Our Client Stories

“ Sara Berghoff and Hjordis Rickert were excellent instructors – they made the day fun and I admired how they gave each and every student very detailed feedback in real time. Through their real time feedback, they made opportunities for each student to correct their technique in the moment. This opportunity to refine your technique – and practice it correctly – makes all the difference for retaining safety-critical skills. Friends have been recommending SMI’s courses for several seasons now, and now that I’ve taken the BASIC SNOW TRAVEL course (Ice axe/self arrest, crampons) I can see why. I strongly recommend this class, and SMI, to friends and family. I look forward to the next opportunity I get to take a class with them myself as well! ”

“Just got back to our cabin in mammoth after two great days of backcountry skiing with Forrest Schwab. I wanted to thank you for providing us with such a wonderful guide. We had never backcountry skied before, and frankly aren’t that good at resort skiing either but wanted to try it out. Forest was perfect; he catered to our ability and took us on suitable terrain so that we had a blast and pushed ourselves a little but not too much. From the first minute, he was friendly and personable. We had a bunch of questions about snow safety, and he thoroughly explained a lot. He’s clearly very experienced, and he matches that with his humility for a wonderful combo. And he’s just plain fun to be spend two days in the mountains with. We couldn’t be happier with our experience.”

“Just wanted to let you all know that I, and the rest of my group, had a great time on our Mt. Whitney trip this past weekend. I can’t say enough about our guide Tristan. The two other members of our group had no climbing experience and Tristan did a great job teaching and being patient with all of us. I hope to get to climb with Tristan and SMI again someday soon. Oh and the food was amazing! I usually lose my appetite at altitude, not possible with chef Tristan!”

“Thanks again for coordinating the course during the weekend. It was very useful. Trevor is a great and experienced teacher. I appreciated the personalized attention as well. Great experience overall. Will certainly recommend your agency and services. Hope to join you in one of your organized trips.”

“It was such a pleasure to team up with Simon on our Mt. Whitney climb in August 2018. Simon was instrumental in keeping our group safe and sound all the way from Whitney Portal to Whitney Summit via the tough Mountaineer’s route. His photography skills are out of the world. He captured in high definition, so many wonderful views with us in the frame. It’s a once in a life time opportunity to have a world class in mountaineer AND photographer as your guide.”

“I just wanted to let you guys know how much I enjoyed climbing Whitney this past weekend with Tristan, Lindsay, and Trevor. They are incredible guides who are professional, fun, and incredibly knowledgeable about the mountains.”

“Just wanted to pass Emily and my thanks for a great Saturday! We had a wonderful time and learned a lot. Tristan was wonderful. He gave some great recommendations for future trips, and we’ll definitely put SMI at the top of the list.”

“A belated note to you all for helping us have a magical trip to the high Sierra’s. It was absolutely perfect. You were very clever the way you were able to take the various folks with different levels of conditioning and make it all work. And Kurt – you were very patient. Thank you. 🙂 I was blown away by the area. Having hiked a great deal around the globe, it’s hard to say if I’ve been in a more beautiful place. Thanks again for all the hard work and fun!”

“We had such a wonderful experience with the trip you helped plan for us—with Trevor and the packer Duncan and three mules. It was the best family vacation I have taken in all my life. The whole 5 days couldn’t have been any better. Our family grew closer, we felt held and supported by Trevor and Duncan, the meals were great, the weather….I could go on and on.”

“I had been mountaineering for 31 years when I decided to tackle Devil’s Crag #1 and nearby Wheel Mountain. I normally climb alone, but Devil’s Crag had enough of a reputation that I wanted a guide. Simon Moore was my SMI guide, and he was excellent! The route was long and committing, with quite a bit of loose rock. Simon was very efficient, belaying me up and back down quickly enough to allow us to climb Wheel Mountain in the same day. My 70th birthday was just around the corner, and Simon did all the right things to help me perform at my best. We not only achieved my goals, we did it a day ahead of schedule.”

“Tristan, Zack, and Trevor, I wanted to personally thank all of you for helping me fulfill my dream of climbing the Palisades. Your knowledge, expertise, professionalism, and safety orientated discipline, were top notch! The trip itinerary, meal plans, personal interactions were spot on! I deeply appreciated Tristan’s off the cuff humor, Zack’s pitch leading seriousness, and Trevor’s no-holds-barred confident smile! You guy’s rock!!! I also want to thank Kurt Wedberg your boss, who’s recruited the finest, most talented, and experienced guides in all the Sierra’s!”

“Thank you for having Zachary, Tristan and Trevor guide our group. Trevor is a workhorse with the gentlest of demeanors and a professional chef. Tristan is an excellent mountaineer as well as Zachary. We had an enlightening trip. I suggest doing whatever it takes to keep these extraordinary gentlemen. We always were safe and protected having the time of our lives.”

“Kurt, I did want to say how much I appreciate you for helping me explore my favorite mountain range. The memories of my time each summer in the Sierras live strong in my heart and mind throughout the year. I pull them out at will and go back to Shepard’s Pass, Mt. Williamson and Mt. Tyndall. I see the flowers and the vistas again and remember the joy of hiking down the trail, scrambling up to the peaks, and standing on top. It fills my soul. Thank you for helping me do this. ”