The Adventure Consultants International Expedition Guiding Team

Adventure Consultants guides are NZMGA and / or IFMGA qualified mountain guides or equivalent. They are professional mountaineers and operate to the highest industry standards. The New Zealand Mountain Guides Association is NZ's professional guiding association affiliated to the International Federation of Mountain Guides or IFMGA. NZMGA guides become IFMGA guides when they have completed their training in all disciplines. Read about the history of mountain guiding in New Zealand for an interesting overview of more than 100 years of guiding in the Southern Alps of NZ.

Being a great climber alone is not enough to work with us, our standards demand that trip leaders are great guides as well. You will find your guide friendly, approachable and focused on providing a safe and enjoyable trip in line with your objectives and comfort level.

A-Z

Paul Aubrey, Mark Austin-Cheval, Lydia Bradey, Sean Brooks, Adrian Camm, Guy Cotter, Nick Cradock, Callum Grant, David Hamilton, Tibor Hromadka, Mark Johnson, Anna Keeling, Felix Landman, Michael Madden, David Marchi, Jason Martin, Steve Moffat, Mark Morrison, Paolo Pieroni, Matias Prieto, Richard Raynes, Davie Robinson, Mike Roberts, Tim Robertson, Paul Rogers, Mark Sedon, Ang Dorje Sherpa, Stefan Sporli, Dean Staples, Victor Saunders, Andy Taylor, Dylan Taylor, Andrew Wexler, Leifur Orn Svavarsson

Guy Cotter - New Zealand, Director of Adventure Consultants

Guy has had extensive experience in New Zealand and the Himalayas and has led over 30 expeditions around the globe including four ascents of Mt Everest. He is an IFMGA qualified mountain and ski guide with 40 years mountaineering experience. This century his exploits include Everest (twice!), Makalu, new routes on Mt Aspiring and the Balfour Face of Mount Tasman, leading the first AC Antarctic Peninsula Expedition, climbing the Nelion route on Mt Kenya and riding a horse to Mustang in Nepal. He led our first Ski the Last Degree South Pole trip in 2010 as well as expeditions to Kilimanjaro and a return to climbing at Arapalies in Australia after a 23 year absence! He has recently climbed Manaslu in spring 2012.

Fourteen years after he first climbed Mt Everest (in 1991), he then finished climbing all the Seven Summits with ascents of Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Kosciusko, Carstensz and Denali in 2005. He has climbed five 8000m peaks - Everest ( x 4 successful Everest ascents and turned back with clients who needed to descend on two other attempts), Cho Oyu, G2, Makalu and Manaslu with an attempt on Dhaulagiri and G1.

His skills are in demand as a high altitude cameraman, running film projects in the Southern Alps (or on the Seven Summits), training corporate groups and meanwhile ensuring the list of exciting destinations for Adventure Consultants' clients is always growing! He is currently leading our Lhotse expedition.

Mike Roberts - New Zealand / USA

Mike is an IFMGA International Guide from New Zealand. He currently lives in Colorado and his experience is vast. He has summitted Mount Everest six times and led expeditions to Aconcagua in South America, McKinley in Alaska, Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Gasherbrum I & II in Pakistan, Cho Oyu in Tibet and Muztagh Ata in Western China. He has also managed to fit in 14 seasons mountain and ski guiding in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, 12 seasons in Antarctica as a Field Leader / Guide to the USA Antarctic Program, has worked as a Professional Ski Patroller / Avalanche Forecaster and is a qualified Physiotherapist.

Add Mike's calm and welcoming personality, and attention to detail to the picture and you have a very personable and experienced Guide and Expedition Leader. In 2005 Mike lead our Everest and Cho Oyu Expeditions, and in 2006 our Gasherbrum II Expedition as well as Mera Peak, and in 2007 Everest, Denali, Cho Oyu, Vinson and Aconcagua (phew!). He led our Everest 2008 team to a successful summit and then Denali, Baruntse and an Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. In 2009 he has been guiding on Denali, Elbrus and in Europe and next up is guiding on Cho Oyu, in Antarctica and then in New Zealand. Mike was the Expedition Leader for our successful Everest 2010, 2011 and 2012 expeditions and led AC trips on Elbrus, in Europe and on Kilimanjaro in 2011. He is currently guiding a private client on Everest.

