Amazing experience summiting Mount Whitney via the Mountaineers Route with Sierra Mountaineering International! Kurt was an exceptional guide- knowledgeable, professional, and fun to climb with. He made the entire experience feel safe and well-supported while also teaching us new skills along the way. Highly recommend SMI. read more

Horrific and Traumatizing Experience with SMLGuides - Guide Kurt I recently participated in a guided Mt. Whitney hike with SMLGuides, and it was, without question, one of the most distressing and disappointing trail experiences of my life. What should have been an empowering and memorable climb instead became an experience marked by poor leadership, lack of professionalism, emotional distress, and equipment negligence. To begin with, the backpack I rented from Kurt was completely inappropriate--it was a men's backpack, not sized or fitted for me, and it caused immediate and ongoing issues throughout the hike. I had to stop repeatedly to make adjustments, relying on another guide, Ben, to help me manage the situation. These delays were not due to my fitness or preparedness but solely due to being provided improper gear. Supplying correctly fitted equipment is a basic responsibility of any guiding service, and this failure directly impacted my hike. What followed at the trailhead was even more troubling. After arriving with excitement and anticipation, I was subjected to an invasive and humiliating experience when Kurt went through each of my personal belongings from the rental backpack--handling and examining items that were clearly private--before abruptly tossing the bag into the van. This behavior was unnecessary, intrusive, and deeply uncomfortable, and it immediately set a tone of disrespect and intimidation. Despite my clear and repeated communication--both prior to the hike and in person--about my extensive hiking background, including summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, completing Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, finishing the Triple Crown Hike in Virginia, and numerous Appalachian Trail hikes, Kurt continuously questioned my ability in a way that was demeaning and demoralizing. This was not constructive guidance; it was discouraging and dismissive. Rather than offering solutions, encouragement, or leadership, Kurt repeatedly suggested that I should quit. At no point did he attempt to properly address the gear issue or support me in continuing. I felt pressured, unsupported, and frankly treated as an inconvenience. It genuinely felt as though he had his own agenda and was eager to drop hikers rather than guide them. Ultimately, I turned back--not because I lacked the physical capability to summit, but because my equipment failed me and my guide failed me. The mountain did not defeat me--the leadership did. This experience stands in stark contrast to my Rim-to-Rim hike, where teammates stayed with me, encouraged me, and supported me through challenges. That is what real leadership and camaraderie look like. That is what hikers deserve--especially on a trail as demanding as Mt. Whitney. Additionally, we were informed there would be four guides, yet only three were present. There was no explanation provided. In contrast to Kurt's behavior, Ben was kind, patient, and genuinely helpful, doing his best to assist me with the oversized backpack and offering the support that was otherwise missing. I left this experience emotionally drained, shaken, and traumatized. I was forced to turn around under circumstances that could and should have been prevented with proper gear, professionalism, and support. Given that I could not complete the hike due to these failures, I am requesting a full refund. I sincerely hope SMLGuides takes this feedback seriously. No hiker should ever be made to feel disrespected, intimidated, or abandoned on a guided expedition. Future participants deserve competent leadership, properly fitted equipment, transparency, and basic human decency. read more

Kurt did a wonderful job guiding a loop including the top of Langley and then, a few days later, up the Mountaineers Route to the summit of Whitney. It was a great week, learned a lot, had fun. read more

Did a one day, 1on1 Whitney Moutaineers Route summit with Kurt on 7/18/24 and it was literally one of the most memorable days of my life. Kurt is everything you'd want in a guide and then some. Cannot recommend SMI enough and cannot wait to book my next adventure with SMI! read more

