Office Staff

Director and founder of Alpine Ascents International, Todd has achieved unparalleled success in the mountain guiding industry and is one of the world’s leading mountaineers. Todd joins many of our expeditions in a support role, overseeing logistics, climber development and ensuring a good time is had by all. Todd spent most of his childhood in Alaska where his prowess and love for mountaineering were developed. In his forty years of guiding, he has led 8 expeditions to Mt. Everest, and has guided successful expeditions on every continent including all of the Seven Summits two times over. He currently lives in Alaska where he is raising yaks, fishing and flying. Forever climbing great peaks around the world, In 1998 Todd was awarded the American Alpine Club’s prestigious David J. Sowles award for his rescue efforts on Mt. Everest in 1996.

Gordon is a founding member of Alpine Ascents International and draws on his deep experience to help guide the company’s expeditions and operations.  A long time world traveler, Gordon has always had a keen interest in Western Asia where has spent much of his travel time over the last 40 years.  From Peshawar to Bangladesh, Ladakh to Sri Lanka, this region of the world has always captured his heart.   He has served as an Asia and Himalayan travel expert for numerous media sources such the New York Times, BBC and Outside Magazine and has appeared on BBC World Service,  CNN, NPR, MSNBC and the NBC Nightly News. Gordon scouts new locations for Alpine Ascents, such as pioneering our remote India trip in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, trekking in Ladakh and our Walking Tour in Hunza region of Pakistan. In addition to his personal project  trips, Gordon leads Alpine Ascents tours in India.

On the home front, he has a keen interest in business ethics, operational systems, marketing, and maintaining the integrity of travel in local countries. A long term fixture in the adventure travel industry, he is on the Education Staff of the Adventure Tourist Travel Association where he leads travel development and marketing seminars in developing markets, and is a founder and board member of the Alpine Ascents Foundation, stressing the need for youth education in Nepal.

Jonathon leads the day-to-day operations of all Alpine Ascents programs, overseeing our gear, guide, and program departments to keep every trip running smoothly from planning through execution. He also manages our on-the-ground partnerships with local guides and outfitters abroad, and coordinates with the National Park Service and National Forest Service domestically.

As an IFMGA-certified mountain guide, Jonathon brings over 20 years of guiding experience on expeditions and climbs around the world, with time spent throughout the Cascades, the Alaska Range, the Himalaya, the European Alps, and South America. He’s guided with Alpine Ascents since 2007 and joined the administrative leadership team in 2019, bringing that same depth of field experience into how the company plans and runs its programs. Alongside his guiding career, Jonathon spent over a decade as a heli-ski guide and operations manager, with a focus on avalanche risk management, expertise he’s shared as a keynote speaker at the International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW).

Jonathon is also part of the AMGA’s national instructor team and HeliUS, where he specializes in guide education and risk management. He has also worked on gear development for brands including The North Face, Petzl, Black Diamond Equipment, and Outdoor Research.

Outside of work, Jonathon spends as much time as he can traveling, climbing, and skiing with his wife and son, Ari.

Chris manages our international programs, from registration to travel logistics to ensuring that climbers are on track with their trip preparation. Originally from Wisconsin, Chris and his family settled in Seattle after spending a dozen years in Los Angeles. Around the office, he’s known for having impeccable taste in film and music, talent with guitars and musical composition, a thriving backyard garden, and the best-behaved golden retriever in the biz—Ella, our unofficial second-in-command for canine operations.

As our Domestic Program Manager, Tara helps climbers navigate the logistics of their expeditions—from first inquiry to summit celebration. She also directs our Ecuador climbing program. Hailing from the flatlands of Michigan, Tara immediately fell in love with the mountains after moving to Utah for college. She followed that passion west to Seattle, where she’s been based for the past decade.

Outside the office, Tara is a professional trail runner for The North Face, often working remotely while racing on the international ultrarunning circuit. She’s stood on podiums from France to Argentina to the Canary Islands, racing mountain courses ranging from 50 to 100 miles. Closer to home, she has an affinity for running Cascade volcanoes and holds fastest known times (FKTs) on Mt Adams, Mt St. Helens, Glacier Peak, and Eldorado Peak. A connoisseur of Trader Joe’s snacks, Tara believes the right combo of chocolate and salt can carry you through almost any Type 2 day.

Affectionately known as “the guide wrangler,” Mary spends most of her working hours on the scheduling and administration of the 90+ guide staff. She also takes a leading role in diversity and inclusion efforts and affinity programming.  Her newest initiative, the BIPOC Guide Development Program, aims to increase the representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals in the mountain guiding industry. She also runs our webinars, secretly hoping they’ll parlay into podcast fame.

Mary grew up in the shadow of the Chugach and Talkeetna Ranges in Palmer, Alaska but didn’t start climbing and mountaineering until she moved from Beijing to Seattle in 2010. When she’s off the clock, Mary can be found on her bike, backpacking with Momo (Senior Analyst, Treat Forecasting), or planning her next international adventure. Mary was recently featured on the Female Guides Requested podcast and Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir.

Guiding since 2013, Bryce obtained his AMGA/IFMGA certification in 2023. Behind the scenes, Bryce oversees guide training, risk management, and program operations, bringing years of experience and a commitment to exceptional client experiences. You’ll also find him leading many of our top trips and expeditions while supporting guides, office staff, and expedition leaders to ensure seamless logistics and strong team development.