Dean Staples - New Zealand, Chief Guide for New Zealand

Dean is a New Zealand based IFMGA Guide, and guides on our New Zealand trips and international expeditions. He is a multi-talented guide with over a decade of guiding experience. Dean has successfully guided Shishapangma, Cho Oyu (three times), Ama Dablam (twice) and Everest (eight times), all in the Himalaya.

Dean is a super friendly guy, with great patience and leadership skills and he's a huge asset to the AC team. He guided on our Everest and Vinson 2006 Expeditions and led our Carstensz and Alpamayo 2008 expeditions. He led our Vinson 2009 expeditions and then embarked on a personal trip to the Antarctic Peninsula in Feb 2010. In 2010 he guided our Mongolia Mt Khuiten expedition and led our Ama Dablam expedition and in 2011 he guided for us on Everest, Vinson and Kilimanjaro. He returned to guide Everest in 2012 and is lead guide on our 2013 Everest Expedition.

Mark Sedon - New Zealand

Mark is another of our senior Kiwi guides based in Wanaka. He has traveled the world extensively, from skiing seasons in Utah, Europe, Japan and Canada, to kitesurfing in Vietnam, Hawaii, Peru, Australia and Ecuador and big wall climbing in Yosemite, Zion and Australia. Mark has led and guided over a dozen successful Himalayan expeditions including; Ama Dablam (3), Everest (in 2007), Cho Oyu (2), Lobuche East, Island Peak (3) and Mera Peak. He has also guided the volcanoes in Ecuador, Aconcagua in Argentina, Denali in Alaska, twice on our Antarctic Peninsula yacht based ski and climbing expedition and most recently on Elbrus, Carstensz and Vinson (3). He also runs many of our winter ski and snowboard courses and as a heliski guide and runs avalanche courses during the winter months.

Mark is an active writer and photographer and also organises the annual New Zealand Mountain Film Festival. He is a qualified IFMGA climbing and ski guide.

Steve Moffat - New Zealand

With years of climbing and skiing experience in New Zealand and personal climbs in South America, Steve is an IFMGA Guide working for Adventure Consultants year round. He is one of our senior guides with considerable Himalayan experience both as expedition leader and expedition guide. In 2006 he guided and summitted on our Everest expedition and this follows successful expeditions to Ama Dablam, Island Peak and Lobuche East. Steve, a fantastic rock and ice climber, also has experience guiding in Canada and on Aconcagua in South America. He is always busy between his expedition schedule guiding our NZ ascents, instruction, ice climbing and ski touring trips. Steve has guided on our Cho Oyu and numerous Three Peaks Nepal expeditions as well as Vinson Massif and ski mountaineering in Greenland.

Victor Saunders - UK

Victor has climbed extensively in the Himalayas achieving many first ascents including the North Pillar of Spantik. His ascents list is predominantly on climbs of a remote and desperately hard nature and Victor is still bubbling over with enthusiasm for the peaks and peoples of the Himalayas after 20 years of climbing. In addition to being an IFMGA guide, Victor is a recipient of the Boardman Tasker prize for mountain literature. He summitted Mount Everest in 2004, and guided and summitted on Everest for AC in 2006. He summitted again in 2007 as well as many of the Seven Summits and guided Australian mother and daughter team, Cheryl and Nikki Bart, on our 2008 Everest expedition . He led our Carstensz Mar 2008 & Nov 2010 expeditions as well as Vinson 2010 and summitted Everest for the sixth time in 2012.

Victor is based in Chamonix, France and is our Chief Guide for our European Alps guided ascents and course programmes. In 2011 he guided on our yacht based Antarctic Peninsula Ski Touring Expedition Feb 2011, Cho Oyu 2011 and Ama Dablam 2011. Returning to guide Everest in 2012.

