Zack McGill

Zack grew up in Durango, CO and began venturing into the mountains of the North and South San Juans at an early age. He studied Elementary Education and Communication at the University of Colorado in Boulder and worked for the Colorado Outward Bound School for 7 years – leading long expeditions (15-52 days) throughout the Southwest and Alaska. Colorado was where he began his guiding career working for several small guiding operations as well as the Colorado Mountain School before moving to Bellingham, WA in the spring of 2017 to work for Baker Mountain Guides. The North Cascades are home now and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. 7 months out of the year, you can find him on skis teaching avalanche courses, ski guiding, or dreaming of shredding pow in between rain events. The remaining months, he works as a guide and instructor for everything from alpine rock to glacier mountaineering in the Cascades.

Take 5 with the Guide

Guilty Pleasure
Science Fiction shows/movies. Except I feel zero guilt.

What was your first mountain? When did you climb it? Who were you with?
Mount Crested Butte when I was four with my folks. Thanks ski lifts.

Most people don’t know that…
I had a pet squirrel growing up.

In another life I’d…
Probably be doing the same thing.

When you’re not guiding?
I’m eating.