Bryce began his outdoor pursuits in his hometown of Roslyn, Washington which is located in the heart of the Central Cascades. His adventures as a climber and skier (both through work and personally) have taken him to places all over the Western United States, Alaska, British Columbia, the European Alps, Antarctica, and South America.  When not working or climbing, Bryce spends his time running, working on his photography, and going on adventures with his wife and son.

Amelia is first on the phones, answering administrative questions and known to dish out a pep talk or two to nervous climbers. When she isn’t helping climbers directly, she’s tackling operational projects to ensure our trips and office run smoothly. She’s also the mastermind behind the Alpine Ascents Newsletters and contributes her limitless creativity to our social media channels.

Amelia grew up on the beautiful San Juan Islands in Washington, where she found a love for being outside, and for sharing it through outdoor education. Away from her desk, she stays busy climbing, skiing, racing sailboats across the Northwest, and bringing new life to old gear through creative sewing projects! It’s only a matter of time before the Alpine Ascents Gear Shop starts selling her clever upcycled creations.

Gary directs the financial operations of Alpine Ascents. Originally from London, he landed in Seattle after living overseas for a number of years whilst working for various not-for-profit organizations. Gary’s interests include soccer, cricket, and a growing understanding of baseball.

Ciara is our Gear Manager, overseeing our prodigious cache of program and rental gear and ensuring that all our programs are properly outfitted. She also manages our building and retail store, keeps our van fleet parked, and handles a million other things that keep the proverbial train on the tracks.

Ciara grew up in the Pacific Northwest with a view of Mount Rainier (“The Mountain”) and has been frolicking in the outdoors since before she could walk. Though she has adventured all over the world from Patagonia to the Himalaya, her favorite place to disappear is deep into the Olympic Mountains, her former backyard. When she’s not working or tending to her gardens, summer Ciara is obsessed with paddleboarding the Puget Sound and pack rafting alpine lakes, while winter Ciara loves crafting and treating the office to homemade bread. Current special interests include heirloom seeds, dismantling the patriarchy, and pollinator habitats.

Jane organizes gear logistics, oversees the maintenance of our equipment, assists with food programs, and manages the vehicle fleet. Jane grew up living in Uzbekistan located in central Asia until she was 17. She enrolled as an exchange student program in Logansport, Indiana and has lived in the US since then. In her free time Jane loves snowboarding, dancing, and video games.

A certified gear nerd, Margaret is here to answer all your questions about equipment, layers, and pocket placement on equipment and layers. Originally from New Hampshire, Margaret is an avid climber, skier, and wood stove enthusiast. Outside of Alpine Ascents, Margaret also works as a climbing and hiking instructor for YMCA BOLD and GOLD, an outdoor leadership development program for Seattle youth. Ask her about her side careers as a stand up comedian and children’s book author!

As Director of Information Technology, Matt manages and refines our network, media, and business systems, develops and designs our marketing, advertising, and promotional materials, and our expedition cybercasts. He is also responsible for creating and maintaining our award-winning web site and keeping us sane when said technology become all together too much. A life-long outdoor enthusiast, Matt has over 3 decades of outdoor industry experience and a penchant for media and information design which has garnered multiple awards.

Julia is our Alaska Operations Manager, overseeing Denali and Alaska course operations from our Talkeetna office. From ensuring Denali expeditions are fully outfitted and well-fed, to making sure teams get their weather forecasts, she keeps everything at our northern outpost running smoothly. She also works with Denali National Park to make sure all our trips are checked in and out, keeps the guides in line, and ensures climbers are well taken care of, with dietary restrictions accommodated.

Julia grew up in the northeastern USA, but after getting her degree in Anthropology in Vermont back in 2011 has settled down in a variety of locales including Utah, New Mexico, and central Chile. Still enjoying exploring, Julia currently divides the calendar year between Alaska, Chile, and Antarctica, and though she has spent most of her professional life working in remote logistics, in her spare time as of late she is studying to develop her skills as a medical interpreter. When not working or volunteering Julia is either at the ocean, tending her goats, hiking a remote trail, or practicing Iyengar yoga.

D.O, Emergency Medicine, IFMGA/AMGA Certified Mountain Guide

Alan is a residency-trained and board-certified emergency medicine physician with growing pains. After a lifetime of climbing and skiing in the mountains around the world, he spent 5 years becoming an internationally certified mountain guide through the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA). With this combination, he is working towards a long-term goal of balance, spending as much time as he can in the mountains while linking emergency and mountain medicine with the hard skills of technical climbing and ski mountaineering. He currently guides in many regions of the United States as well as a smattering of areas in Europe.

In addition to guiding, he is the medical advisor for a number of professional mountain guide companies and organizations, including the AMGA, the Certified Guides Cooperative, Exum Mountain Guides, and multiple others. This relationship provides a mechanism to interact with active mountain guides and the technical as well as medical issues they deal with on a day-to-day basis. He currently works as an emergency physician in Jackson, Wyoming. He also provides technical rescue and risk management services for the film and ski industry, and has worked in a number of different environments, including Denali National Park, Yosemite National Park, and for the Freeride World Tour, a professional ski event held in the mountains outside of Haines, Alaska.