(Editors Note: I am very proud of this photo as it took three Everest expeditions to achieve this portrait and get Victor to stand still long enough to take his picture!)

Ang Dorjee Sherpa - Nepal / USA

Summiting Everest initially with us in 1992, Ang Dorje has moved on to achieve 18 ascents of 8000m peaks! His skills as a climber are legendary. Frequently we consult his mountain acumen to ensure the smooth operation of an expedition. Ang Dorjee has held the Climbing Sardar role since 1993 proving himself to be a fine Sherpa leader and a motivator on the mountain. He took on the role of Assistant Guide on our Aconcagua 2002 & 2005 trips and has been Climbing Sardar on every AC Everest expedition since 2003. He has now climbed Everest 17 times! In 2008 he joined our guiding team on Everest and has been a part of the guiding team every year since. This year he guided alongside Dean Staples and Lydia Bradey. Ang Dorjee is originally from Pangboche Village in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal, but he now lives in the USA. He guides on Mt Rainier, and recently led Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro expeditions for Adventure Consultants. He led our Aconcagua and Island Peak expeditions in 2009.

Paul Rogers - New Zealand

Paul has an extensive background in the climbing, outdoor education and guiding industry. His track record goes back to an ascent of Uli Biaho (6109m) in Pakistan with AC Director, Guy Cotter, in 1989. He works for AC both in New Zealand and overseas, and has directed our winter ice climbing program. One could call Paul's home the great outdoors, when he isn't guiding around the globe he can be found at his favourite rock climbing retreat in the Darren Mountains of NZ's Fiordland National Park establishing new alpine rock-climbing routes.

Paul joined our Gasherbum I and II Expedition in 2003, went to Antarctica again the following summer, guided and summitted Island Peak and Ama Dablam in 2004, then Aconcagua in January 2005 and guided on our Everest 2005 Expedition. In 2006 he led our Aconcagua and Elbrus expeditions and guided Cho Oyu and Island Peak, and recently led our Mera Peak and Three Peaks expedition in Nepal. Paul guided on our Ama Dablam expedition in 2010 and led our successful Cholatse 2011 expedition.

David Hamilton - Scotland

David Hamilton hails from Glasgow in Scotland and is recognised as one of the most experienced high altitude guides around with a very long list of Himalayan achievements to his credit. David has led expeditions to Everest 8848m (seven times), Hidden Peak 8068m, Gasherbrum II 8035m (three times), Broad Peak 8047m, Shishapangma 8012m, Masherbrum 7821m, Tirich Mir 7708m, Chogolisa 7668m, Muztagh Ata 7564m (five times) & Spantik 7027m (three times).

He has also led numerous mountain projects in the European Alps, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Scandinavia, Russian Caucasus, Greenland, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Alaska, Argentina, Chile, Antarctica, Nepal, Pakistan, Mongolia & China.

David has a particular affinity for the mountains of the Karakoram Himalaya and has climbed there every single year since 1987. He has worked guiding in Antarctica for 5 seasons, making 8 ascents of Mt Vinson and leading 3 ski trips to the South Pole.

Paul Aubrey - New Zealand

Paul has been mountain guiding since 1979, and gained his international IFMGA qualification in New Zealand. In his early climbing he made first ascents in the Southern Alps and became a paragliding specialist for a time. He has guided in Europe, Canada and on Denali and is now based in Wanaka. When not teaching outdoor education or heli-ski guiding in the winter he guides our Private Instruction Courses and ascents of Cook, Tasman and Aspiring and he guided on our Aconcagua Expedition in January 2005. In 2006 he guided on our Vinson Massif Expedition.

