Dave Miller
Owner & Director
UIAGM/IFMGA Internationally Certified Mountain Guide & Ski Guide
AMGA certified alpine guide, rock guide & ski mountaineering guide
Dave has been climbing and exploring the mountains of California for over thirty five years. He has worked as a mountain guide in rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering and ski mountaineering throughout California, Europe, Mexico and South America for the past ten years. Dave is the owner of California Alpine Guides and works full time as a climbing guide in the field. Dave lives in the Eastern Sierra Nevada minutes from Yosemite National Park and the resort area of Mammoth Lakes.

Climbing & Skiing Experience:
Dave's climbing adventures began back in 1980 while attending high school in the North Lake Tahoe area of the Northern Sierra Nevada while pursuing a career as an alpine ski racer. Twenty-nine years later Dave considers his proudest climbing achievements to be his multiple one-day ascents of Yosemite's El Capitan and his ascents of remote alpine rock routes in the High Sierra.

Dave's alpine climbing experience include long ice faces and rock climbing routes in Washington's North Cascade range, high altitude mountaineering in Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico, ascents in the French and Swiss Alps as well as ice climbs throughout California and Colorado. Dave has also climbed numerous Cascade volcanoes from Mount Shasta to Mount Baker.

Dave's ski mountaineering adventures include many glaciated ski tours in the French & Swiss Alps, the Coast Range of British Columbia and Alaska's Chugach Range plus many multi-day ski tours throughout the western United States.

Certifications/Education:
Dave is certified mountain guide in alpine climbing, rock climbing & ski mountaineering through the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) as well as a UIAGM/IFMGA internationally certified mountain guide in all disciplines. Dave also has a level III avalanche training certificate and is a Wilderness First Responder. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science.

Dave is known for his backcountry culinary skill and enjoys the creative outlet of cooking a great meal while in the field. He believes flexibility is key to any mountain adventure and is always willing to change objectives to suit your goals and abilities.

Check out: Dave's Photo Gallery & Blog

Scott Brown
Co-founder. Lead Rock, Ski, Alpine & International Guide
AMGA Certified Rock and Alpine Guide
For ten years, Scott has worked as a mountain guide, teaching rock climbing and ice climbing in the Sierra Nevada, Joshua Tree, Yosemite and on Mount Shasta in California. He is a co-founder of California Alpine Guides and guides in the field throughout the year. He guides high altitude mountaineering and has led 10 international climbing expeditions in Bolivia, Mexico and Peru.

Climbing experience:
He has ten speed ascents of Yosemite big walls including The Nose, Lurking Fear, and The Zodiac on El Capitan. He has logged over 40 nights on Yosemite big walls, climbed the 2000' Widows Tears in Yosemite Valley, has climbed Mt. Shasta and Mt Whitney too many times and spends his winters guiding ice climbing in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Certifications/Education:
A certified Rock Climbing and alpine Guide through the American Mountain Guides Association, Scott is AIARE level II certified and is in the proccess of becoming an international IFMGA certified guide. Scott has a Bachelors Degree in Recreation Administration with a minor field of study in Business from Humboldt State University and currently offers webdesign services. He has three years as an integral member of Yosemite Search And Rescue and is currently a Wilderness First Responder & LNT Trainer.

Lyra Pierotti
Lead Rock, Alpine & Trekking guide
AMGA Rock Guides Course
Lyra had her first taste of the mountains atop the shoulders of the Tahoe Summer Music Festival's tuba player. Two weeks every summer throughout her youth instilled a very special appreciation of the mountain environment. In college, Lyra studied Ecology and French literature, and became an avid rock climber, exploring the deserts and the mountains (sans shoulders!). Lyra has diverted her attention from the formal study of Ecology for an unknown amount of time to pursue a career of climbing and guiding. In the recent past Lyra has spent entire summers doing field biology research in the High Sierra.