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Over the Labor Day weekend, three friends and I climbed with SMI summitting four technical peaks at the Palisade Crest: Thunderbolt, Starlight, North Palisade and Polemonium. We had an amazing experience with SMI! Our guides, Kurt (founder of SMI) and Hjordis, were incredibly knowledgeable and experienced in every aspect of our adventure--whether it was route finding, rope setting, or guiding us through multiple-station rappels. Their expertise and calm leadership made us feel safe and confident at all times. The camp food was also excellent, adding to the overall enjoyment of the trip. The whole experience was seamless, and the strong team vibe made it even more memorable. I highly recommend SMI for anyone looking for a safe and unforgettable adventure in the Sierra and beyond! read more

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I had an amazing three-day "Introduction to Mountaineering" workshop with Kurt and SMI. Couldn't be happier with the experience and how much I learned. A great entry into the exciting world of mountaineering. Even though the weather in Mammoth Lakes wasn't favorable to us that weekend (a warm storm rolled in, creating wet, silty snow) and we had a limited amount of snow at lower altitude, Kurt kept the workshop rich and engaging throughout. He's a friendly, patient, yet thorough teacher and an all-around fun guy to hang out with for three days. He has more than thirty years of experience in the mountains (including three Everest ascents) and really knows his stuff. We ran through everything I was hoping to learn: snow camping, rope traveling, self-arresting, managing the technical gear, crampons, ascender, learning the essential knots, and many more. I also really enjoyed my three fellow students, who shared my enthusiasm for those new skills. I made new friends and look forward to my next outing with SMI, probably the Mount Whitney Mountaineers Route, in winter. SMI is less than five hours from Los Angeles and will be my go-to outfit for all future mountaineering classes and Sierra expeditions. read more

Sierra Mountaineering International - Rock Climbing Near Me - Bishop, California

Had a really awesome ice climbing beginner lessons weekend organized by SMI. Shout out to our awesome ice climbing coach Trevor. Two great days in Lee Vining and June Lake. read more

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Thanks Kurt for guiding us up Mr. Whitney's East Face route! It was the best and most challenging time I've ever had. read more

Sierra Mountaineering International - Returning to the Portal from a successful climb. - Rock Climbing Near Me - Bishop, California

Thank you Kurt, This was the trip of a lifetime thanks to you and your team. Our guide Ross was beyond accommodating and helpful. Not only was his skills as a professional guide impressive, he was helpful in preparing us for the trip we made. From the rope and protection training day, which was invaluable,to really taking the time to explain all levels of the trip and mentally preparing all of us, for what was to come. We successfully completed the East Face route of Whitney via the Mountaineer route. Admittedly this route can be a little intimidating, but Ross managed that and gave us all the confidence that we needed. We can not recommend you and your team enough. To anyone who is looking for a guide service for an upcoming trip, look no further. These people know how to make a trip a success and are great at instilling the training and confidence that truly make the difference. Good luck to all of you and we can't wait for the next trip with you guys. Jess read more

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An Absolutely Epic and Amazing Experience! My husband and I had the pleasure of climbing Mt Whitney via the Mountaineer's Route with Kurt and wish we could give him 500 stars! To provide some context, I've traveled to over 200 countries and every continent and consider myself as someone with extremely high expectations when it comes to the quality of service and professionalism I demand from the operators I partner with and I spend a tremendous amount of time extensively researching all options. My husband and I have also climbed numerous peaks domestically and abroad ranging from Aconcagua, Mt Elbrus, Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Eiger, Kilimanjaro, Shasta, Reinier, Cotopaxi, etc and thus have had experience working with a multitude of guides and range of guiding companies in the industry. I researched numerous guiding companies and we are absolutely thrilled we went with Sierra Mountaineering. From the moment I reached out, Kurt was extremely responsive and helpful and such a pleasure to interact with. In terms of planning and logistics, Kurt was absolutely amazing with coordinating every aspect of our trip which was immaculately planned and perfectly organized. I sent dozens of messages with countless questions, which he kindly answered with the patience of a saint. All of his responses were detailed and clearly indicative of his tremendous expertise and knowledge. He clearly knew what I valued as a client and I really appreciated the level of detail he provided every step of the way. He developed a customized itinerary to meet every single need and desire we had. Everything was scheduled flawlessly and ran perfectly. It was a once in a lifetime experience we will never forget. I normally don't take this much time to write reviews, but Kurt absolutely deserves all the kudos in the world for the level of incredible service and experience he provides his clients. As I mentioned, I'm a highly demanding client and I hope that my experience saves others a lot of groundwork researching companies. I guarantee Kurt will exceed your expectations. He is truly fantastic and experts in their field and you shouldn't waste your time with any other company. From start to finish, Kurt truly went above and beyond and EXCEEDED our expectations in every possible way and we recommend them with the highest level of confidence and enthusiasm. I can state without hesitation that their execution of every aspect of our climb was FLAWLESS and our experience was amazing. Kurt is truly an expert . The breadth and depth of his knowledge is extraordinary. He was incredibly attentive and encouraging throughout the climb and was just such a pleasure be with - it was like climbing with an old friend. We absolutely plan on engaging Kurt's services in the future and can't wait to partner with them again for another epic adventure! read more