Lydia Bradey - New Zealand

After years of personal climbing expeditions in New Zealand and the Himalaya (including being the first woman to ascend Mt Everest without oxygen in 1988), Lydia is now mountain guiding with Adventure Consultants. Her strong personal skills and breadth of experience are a real asset on any trip into the mountains. As well as being a qualified NZMGA Climbing Guide she is also a qualified physiotherapist. Lydia recently guided on Cho Oyu, Aconcagua, Alpamayo, Lobuche East and in Mongolia. In 2008 she guided on our Everest 2008 trip, and successfully summitted again, 20 years after her first summit! She guided on Ama Dablam and Mt Khuiten in Mongolia for AC in 2010 and guided on Kilimanjaro in 2011 for AC. In 2012 she is guiding on our Carstensz, Island Peak, Ama Dablam and Vinson expeditions. She is currently guiding our Everest 2013 Team with Dean Staples and Ang Dorjee.

Mark Morrison - New Zealand

Mark has been climbing since he was a youngster, and throughout his twenties has built up considerable guiding and instructing experience. From several seasons guiding in NZ's Southern Alps, instructing at the Outdoors Pursuits Centre in Taupo, guiding summers and winters in Canada, working as a Field Trainer in Antarctica to travelling in Europe and South America, Mark certainly gets about the place! Mark has been on expeditions to Ama Dablam with AC and to Kyrgyzstan where he climbed 9 peaks including Khan Tengri and a new route on Pik Karona (4860m). Mark guided our Ama Dablam 2007 Expedition, Aconcagua 2007, Three Peaks Nepal 2008 and Three Passes Nepal 2008, 2009 and 2011 treks.

Tim Robertson – New Zealand

With years of climbing and skiing experience in New Zealand, Europe and North America, Tim is now a qualified IFMGA Climbing and Ski Guide and works for Adventure Consultants in our busy summer and winter operations. Tim guided on our Three Peaks Expedition in Nepal in 2007 as well as our Ama Dablam 07 expedition and led our Island Peak 2008 expedition. He led our Three Peaks Nepal 2010 expedition and achieved his IFMGA qualification in 2011 followed by a season guiding in the European Alps in 2012.

Felix Landman - Australia / New Zealand

Felix has spent a lot of time climbing and guiding in the mountains of New Zealand and is an NZMGA Climbing Guide. He has also enjoyed ski touring in Kamchatka in Russia and his time climbing in South America including ski ascents in the Patagonian region of Argentina and Peru, a solo ascent of Cerro La Ramada and Cotopaxi in Ecuador. Felix speaks fluent German and Spanish. He guided on our Cho Oyu 2011 expedition.

Nick Cradock - New Zealand

Nick is an IFMGA guide from Wanaka, New Zealand with over 30 years extensive climbing and skiing experience around the globe. In New Zealand he has achieved many first ascents, been an examiner for the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association, and has a passion for ski guiding and summer high guiding. He climbed Cerro Torre in 1988 with Russell Braddock and was part of the New Zealand team with Guy Cotter who climbed Uli Biaho in the Karakoram in 1989. He recently led our Alpamayo - Huascaran 2012 expedition and has spent several seasons mountain guiding in Europe and multiple seasons heli-ski guiding in India, Russia and Greenland.

Dylan Taylor - USA

Guides in the Cascades, Red Rock, Sierra, Alaska, Canada, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile. Dylan's climbing has taken him from the rock and glacier environments of the Cascades, to craggy summits of the High Sierra, sandstone towers in the Southwest, the Italian Alps, and the remote alpine walls in Patagonia. Dylan recently completed his masters degree in geology with a focus on the formation of the Cascades. Dylan is an IFMGA guide. Speaks Spanish.

Andrew Wexler - Canada

Guides in Canada, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina. Andrew equally enjoys ice and rock climbing, and he has done numerous difficult big wall routes in Yosemite, Colorado, the Cascades, Patagonia and the Bugaboos. He is also a keen skier and has spent many days swooshing throughout the Canadian and Alaskan backcountry including a few mega traverses that are unrepeated. His academic background is in international political economy. Speaks Spanish and Canadian. Andrew guided on our Ama Dablam 2007 Expedition and led our Alpamayo 2009 trip. In 2011 he achieved his IFMGA qualification, guided in Europe and on our two Elbrus expeditions. In 2012 he has led our Elbrus programmes again.

