read more

A good friend of mine thought that climbing Mt. Rainier would be fun. He did two times before and wanted to do it again. It's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I said sure. He set up the trip with AAI so all I had to do was get my equipment in order and train. He used RMI previously and didn't like the way they ran things. This is a guy that has also climbed Kilamanjaro and a couple of minor mountains. From the reservation date they were very good and providing you with an equipment list and everything that you need to do and expect on your trip. On gear check day, they gave a great briefing on the equipment and had us try everything on. There were a few things that they didn't like about some of my things so we changed it. The guides were really good at what they do. Danny, our lead guide was extremely qualified. He kept us abreast of everything that we were going to do each day. The other guides, Peter, JP and Josh did a great job too. It was a little funny with some of the looks I was getting from some of the other people on the trip since I was lagging behind and having difficulty with the altitude after getting done with our second day. During the dinner we were talking about our backgrounds and it was my turn. Then my friend who's in his early 40's was next and his first comment was "ain't too bad for a 56 year old". After we made the summit and returned to Muir, all the other members of our group were giving me congratulations. If I were running AAI, here's what I would do to make it a better experience: a) Have the guides tell their stories of their successful climbs and how great they are. b) Talk about other Rainier climbs. c) When they get to the summit make it a better experience. Maybe have a banner or sign that they can unfurl for a group shot. d) Make it more exciting that you make the summit. e) Make memento for each member like a medallion that commemorates you trip. I liked the trip. It was the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have done. I've done more physically challenging and more mentally challenging things, but nothing like this that combined the two. I would have given them a 5 star rating, but they fell a little short on a couple of things. a) Not making it a big deal that you made the climb. b) Not telling you that you really need to train at altitude. c) The guides really pushed too hard to get you off of the mountain. All in all, if getting to the summit of Rainier is on your bucket list use AAI. read more

Very professional and thorough guide company. I, along with three other friends, signed up for the 3-day Muir climb earlier this month. The company was really good about sending out communication to their climbers (gear lists, gear recommendations, fitness training programs, etc) in the months leading up to the trip. Once we arrived for gear check the day before our climb, it was obvious we were in very capable and knowledgeable hands. Setting off to summit Mt. Rainier is nothing to take lightly, but I felt totally comfortable with all of our guides and their expertise. Technically speaking, it is really just a walk in the park (national park that is), but I thought it could be physically demanding and pretty challenging at times. That's where the guides come in. They were there all the way talking us through things and giving us the skills to finish our climb. You may not like what they have to say (they have a schedule in place and know when to push and motivate people), but their ultimate goal is to keep every safe. The food served on the trip was pretty good (even by non-mountain standards), and the gear we rented from them was excellent. I did like that their office was located in Seattle, and returns to Seattle. It allows their out-of-town climbers to make more of a vacation out of their trips. They also provide the transportation from Seattle to the park, so that you don't have to rent a car. All in all, a really successful trip, and I would highly recommend this company to anyone. read more

I just finished a 3-day climb of Rainier with Alpine, and they are fantastic. Their guides balance camaraderie, professionalism, safety, and patience perfectly. They were organized from the sign up all the way back to the return to Seattle. The amount of thought put into the logistics is evident in how smoothly everything ran, and the food is the best on the mountain, hands down. Adventures produce truly dynamic environments, and it was clear from all the guides that the groups safety was the most important thing, not summiting. Keeping those priorities straight really affords the best opportunity to have the right experience. It's good to remember the best part of any adventure is not knowing the outcome! In short, I was well fed, safe, and enjoyed the company of some truly talented guides. I will be using Alpine again, and HIGHLY recommend that you do too! read more

We asked Gordon from Alpine Ascents to help us with an India itinerary, and he set us up with a truly wonderful trip in Kerala, with a great guide and driver. The accommodations were fantastic, the place was beautiful, great food--and we saw elephants and monkeys in the wild. Very, very happy with the trip. read more

I was registered for the Mt. Rainier 3-day Muir climb last week and found the guides to be not just unprofessional, but dismissive and disrespectful. As the oldest member of their clientele on last week's trip I was pressured to terminate my climb because I was not as fast as the other climbers, though I have successfully summited other peaks with other companies. They tout themselves as a company that helps climbers "of all abilities", but this is just not true. I would recommend American Alpine Institute as one alternative. I also understand RMI is a very good company. Lynn Martin read more

I felt their guides were personable and professional. They cared for us, letting us borrow personal gear, making a few eat even they didn't want to, because it was needed. They knew when to push and when not to. Other than that it was like hiking with a more experienced friend, I'm not sure what the other customer expected by saying they were unprofessional. read more

Amazing experience! Did the 3-day Mount Rainier climb with two friends. Alpine Ascents was professional and competent throughout the entire time - from email communications, to gear check, transportation, to the actual climb. Our guides - Jonathan, David, Peter, and Matt - were competent, funny, and very supportive. Can't wait for my next climb! read more

I've climbed Rainier and Kilimanjaro with AAI and had a fabulous experience both times. The guides were professional, experienced, attentive and well prepared to handle all of the details of our climb. My experience on Kili was exceptional and the guides and porters made it a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our group. Special shout out to John Hauf for being an amazing guide on our 1 week Kili climb, as well as Gordon and the AAI staff for their exceptional guide support for the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer! read more

Gordon went out of his way to make sure we were happy with our decision to cancel. No pressure either way, and had open and fair communications regarding the refund. Gordon truly cares about every customer. read more

I have been a client of Alpine Ascents for years and finished the Seven Summits with them. I have the highest regard for their safety record and the competence of their well trained guides. The success record for Alpine Ascents stands unrivaled. I have witnessed some tense situations with some of their guides and have never been surprised or disappointed by the resolution of the problem. True professionals. For the best gear, the best food and best chance at making a safe summit I recommend Alpine Ascents every time! read more

Have summited over 10 mountains with this company- felt safe and always had the best guides.