I just returned from the 3-day mountaineering skills training with Ross as our guide/trainer. Ross was very knowledgable, experienced, patient, fun, caring and easy to be with. I learned A LOT! As a beginner to mountaineering, even though I received a tremendous amount of information, because the learning was by explanation and then doing, it was effective and also an amazing and memorable experience. I highly recommend SMI! read more

An amazing climbing experience! Kurt was such a helpful and fun guide. He took us to some great spots and helped set the routes. Good humored and just an all around wonderful guy. He even offered to take my climber old shoes in to get them resoled. Can't recommend them enough. read more

I want to give 5 start to Liz who was our guide on recent climb to Mount Langley. She was amazing!!!! We absolutely loved her company. She was very organized. She had planned everything so well starting from food to when and how long we should take breaks. We talked so much that we did not even realize when last few miles( which are always difficult) were done . she is awesome read more

We had an awesome trip up Whitney with Ben as our guide! A couple of us had been on the mountaineer's route, but my two kids were making there first attempt. Ben was great - professional, engaging, informative, encouraging and safe. The final 400 was a bit snowy and icy so we made the traverse and still got to the top. All in all a wonderful experience - our second with SMI, more to come! Thanks Ben and Kurt! read more

Highly recommended! Excellent service. SMI was quick to respond to all of my questions/concerns before the climb. My first guided experience in Washington with a different company was not very memorable so I was a little skeptical this time around, but SMI exceeded my expectations. While I ended up feeling a little under the weather and only reached one of my objectives, we made the best of it anyways. One of the most important things is that they care about their clients' safety, health and well-being. Trevor was my guide and he is awesome. Professional, trustworthy, knowledgeable and fun. Amazing camp cook too! Kudos to SMI. I will be back! read more

Sierra Mountaineering International - Rock Climbing Near Me - Bishop, California

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Kurt--founder of SMI is very helpful, patient, and informative, especially for newcomers that need a little bit more. Liz Biron (our guide)--very "driven", knowledgeable, informative, helpful, good cook, fun to hang out with, fun to be seen with....and despite her petite size is worth three Sherpas. Respectfully submitted, Bruce from Manhattan Beach read more

SMI was a great organization to work with. My son made his first mountaineering climb on Mt Whitney on 6/9/23 in extreme conditions under the safety and support of his SMI guide Ben. He made it to 12k feet on this first climb and then decided to turn back due to altitude sickness. This was a one day climb without time to acclimate. I fully trusted SMI and Ben with the safety of my son and to make the right decisions for a fun and most importantly safe adventure. My son will be back in the future for a two day trip with the hopes to summit. We will be using SMI to guide our son on this next trip and highly recommend them for your safe attempt to summit. read more