Leifur Orn Svavarsson - Iceland

Leifur guides in Iceland and Greenland, from full winter Vatnajökull glacier traverses, cross country ski expeditions, touring ski tours, mountain climbs and climbing courses to isolated backpacking tours over glaciers and wild rivers in the summer. With his guiding experience dating back to 1985 he is one of the most experienced Mountain Guides in Iceland, and is an IFMGA qualified guide. He has guided several Greenland Crossings.

In addition to guiding in Iceland and Greenland, Leifur has been expedition leader on Mt Elbrus, Aconcagua, Vinson, Mt Toupcal, and Mont Blanc plus other peaks in the Alps. He has also summited Peak Lenin, Cho Oyu, and Denali. Leifur was a team leader for the first response mountain rescue team, The Icelandic Air Ground Rescue team for more than 10 years. He has a successful background in ultra marathons and adventure races, winning several weekend races in Iceland and taking 4th place in Arctic Team Challenge in Greenland in the professional category.

Leifur has a university degree in geology with a focus on avalanche science. He holds a Level II Canadian Avalanche Association certification and worked as a director for the Avalanche Warning of the Icelandic Metrological Office from 2002-2010. Leifur is guiding our Ski the Last Degree South Pole and Union Glacier Antarctic Climbing programmes in summer 2012/1013.

David Marchi - USA

Highly talented ski and climbing guide David Marchi is based in Mt Shasta in California, and has years of guiding experience on this peak as well as a background in ski patrol and skiing for the United States Ski Team. He has guided on our Ama Dablam expedition in 2006, and also guides on Denali and Carstensz. In 2009 David is guiding on our Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro expeditions.

Paolo Pieroni - Italy

Our European guided ascents and private instruction couses are often guided by Paolo. He is an IFMGA guide who lives in Courmayeur, Italy, but he is never far away from Chamonix and all the action there and in the Swiss Alps. Paolo has spent two months guiding in New Zealand's Southern Alps in 08/09 and we have very much enjoyed having him as part of the team at AC Headquarters downunder. Our pasta cooking skills are now much improved thanks to his input.

Sean Brooks - New Zealand

As well as being a fully qualified IFMGA Climbing and Ski guide, Sean builds high quality houses in Wanaka & Queenstown. Sean is a Kiwi who has been mountain guiding for more than a decade and spent his formative guiding years in the Mt Cook region. He has guided in Europe and regularly guides trips on the Antartic Peninsula. Not many come as tall and handsome as our Sean! Currently Vice-president of the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association.

Tibor Hromadka - Slovakia

Tibor is a fully qualified IFMGA Mountain Guide from Slovakia who joins us in New Zealand over our busy summer season. He has been climbing for almost 20 years including four expeditions to the Himalayas. He summited Cho Oyu in 1995 and attempted Kanchenchunga in 1997 (reaching 7000m) and Everest in 1998 (reaching 8000m).

Tibor’s guiding has brought him to New Zealand for the past five summers and when he is at his home in Slovakia he guides the mountains of the High Tatras. He made several successful ascents of Aoraki/Mt Cook for Adventure Consultants each summer and, including Zubriggens Ridge twice! He is looking forward to returning to his ‘other home’, the Southern Alps.

Andy Taylor - New Zealand

Andy, a.k.a Frog, is based in Queenstown, New Zealand and spends his summers mountain guiding and his winters ski guiding. In addition to all this he is a qualified builder. He climbed Ama Dablam with Adventure Consultants in 2002, and guided on the North side of Everest in 2005. He is now a fully qualified IFMGA guide.

Mark Austin-Cheval - New Zealand

Mark joined the AC guiding team several summers ago. Living in Queenstown he comes over from the dark side to work for us in our busy summer operations and occasionally guides on winter trips. A ski patroller and self proclaimed gear freak he is never short of a conversational topic. Mark has climbed extensively in Canada, France and New Zealand. As well as reaching his IFMGA Mountain Guide status in early 2012, he is a qualifed secondary school teacher.

Mark guided on our Ama Dablam 2008 Expedition.