Lyra has guided rock climbing for seven years throughout California. She has alpine guided full time on Mount Shasta and has guided two high altitude expeditions to the volcanoes of Mexico. Previously she worked as a rock climbing, backpacking and sea kayaking guide for UCSD's Outback Adventures, and as an instructor for numerous San Diego-based non-profit youth outdoor education programs

Climbing Experience:
Lyra learned to climb in Joshua Tree, making weekend trips throughout her college years. She spent several years exploring the cliffs and boulders of the southwest (including the infamous Red Rocks!) as well as rock climbing in France where she spent a year studying. Upon return to the States, Lyra immersed herself even more in climbing, and as soon as she graduated, moved to Bishop, CA. This location has afforded her much climbing time in the Eastern Sierra, Yosemite Valley, and Tuolumne, and has been a great setting to advance her skiing skills.

Certifications/Education:
With a degree in Ecology and a passion for the outdoors, Lyra worked for 6 years combining the two, forming a strong background in Outdoor Education. Lyra has completed the first of many courses with the AMGA: the Rock Instructor and rock guides Course, and is looking forward to pursuing a higher education in the mountains.

Lyra is fluent in French and speaks enough Spanish to get by.

Check out Lyra's blog and photo website!
Lyra's Blog
Lyra's Photo Website

Rich Graziano
Rock & Alpine Guide
Head Backpacking/trekking guide
AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor
Rich has been guiding since 2005.  While pursuing his Ph.D. in Philosophy, he worked both a rock climbing instructor and the rock climbing instruction program coordinator for the UCSB Adventure Programs.  After moving to his current home in San Luis Obispo to accept a full-time academic position at Cal Poly, he began his formal training with the American Mountain Guides Association and has worked during the summer months in a guiding capacity throughout the Sierra Nevada and in Joshua Tree National Park.

Climbing Experience:
The mountains and wild places have always been an important part of Rich’s life.  As a boy, his family would take regular camping trips in the Sierra Nevada.  It was these formative experiences that made Rich feel drawn to and want to spend as much time as possible in the high places.  Eventually, his love of the mountains led Rich to take up rock and ice climbing.  He has spent many years climbing and exploring in such places as the Grand Tetons, Joshua Tree National Park, Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, the Eastern Sierra Nevada, Colorado and Scotland.  In addition to climbing, Rich has spent time many long days throughout the years trekking backcountry trails throughout California, and has trekked off-trail coast-to-coast routes through the highlands of Scotland twice.

Certifications/Education:
Rich is an AMGA certified Single Pitch Instructor and working toward the AMGA’s full certification as an Alpine Guide.  He is also a certified Wilderness First Responder (Wilderness Medical Associates) and is AIARE level I certified.  Rich has a B.S. in Exercise Science (CSUF), two M.A.’s in Philosophy (Biola University & UCSB) and is a Ph.D. Candidate in Philosophy (UCSB).  In addition to his work as a mountain guide, Rich is a full-time philosophy professor at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Eric Layton
Lead Alpine & Ski Guide
AMGA ski guide training
Eric grew up loving the mountains at an early age. Originally from Southern California, he soon moved to Lake Tahoe were he started to pursue climbing & snowboarding. During the summer months you can find him backpacking and mountaineering throughout the Sierra Nevada’s. In the winter you can find him on his splitboard doing various backcountry tours in the Eastern Sierra and Donner Summit area. Eric started guiding professionally in 2007. His passion and expertise for backcountry snowboarding has led him to work as a ski guide for H2o Heli Guides in Alaska. When he’s not skiing, backpacking, climbing or flyfishing, Eric leads mountaineering trips for California Alpine Guides as well as Shasta Mountain Guides..

Certifications/Education:
AMGA SKI GUIDE COURSE
AMSG HELI SKI GUIDE COURSE
CSGA (Canadian Ski Guides Assoc)GLACIER COURSE
AIARE LEVEL I & II avalanche certification
WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER
LEAVE NO TRACE TRAINER

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Mark Grundon
Lead Rock & Alpine Guide
AMGA Certified Rock Guide
Mark has been mountain guiding for the past six years thorughout Colorado, Alaska and most recently on Mount Shasta. Mark is equally at home on rock climbs as well as alpine and ice climbs. Mark spends most of the summer season climbing and guiding throughout the Western United States, mostly in California. In the winter he ski patrols for Crested Butte, Co.

