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Explore the Pacific Northwest

Northwest Alpine Guides

Northwest Alpine Guides is a mountain guide service based in Washington State in the heart of the Cascade Mountain Range. We specialize in alpine climbing, mountaineering instruction and backcountry skiing. Our parent company, Mountain Gurus, operates international expeditions and trekking adventures around the world.

Founded in 2008, we are a guide-owned and operated company. Our mountain guides are among the most dedicated in the industry and draw on extensive experience gained while exploring and climbing in some of the most remote places on earth. Our guides are highly skilled professionals and are committed to providing our clients with the individual care and safety they expect.

At Northwest Alpine Guides, we strive to provide each and every one of our customers with individual attention and a rewarding personalized experience. Year after year, many of our clients return as friends to share in our passion for the mountains.

The Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is one of the planet’s premier climbing destinations. Home to the greatest density of glaciated peaks in the contiguous United States, the Cascade Range offers spectacular opportunities for mountaineering instruction and guided climbing. It is an excellent training ground for ascents in the Alaska Range, the Andes, the Himalayas and other great ranges of the world.

Northwest Alpine Guides offers climbs throughout Washington State. Dramatic glacier climbing can be found on the region’s famous volcanoes from Mount Rainier, the tallest and most popular peak in the Cascades, to Mount Baker, the second most glaciated peak in the Lower 48 states. Mount Shuksan, Eldorado Peak, Sahale Peak, Forbidden Peak and other mountains in North Cascades National Park offer a mix of glaciated terrain and alpine rock climbing surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of the so-called “American Alps.” On the far side of the Puget Sound, Mount Olympus provides a true wilderness climbing experience set within the expansive icefields and lush rainforests of Olympic National Park.

For more information about international adventures, please visit our partner company Mountain Gurus

BaseCamp | The Guide Hut

Our BaseCamp in Sedro-Woolley, WA, is home to Northwest Alpine Guides and The Guide Hut. Located an hour away from Mount Baker’s Schriebers Meadow trailhead and North Cascades National Park, our BaseCamp serves as the starting point for Northwest Alpine Guides climbs and courses. We offer retail and rental equipment through our Guide Hut store exclusively for our climbers.

Our Mountain Guides

Our mountain guides are among the finest in the industry. They draw on extensive experience gained while exploring and climbing in some of the most remote places on earth. They are highly skilled professionals chosen for their leadership, judgment, and character, and they are committed to giving individual care and attention to each of our clients.

At Northwest Alpine Guides we have a passion for discovery and adventure. We take pride in helping you achieve your goals.

Learn more about our guide staff

Our Founder

Dennis Broadwell grew up on the south shore of Long Island far away from any mountain summit. As a teenager he discovered skiing in the Catskill Mountains, and hiked his first peaks in the Adirondacks of New York. He quickly became an ADK 46er, ticking off the last of the 46 tallest peaks in the Adirondacks while in his early twenties. He began guiding his friends up the peaks of New England, including Mount Washington in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, where he made numerous winter ascents. After graduating from college, he traveled extensively across America and overseas while continuing to pursue rock, ice and mountain climbing. Dennis conceived of the vision for Mountain Gurus in 1997, but it wasn’t until 2008 that he incorporated the company through the encouragement of his dear friend Kili Sherpa. Dennis’ passion for mountains and exploration has led him to climb and travel all over the world. During his decades of climbing and adventure travel, he has seen time and again that when we pursue our dreams through human-powered achievement in a community of fellow adventurers, we open ourselves to a world of rich experiences and an incredibly rewarding way to live.

“Challenging yourself while exploring your world is truly one of life’s greatest experiences”

Today, Mountain Gurus follows a philosophy based on guiding, instruction, and training. Our guides and guests pursue shared goals together – pushing ourselves to defy gravity through climbing, trekking, skiing, adventure travel, or simply by immersing ourselves in nature and foreign cultures.

Our Vision

SAFETY

Safety is our number one priority. Mountain travel entails risks posed by weather, terrain, altitude and other natural factors. While many of these hazards are beyond our control, our professional guide staff strives to minimize exposure to them through proper route planning, camp selection, and acclimatization practices. We make every effort to provide our clients with individual attention and the finest instruction and leadership.

CLIENT CARE

We strive to give each one of our guests personalized attention and an enjoyable overall travel experience. We take pride in helping our clients achieve their personal climbing and trekking goals, and we know that successful journeys start long before our guests leave their homes. As you prepare for your adventure, our experienced staff will be available to answer all your questions about training, equipment, and travel.

ENVIRONMENT

Northwest Alpine Guides is committed to minimizing the environmental impacts of our travel. As we return year after year to the remarkable wilderness areas of the Cascade Mountains, we strive to ensure that each one of our guests enjoys a pristine mountain experience. We adhere strictly to “Leave No Trace” principles. We firmly believe that sustainable business practices are rooted in environmental stewardship.

Gear Partners

Reviews

“Dennis was an outstanding guide. He was extremely approachable with questions and made it a point to talk to all the clients and get to know us. He was very knowledgeable about the area and climb and I felt comfortable and safe during the trip. I appreciate that he made his clients also feel like friends.” ~ Sabrina M

“Thanks again for being such a great guide and making the climb such a positive experience!” ~ Nina G

“Great big thank you to the Mountain Gurus & Northwest Alpine Guides team for the most challenging and rewarding week of mountain school on Mt. Shuksan & Mt. Baker. For anyone interested in getting into mountaineering or just wanting to nail that first summit I can’t recommend these guys enough!” ~ Rachel D

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