I called A.A. in search of Zeal Snow-sport goggles. They were enthusiastic to invite me over to see their well kept selection. After some friendly and knowledgeable conversation I was able to pick out the right pair of goggles to suit my needs. The prices were fair, if not considerably low compared to Seattle's higher market prices. Thanks for helping me out! read more

been with them twice on rainier loved both times experienced and fun guides well worth the expense. highly recommend.

Top notch trekking company. if you're thinking of climbing Rainier or any other mountain for that matter go with these guys. We didn't make the summit of Rainier due to a brutal June storm but they did everything they could to get us there while keeping us safe! read more

I did both Mt Baker and Aconcagua with Alpine Ascents. There were glitches with the climb on Mt Baker and it wasn't the best experience, but the team that led the trip on Aconcagua were great and very professional. We had an amazing experience on Aconcagua even although we decided not to summit due to the conditions - a smaller part of our group went ahead to successfully summit. Their new store over in Queen Anne is really nice and their gear rental was high quality stuff. I also appreciated the help answering questions and getting ready for the Argentina trip. read more

My son, daughter in law and I climbed Mt. Rainier August 20 to the 22, 2016 with Alpine Ascents. I've got to say it was one of the best adventure travel vacations I have ever taken. Our guides: Matt Nightengale, Mike Madden, Dylan Cembalski and Kieren Sullivan were consummate professionals. They were attentive to all the needs of our group. Their hospitality and good humour created great camaraderie on the mountain. I would not hesitate to recommend Alpine Ascents and these guides to any one attempting to climb Mt. Rainier. read more

Horrible experience climbing Mt. Rainier. Completely unprofessional guides.Most of our party didn't achieve the summit due to ill-prepared & disorganized planning. Owner/CEO of Alpine Ascents did nothing to make reparations or even apologies to all who were disappointed. I wouldn't go with this company unless your into losing money & wasting your time. Worst experience ever!!!!! read more

I did the Eldorado Peak climb with AAI. From my initial contact with AAI everyone was very helpful and friendly. The climb itself was very hard and I was in over my head. I signed up last minute and they did inform me that it was a difficult climb and I should start training immediately. The guides were very supportive and never made me feel like I shouldn't have done the climb. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend AAI! read more

My husband and I are incredibly impressed with Alpine Ascents. They take you to the top, but make sure every single detail is taken care of from the bottom up. Literally. I wish I could even begin to explain the detail they go do....from the airport to the hotel to the mountain or safari in my case. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Can't wait for the next climb. Susan and Rick Notely. You ROCK Alpine Ascents/ read more

Thanks for refunding my trip. Look forward to rescheduling with them in the near future.

I've been climbing for 7 years now, tackled my very first mountain, Mt Baker, with AAI and have been on 2 other trips with them. It was miserable for hours on Mt Baker, with rain and cold and our guides were the best, making us stay warm and dry in our tents, while they delivered hot beverages and a hot breakfast! The weather lifted, they put us through snow school and we enjoyed a spectacular, sunrise summit the following morning! Then I went on Mt Rainier with AAI - did not get to summit on this trip, because of weather. We were all dressed and ready to go, but our AAI guides suggested we wait out the cold rain a bit - after 7 hours they said there was nothing to do but pack it in. Smart choice, since we learned later that another group choose to "brave" the weather, but didn't get very far at all, when they had to turn back with a hypothermic climber. Better to be safe than sorry! And then I went with AAI to Mexico, to climb Iztaccíhuatl and Pico de Orizaba! My guides again were fantastic and I still put this trip and these two summits as the most spectacular of the 7 summits I've personally made - thanks to the skill, expertise and fun-loving personalities of AAI guides! read more

I grew up climbing in the Cascades. My wife became interested in climbing mountains with me and I hired Alpine Ascents to safely take us to the top of Mt. Rainier. When top notch logistics and safety are paramount, say no more, they are the best in industry. I've climbed guided with other outfits multiple times and no one compares with Alpine Ascents. They have the most experienced guides in the business. We are planning climb our first 8000m peak in the Himalaya and it will be with Alpine for sure. read more

I have had the pleasure to climb and trek with Alpine Ascents on severals occassions ,including Kilimanjaro, Peru, the Cascades and Alaska . Every trip has been first class- including guides, accomodations, food and general logistics. They set the gold standard for any climbing experience whether domestic or international. I would not consider using any other company for any climb or trek. The guides and office support staff go out of their way to make your trip a success and safe experience. Billy B. read more