Climbing Experience:
Mark has been rock climbing since a young age while growing up in the mountains of Vermont. He excells at steep desert crack climbing as well as long Yosemite rock climbs. Mark's ice climbing experience has revolved around the superb ice climbs of Southwestern Colorado.


Certifications/Education:
Mark is an AMGA certified Rock Guide. He holds an EMT-basic and Outdoor Emergency Care Technician certificates and holds a Leave No Trace principles trainer certificate. He also has avalanche level II training. Mark has a degree in recreation and Environmental studies from Western State College in Gunnison Colorado.

Lynette Mulvihill
Lead guide and head backpacking guide
AMGA certified single pitch instructor
Lynette was born in Fresno and grew up backpacking in the nearby Sierra Nevada. She began her outdoor career studying environmental science which has led her to a range of work including studying coyotes in Yellowstone Park to working on a organic farm in Hawaii. Her passion for climbing has taken her around the Pacific Northwest and Australia. She has enjoyed mountaineering guiding on Mt. Shasta and has recently began wilderness leadership with highschool students on the California central coast during winter months. Her "days off" include riding her bicycle from Portland to San Francisco, swimming, and fly fishing. She cannot remember when she last watched television.

Climbing Experience:
Lynette has climbed throughout the Western US and has explored the Sierra Nevada and Mount Shasta for many years.

Certifications/Education:
Lynette is a certified Single Pitch Instructor through the AMGA. She has a degree in environmental science from the University of California Berkeley. She holds a Wilderness First Responder, certified by the Wilderness Medicine Institute. She has avalanche awareness education with an AIARE Level I.

Rich Meyer
Lead Alpine, Ski & International Guide
AMGA Ski Mountaineering Training

Rich has been guiding for over ten years. In addition to Sierra Nevada ski guiding, Rich has led our Ecuador volcanoes expedition for the last three years. He is also a senior guide with Shasta Mountain Guides and also works a bit for Alpine Ascents International on Mount Rainier and Denali, as well as ski guiding with NASTC.

From local ski tours in Tahoe, to guided expeditions in Alaska.  Some of his adventures include: trekking in Bhutan, skiing the Haute route in the Alps, guiding on Mt. Shasta, Mt. Rainer, Denali, and guiding the volcanoes of Ecuador.  Rich has logged numerous ski descents in the lower 48, Alaska, Canada, Argentina, Chile, France, and Switzerland.  Rich is most often found in working in California, where he guides various routes and ski descents in addition to teaching glacier seminars and avalanche courses.  Rich has had extensive training from a variety of schools, including the PSIA and the AMGA.


Certifications/Education:
AMGA ski guides course
AMGA ski mountaineering course
Widerness First Responder, certified by Wilderness Medicine Institute
American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education, (AIARE) Level I II III
AIARE: certified avalanche instructor
American Avalanche Association
NOLS: Leave No Trace, certified trainer

Ben Adkison
Alpine & International Guide

"Remember when you were a kid and always wanted to climb to the top of things?  Climbing mountains makes me feel like a kid again, just on a larger scale and with a bit more responsibility, but the feeling is still the same.  I grew up on a solar-powered ranch in the Highland mountains of southwestern Montana. I went to college in Missoula, Montana (a place I may always call home?) at the University of Montana and got a degree in Recreation Management–Nature-based Tourism".

Ben has been a mountain guide for the last fours years on Mt. Shasta, the Sierra Nevada, western Montana, southern Utah, Mexico, South America & Alaska. He has guided expeditions on Denali, Aconcagua and the volcanoes of Ecuador and Mexico. He traches classes for the University of Montana’s Outdoor Program in almost every genre of outdoor skills.


Certifications/Education:
Widerness First Responder, certified by Wilderness Medicine Institute
American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education, (AIARE) Level I II
Leave No Trace, certified trainer