Friends have been recommending SMI's courses for several seasons now, and now that I've taken the BASIC SNOW TRAVEL course (Ice axe/self arrest, crampons) I can see why. I strongly recommend this class, and SMI, to friends and family. I look forward to the next opportunity I get to take a class with them myself as well! Sara Berghoff and Hjordis Rickert were excellent instructors - they made the day fun and I admired how they gave each and every student very detailed feedback in real time. Through their real time feedback, they made opportunities for each student to correct their technique in the moment. This opportunity to refine your technique - and practice it correctly - makes all the difference for retaining safety-critical skills. read more

I've done 2 snow school sessions with Sierra Mountaineering International. Both were fun, professional and very educational. Because of SMI, we had 2 successful independent (no guide) Rainier summits in consecutive years. If they're still working there this season, I suggest both (or either) Hannah Smith & Trippy Sieleman. Their teaching styles were different, but both very effective. Kurt puts together a good team every year. read more

The best guiding experience that I've been on. Kurt, Hannah and Simon were some of the most trustworthy, experienced, fun and caring mountaineers out there. Will definitely go on another trip with SMI! read more

Whitney by the Mountaineers route. A very well guided adventure. Safety and client well being were in good order. Guide skill, enthusiasm, and route planning were tops. Vegetarian food options could have been better planned and executed. read more

Took another trip exciting trip into the Sierra's, climbing the East Face if Mt. Whitney and Mt. Russell. This was my 4th trip with my guide Tristan and he is just the best. He really knows his stuff, is a real professional and is quiet entertaining! 5 (+1) stars to Tristan!! read more

I took the AIARE level 1 avalanche course with SMI and couldn't be happier. Kurt and Tristan did an excellent job teaching classroom material via Zoom, keeping it engaging and interactive. The energy levels of the instructors, Tristan and Trevor, out in the field were great, keeping the course professional yet fun and personable. I would definitely recommend SMI for anyone looking for an avalanche course and hope to take another or go on a trip with them in the future read more

I absolutely love SMI. Kurt is such an amazing guide. There's no way my group could have tackled Whitney without him. I highly recommend using SMI to anyone going on any sort of mountaineering or backpacking trip. read more

This was my second custom guided trip with SMI. My first was a 5 day trip and this recent second trip was a 3 day trip. Both were outstanding. The guides are highly professional while being personable and fun. Taking the custom route made it very flexible for my needs and aspirations. I felt very safe throughout and they were well prepared for the inevitable unpredictable back-country. Their knowledge of the nearby Sierras is out of this world. If you want to venture into the Eastern Sierras or further flung destinations Kurt and his crew are the people to call. read more

Knowledgeable insights + incredible stoke + awesome stewardship of the ice and crag = SMI's guiding service. I spent two days learning ice climbing principles, movement and how to read conditions with their excellent guide, Forrest Schwab. It was a wonderful experience, and I would take more instruction from them in the future. read more

Anyone can go into the Sierras, I have gone many times including ( 6 -14k ft peaks and Whitney 3 times), but smart people will choose Sierra Mountaineering Inc. Yesterday we climbed Bear Creek Spire ( 13.7k feet class 3 and 4) with SMI and it was my best Sierra experience ever. I did more than ever before, and at the same time, I was relaxed. Actually, I became more relaxed as the climb went on as a saw how capable the guide was. He had complete control over everything I could only worry about, e.g. exposed rock climbing over 13.5k feet, and traveling on very steep snow and ice, the route in the dark, etc. That was likely the best money I have ever spent. Thanks Kurt and SMI!!! read more

I took two of SMI's Mountaineering courses--Avalanche I and Crevasse Rescue--and had a great overall experience in both of them. With the help of Lindsay and Zach, who are phenomenal guides and excellent teachers, I learned a lot and developed skills that will be essential during future trips to the mountains. I have nothing but praise for SMI, and would highly recommend them to anybody looking for either a guiding service or outdoor skills development. Needless to say, I look forward to taking part in future trips with SMI! read more