Callum Grant - New Zealand

Callum has climbed extensively throughout the Southern Alps and has been guiding on our New Zealand programs for the past five years. Prior to that he spent 7 summer seasons as an NZMGA Glacier Guide - most of his time he was based at Franz Josef Glacier on the West Coast of NZ. He knows how to cut steps - really well. Callum's laid back style and lcaonic Kiwi sense of humour makes him a popular guide. He professes to be too busy working, but Callum is often seen blazing a trail on his mountain bike, or hanging out at the rock climbing crags at Wanaka.

Winter sees Callum working at Treble Cone ski area as a ski patroller. According to him it's a great spot for skiing fresh powder, and lobbing bombs about (aka avalanche control). He has an avalanche dog Zepher, who has been making headlines recently winning awards.

Michael Madden - New Zealand

Mike guides in Alaska and New Zealand and calls the beautiful township of Wanaka his home. Mike is a passionate mountaineer, rock climber, and backcountry skier, and has climbed and skied extensively throughout the high mountains of New Zealand's Southern Alps. His favorite climbing memories include ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies and climbing and ski mountaineering in the Swiss and French Alps. Mike is also a keen sailor and originally discovered adventure at the height of a storm while sailing his yacht, Kairangi, single-handed and attempting to circumnavigate the North Island of New Zealand. Mike guided on our Three Peaks Nepal 2009 expedition and our Cho Oyu 2010 expedition alongside Mike Roberts.

Davie Robinson - New Zealand / Scotland

Hails from bonny Scotland and has never lost the accent, but definitely now a local of Wanaka, New Zealand. Davie is an IFMGA Climbing and Ski Guide and has guided extensively in New Zealand after his formative years spent climbing in the European Alps. He is a veteran of several Antarctic seasons as a Field Guide and a decade of ski patrolling.

Stefan Sporli - New Zealand / Switzerland

Stefan has spent much of his life in the mountains, starting out on Mt Ruapehu in the North Island of New Zealand with regular sojourns to Switzerland as a child. Most of his climbing has been in the French Alps and western USA and he describes his wildest trip so far as a month long ski touring trip in Mongolia. He is now mountain guiding full time after years of ski patrol work in NZ, the USA and France. He has a visual arts degree and speaks French, German and Kiwi English. In 2011 he achieved his IFMGA Guide qualification.

Anna Keeling - New Zealand / USA

Anna is an IFMGA mountain guide from New Zealand who is often found living in the USA. When we can lure her home again she guides on our courses and guided ascents in the Southern Alps. Aside from climbing, her passions are ski mountaineering and adventure racing, as Anna has competed at international level in multisport races for most of her adult life. She has climbed and guided in NZ, Canada, USA, India and Nepal and she has a degree in Parks and Recreation Management.

Matias Prieto - Chile

Much of the success of our Aconcagua expeditions is based on Matias' care of our groups and his guiding leadership on the mountain. Matias has been a mountain guide in Chile for 15 years and he guides throughout South America, including on our Alpamayo expedition in 2011. He has also lived and climbed in New Zealand for two years, where he perfected his Kiwi english and explored the Southern Alps thoroughly.

Adrian Camm - UK / New Zealand

Adrian's climbing career began with a typical British apprenticeship on the gritstone outcrops of Northern England, working through Scottish winter climbing and European Alpine mountaineering before moving to NZ in 1996 where he started his guiding career. He has climbed and skied extensively around the Mt Aspiring and Aoraki / Mt Cook National Parks as well as enjoying trips to Canada and back to Europe. His favourite climbs in NZ include the South Faces of Douglas and Hicks and the SW Ridge of Aspiring. Places he's itching to get to include Antarctica, a return trip to Corsica and ice climbing in the Pyrenees.

Richard Raynes - New Zealand

Having spent two summers as a member of the Aoraki/Mount Cook Search & Rescue Team, Rich is now guiding for AC during our busy summer season as an NZMGA Climbing & Ski Guide. In winter Rich is a ski patroller at Treble Cone ski field. When not guiding or patrolling, Rich runs his own joinery business and is based in Wanaka with his wife and daughter (with another on the way).

