Chris Simmons is a climber, a skier, an ifmga mountain guide, a veteran, and a coffee addict.
His father’s work required the family to move, so he grew up in California, Texas, and North Carolina. Chris enlisted in the Navy, became a Hospital Corpsman and served with the Marine Corps, before arriving in Jackson Hole in 1998. His guiding career launched with a move to Washington in 2000, and he’s called the Pacific Northwest home ever since. Chris has skied and climbed around the world, from the Western United States to Alaska, Antarctica, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, France, Ecuador, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Slovenia.
Chris has first ascents on multi-pitch rock routes in California, alpine routes in Antarctica, and first ski descents in Washington and Antarctica too. He’s climbed classic routes like Liberty Ridge on Mt Rainier in under 24 hours, guided the Palisade Traverse in California and the Torment-Forbidden Traverse in the North Cascades. He’s also guided multiple ski tours of the Sierra High Route and difficult tours in the Cascades like the Forbidden Tour, Mt Shuksan’s North Face and Mt Baker’s North Ridge. Abroad, he’s ski guided in the Alps, rock guided in Italy’s Dolomite, and soloed the Remarkable Traverse in New Zealand.
Today, a significant amount of his work is supporting scientists in the Arctic and the Antarctic - not just providing security on technical terrain, but assisting with logistics and acting as the team medic. He travels to Alaska and Antarctica for 3-5 months of the year. He has also been a member of the AMGA National Instructor Team since 2016.
Chris has admitted weaknesses for good bakeries, strong coffee, and Irish whiskey.
the numbers for 2021
3 countries Traveled
117 guests Guided
159 days in the mountains
about amga certification & ifmga license
The IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations, or UIAGM or IVBV) License is The Standard. It is the only standard that +25 countries and their respective associations train and examine to meet. The AMGA (American Mountain Guide Association) conducts this training and certification in the United States, and has broken the profession into “disciplines”: Alpine, Rock and Ski.
An AMGA certified, IFMGA licensed Mountain Guide has more than 300 days of prerequisite climbing and skiing documented, 60 days of formal guiding instruction, and a further 30 days of examination. All this can be accomplished in no less than 4.5 years - the typical candidate takes 7 years.
When you book to climb with a certified guide, you will be climbing with someone whose mountain sense and technical skills have been carefully examined. When you climb or ski with an IFMGA Licensed Mountain Guide, you’ll be in the mountains with a true professional. Your time and safety deserves nothing less.
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