About Kel
After stints in the military, the corporate world, and a Zen monastery, Kel began his climbing career in the Cascades back in the 90s with a summit of Mt. Adams. Since then he has climbed and guided rock and ice in twelve different countries on four continents. Based in Vermont most of the year, Kel owns and operates Adventure Spirit LLC, a rock, ice, and alpine guide service specializing in Northeastern climbing destinations. Kel is also active in higher education, serving as a faculty member/instructor at several area colleges and holding a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. He is complementing his university studies with AMGA training, having become both a Certified Rock Guide and Alpine Guide Aspirant. In between his stints in the mountains, Kel serves on the board of CRAG-VT, Vermont’s climbing access organization, and is an avid home-crafts enthusiast and meditation practitioner.
- Mt. Rainier (14,410’), 25+ summits via the Muir, Emmons, & Kautz routes
- Alaska: Denali (20,320'), Complete West Rib, West Buttress
- Cascade Volcanoes: Shasta (14,179'), Adams (12,281'), Hood (11,249'), Glacier Peak (10,541'), Jefferson (10,497'), Shuksan (9,126'), St. Helens (8,365')
- Mexico: 3 Climbs of Pico de Orizaba (18,490'), Ixtaccihuatl (17,159'), La Malinche (14,640')
- Ecuador: 2 Climbs of Cotopaxi (19,347'), Pichincha (15,696'), Ruminahui (15,489')
- North Cascades: Climbing up to Grade V and 5.11 including South Early Winters Spire Direct East Face, Torment-Forbidden Traverse, North Ridge Mt. Stuart, Prussik Peak South Face, Fischer Chimneys Mt. Shuksan, NW Face North Ridge Forbidden, South Face Cutthroat Peak and many others
- Sierra Nevadas: Climbing up to Grade V and 5.10d including 3 climbs of Mt. Whitney (14,505' via East Face, Mountaineers, & Whitney-Portal Routes), Russell (14,094' via Fishhook Arete), Gayley-Sill Traverse (13,510'-14,159'), 2 Climbs of Palisades (14,242' via U Notch Couloir & V Notch Couloir), Darwin-Peak 13,332' Traverse (13,831'-13,332'), and many others
- French Alps: Climbing up to Grade IV and 5.8 including Arete des Cosmiques (12,605'), Midi-Plan Traverse, (12,605'-12,050'), Aiguille du Tour (11,627'), Dent du Geant (13, 166’), and many others
- Italian Dolomite: Climbing up Grade IV and 5.9 including Piz Pordoi West Face, Second Sella Tower North Face, Cima Casson di Formin Northwest Corner, and many others
- French/Spanish Pyrenees: Climbing up to Grade IV and 5.11a including Pic Sacroux, Cresta de los Portillones (10,866’), Petit-Grande Vignemale Traverse, NW Buttress Petit Vignemale, & Voie Mailly and Sud-Est Directissima on Pic Midi d’ Ossau
- Olympic Mountains (WA): Olympus, Constance, The Brothers, Cruiser, Ellinor, Washington, Townsend, and A Peak
- Northeast: Climbing and guiding rock, ice, and summit routes up to Grade IV, 5.10d, and WI5 including many Mt. Washington summits and Winter Presidential Traverses, Mt. Katahdin via Black Gully West, The Black Dike, Pinnacle Gully, and countless others
- Climbing and guiding across the US and in Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and Switzerland
- Wilderness First Responder
- AIARE Avalanche Level 3
- AIARE Level 1 Instructor
- AMGA Certified Rock Guide
- AMGA Alpine Guide Aspirant
- AMGA Ice Instructor Course
- LNT Master Educator
- Search and Rescue Technician Level 3
- PCGI Certified Multi-Pitch Guide
- New York State Certified Rock & Ice Guide
- Swiftwater Rescue Technician
- American Canoe Association Coastal Sea Kayak Instructor
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