Mark Johnson - USA

Guides in the Cascades, Red Rock, Joshua Tree, Canada, Ecuador, and Bolivia. A gifted instructor, Mark has climbed and guided throughout the U.S. as well as in the Andes. He has been noted for his difficult water ice ascents and alpine climbs in Colorado and the Cascades, but he has equally enjoyed his rock climbing in Colorado and the desert Southwest. His formal training is in music education. Speaks Spanish.

Jason Martin - USA

Guides in the Cascades, Red Rock, Sierra, Joshua Tree, Canada, Bolivia and Ecuador. Jason is a playwright, screenwriter, film critic, and outdoor adventure writer. He authored the guidebook, "Washington Ice: A Climbing Guide" and has written for Climbing Magazine and the Northwest Mountaineering Journal. Jason has a background in education and has taught at both secondary and university institutions. AMGA certified Rock Guide. Speaks Spanish.

AC Sherpa rockstars - Da Jangbu, Phu Tashi, Lhakpa Dorje and Sankey Dorjee © Claudia Lopez

THE AC SHERPA TEAM

Adding strength to our expeditions, our core Sherpa staff from the Nepalese highlands help to make our expeditions fun, safe and successful. Almost always the strongest climbers on Himalayan expeditions, these highly skilled Sherpas are an integral part of our operation.

(pictured on right: Dawa Jangbu Sherpa, Phu Tashi Sherpa, Lhakpa Dorjee Sherpa, Sange Dorjee Sherpa, Ama Dablam 2006. Photo www.claudialopezphotography.com )

Ang Tshering Sherpa

As Sirdar for our Himalayan expeditions since 1993, Ang Tshering co-ordinates much of the logistics to enable us to reach our climbing destination within Nepal. He is a colourful character who helps maintain hygiene and order in the base camp and his cooking skills in remote situations are legendary.

Dawa Zangbu Sherpa

Dawa Zangbu Sherpa from Pangboche is a long time AC Sherpa guide having recently taken over our main Climbing Sirdar role on Everest, which he has summitted an impressive 10 times. When he is not on an expedition he is a carpenter and also a lodge owner. His practical skills with electronics are an asset when it comes to setting up and fixing anything in our Base Camps. He always has his friendly smile beaming at you and his fantastic relaxed but professional attitude earns him much respect whern leading our Sherpa teams.

Lhapka Dorjee Sherpa

Lhapka Dorjee is one of Nepal's most experienced Climbing Sherpas with many 8000m summits to his name including Everest (7), Kanchenjunga (2), Cho Oyu (5), Makalu (3), Manaslu and Lhotse. He is often working on our private expeditions as Climbing Sirdar.

Sange Dorjee Sherpa

From Khumjung, Sange Dorjee has been a stand out Climbing Sherpa and now Climbing Sirdar for Adventure Consultants over the past 5 years. Sange Dorjee has excellent English and great organisational skills, as well as 6 Everest and 3 Cho Oyu summits. He was the Sirdar on our successful inauguarl Cholatse Expedition 2011.

Chuldim Sherpa

Having been an integral member of most of our Himalayan expeditions Chuldim is very much part of the Adventure Consultants extended family. He is a gregarious character with a fine sense of humour and with many years of experience on the highest mountains is a valuable team member. Chuldim is our Climbing Sardar for Cho Oyu expeditions and has summited it 3 times, as well as summiting Everest in 1990. He now acts as our South Col support on Everest and has been there on 9 expeditions.

Chhongba Sherpa

Chhongba has received high praise for his skill as Base Camp chef. He has worked with us since 1992 and has never failed to please and impress with his range of gourmet fare. Chhongba produces an incredible array of tasty western cuisine from his basic, yet efficient and hygenic cook tent and he trains our up and coming Sherpa cooks.

Dendi Sherpa

Dendi is our new Everest and Cho Oyu Chef and amazes our guests with exquisite gourmet food in the most inhospitable locations. He shares and contributes to Adventure Consultants' passion for providing wholesome and nutritious expedition meals. He speaks great English.