Originally published in the Summer + Fall 2017 issue.

Aspen Alpine Guides has been offering year-round excursions in the Aspen area since 1987. AAG provides professional mountain guiding adventures that include hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, mountain biking, hut trips and high altitude training for runners and cyclist in the summer, as well as snowshoeing, cross-country ski instruction and tours, backcountry skiing, winter hut trips, out of bounds, lift-assisted skiing and avalanche education in the winter.

Aspen Alpine Guides specializes in creating custom adventures for individuals and groups of all abilities and sizes.

“Our experienced guides have been exploring and adventuring in the Aspen area for years and have a deep appreciation for the environment, natural landscapes and history of the Aspen area,” says Stephen Szoradi, owner of Aspen Alpine Guides. “All of our guides enjoy sharing our home with visitors who are looking for new experiences as well as visitors who are looking to accomplish long time goals.”

AAG can set up individual or group trips. A guide service can help to ease the nerves of a first-timer in the backcountry, or provide a knowledge base for clients who are looking to climb a technical 14-thousand-foot peak in the Elk Mountains.

“Going rock climbing for the first time, embarking on your first hut or backpacking trip, or climbing your first 14er can be intimidating to some, but a guide can help to make the experience worry free,” explains Szoradi. “A guide is your best accessory on your trip as AAG has setup programs and trips to make this new adventure easier and smoother.”

This supported environment helps everyone feel more comfortable and successful in their adventures.

Aspen Alpine Guides also runs a program called Leave the Boys Behind, which was built with the intention of creating an all-female experience in and around the pristine wilderness and rugged mountains of Aspen, Colorado. The goal of this program is to include females of all ability levels and ages in organized adventure that encompasses a variety of sports.

“The drive to create this program stems from our desire to host fun and new experiences for women in the wilderness where the pressure from the boys is left at home,” says Szoradi.

Learn more at www.aspenalpine.com.

Photo by Stephen Szoradi.