Pico de Orizaba Guides

Based out of Seattle, Hannah follows the seasons across a wide range of climbing and skiing terrain. Each year she spends spring guiding heli-skiing in Alaska’s Chugach, early summer spearheading our mountaineering schools and Denali expeditions in the Alaska Range, and the remainder of the summer season in the Washington Cascades pursuing everything from technical alpine rock objectives to foundational courses in the North Cascades. In the fall, she can often be found on the sandstone walls of the desert Southwest, blending professional guiding with personal climbing adventures before heading to Mexico for our Alpine Ascents Volcanoes of Mexico expeditions. Hannah has a gift for building strong and competent mountaineers, and fostering a sense of community on her expeditions whether three days or three weeks long. Her mix of technical ability, calm leadership, and enthusiasm for the mountains make her a steady presence in challenging environments. In 2025, Hannah joined...

Arielle grew up in California, where regular family trips to Yosemite sparked a lifelong love of the outdoors. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation and Leadership, with summers spent working in Yosemite, the Rockies, and southern Alaska, along with a semester in New Zealand’s backcountry with NOLS, she turned her passion for adventure into a guiding career. Ari has been guiding since 2010, and joined Alpine Ascents in 2017. Ari spends her time outdoors year round, guiding different peaks across the globe each season. She spends her springs and summers on Washington’s glaciers, leading our mountaineering school in the Pacific Northwest and has lead Alpine Ascents Denali expeditions since 2019. In the fall season she travels to the Himalayas for ascents of Mera Peak, and spends the winter spearheading trips to the Volcanoes of Mexico. Known for her steady leadership, she thrives on helping climbers push beyond their...

Stephen grew up in the Southeast, first honing his skills on the sandstone cliffs of West Virginia and Kentucky. While studying ecology and mathematics at Oberlin College, he began leading outdoor trips and spent summers teaching climbing, backpacking, and whitewater canoeing across the western U.S. and Canada. After graduation, the alpine summits of the Pacific Northwest drew him to Washington, which has been home ever since. Since joining Alpine Ascents in 2015, Stephen has guided extensively in Alaska, Washington, California, the Pamir Range, and Argentina. His personal climbing has taken him from technical alpine routes in the North Cascades and Alaska, to long desert rock climbs, to steep ice in the Canadian Rockies. A certified IFMGA guide, Stephen is a true all-around climber who brings both skill and patience to the teams he leads.