Our Rock Climbing Guides

Erik is a Truckee, California, native and has been climbing since 1993. Some of his favorite places to climb are Yosemite National Park, the Eastern Sierra, Red Rock Canyon, and Southern Utah. In 2013, he began guiding and teaching rock climbing. Erik currently holds an SPI (single pitch instructor) certification, has an Assistant Rock Guide status with the American Mountain Guides Association, and has a Wilderness first responder certification.  He truly enjoyed teaching climbing and sharing his passion for it with others. And, yes, he has seen the movie Free Solo.

Bio coming soon

Bio Coming Soon

Originally from the East Coast, Allie learned to ski at the age of 3. In 2010, she moved to Tahoe to pursue bigger mountains and a full-time career in the ski industry. She has coached ski racing and taught skiing all over the West Coast and the world. Allie is a USSS Level 400 Alpine Coach, Coach Developer, and Alpine Official, has her PSIA Alpine Level 3, Children’s Specialist 2, Freestyle Specialist 1, Resort & Divisional Trainer, and Snowboard Level 1. With her eye on steeper and deeper lines, Allie started backcountry guiding in 2020. She is an AIARE Course Leader, has her Pro 1, and is an AMGA Apprentice Ski & Alpine Guide. Allie currently holds the position of lead alpine trainer at Sugar Bowl Resort. She is working towards her Pro 2 and the PSIA National Team this season. When not skiing, Allie enjoys whitewater rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, and yoga.

If you take your AIARE 1 or 2 with us, you may be lucky enough to learn from Wendy. When not being the Lead Avalanche Forecaster at Mt Rose Tahoe, teaching Professional Avalanche courses for AIARE, working as a surgical nurse in Reno, rebuilding her cabin (lost in the Dixie Fire) with a repurposed shipping container, harkening her archaeology education at Oberlin College / Italy, getting after it with friends on week-long hut tours in British Columbia, training with her avalanche rescue dog Carmen, or mountain biking and rafting, she graces us with her incredible teaching skills!

Dave grew up rock climbing and first started guiding and getting certified as a guide in his home state of Maine. He moved to Utah and founded what would become a successful climbing school with his partner Noah Bigwood in 1998: Exum Utah Desert Adventures. They later changed the name to Moab Desert Adventures in 2000. Dave and Noah were instrumental figures in Moab’s climbing and guiding community, and the first to ascend many of Moab’s best and hardest rock climbs.

For over 20 years Dave has also been on the forefront of the Work-at-Height Industry delivering incident free results for a long list of clients including NBC, Walt Disney, History Channel, the BBC,  Chevrolet,  Alyeska Pipeline Services, and BP.

See our Ski Guide section for Dave’s long history as an avalanche educator, forecaster, and snow scientist.

Colby was raised in the Sierra Valley and was taught to climb with ethics and safety first. As an avid route developer, their favorite places to climb are Donner, Squamish, and off the map areas. They love working for NASTC because they get to share the skills they have learnt that are specific to the experience and offer a unique perspective. Their favorite gear shop in Truckee is Tahoe Sports Hub and in Reno, NV, is Adventure Rentals.

Steve started climbing over 20 years ago in the Shawangunks in New York. A traveler and generalist at heart, he has climbed a little bit of everything in a lot of places — boulders and clip-ups, desert towers and big walls, waterfall ice, alpine ridges and big peaks. Since moving to California in 2008, he has climbed many of the classics in Tahoe, Yosemite, Bishop, and throughout the Sierra. Steve is certified as an AMGA SPI and CWI and is a Provider for the AMGA CWI Program as well as the AAC Universal Belay Program. He is a certified WFR and holds the CWA Work-at-Height certification for Qualified Climbing Wall Workers. He also guides at Lover’s Leap, Phantom Spires, and Sugarloaf for Lover’s Leap Guides, works with several climbing gyms in Northern California, and teaches Anthropology at both Sierra College and Sacramento City College.

Derek has been a climber since high school in the early 1980s. He served on the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team for 6 years and has been trained as a rock instructor by the American Mountain Guides Association. He also works as a professor of environmental science at Sierra College in Truckee and gives guide trips in Nepal and Vietnam. He is excited to help you develop your own passion for climbing!

Chris is a professional member of the AMGA, a rock climbing guide since 1985, a former owner of Sierra Mountain Guides, and the co-founder/owner of NASTC. He has guided rock climbing all over the world including Tahoe, the Sierra Eastside, British Columbia, Nepal, France, and Chile. He enjoys introducing beginners to rock climbing as well as taking seasoned climbers up longer routes.