The Guides of AMA

To ensure quality and professional instruction, AMA uses a select few American IFMGA/UIAGM licensed guides.  All of our guides have been certified through the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), the only organization in the US offering comprehensive training and certification for mountain guides.  The full certification process takes on average 4 years of dedication to complete. The end result is highly trained professional mountain guides well versed in rock climbing, alpine climbing, and ski mountaineering.

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Keith Garvey

After completing a B.S. in Parks, Recreation and Tourism at Colorado State University in 1996, Keith followed his passion for the mountains and became an IFMGA license mountain guide. In 2005, he founded AMA with a simple goal in mind, to enrich peoples lives.  With nearly two decades of experience, Keith takes pride in helping others reach their potential and he shares an infectious energy while in the mountains. He also trains and certifies mountain guides for the AMGA, is a Technical Committee member and in 2008 received the “Guide of the Year” award.

Climbing and skiing is a major part of Keith’s life!  He spends over 200 days a year throughout the America’s and Europe thriving on big ski lines and climbing long and hard routes.  Currently, he resides in Ridgway, Colorado where he enjoys the uniqueness of the San Juan’s, and his proximity to the Black Canyon and Indian Creek. His second home is in the Alps. He regularly ventures over the Atlantic for spring tours and steep skiing in La Grave, France. In summer, he heads back for the golden granite and easy alpine approaches found around the Chamonix and Zermatt valleys…

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Kent McBride

Kent has extensive guiding experience in the realms of both climbing and skiing.  He has worked as a helicopter ski guide in Alaska for the past 11 years, as well as in the Tordrillos of the Alaska Range, around Haines, Girdwood and extensively throughout Valdez. In addition to Alaska, Kent has recently guided helicopter ski trips in Greenland.

Kent has guided for years in his backyard of the Tetons, co-guiding an early ski descent of the Grand Teton with the late Doug Coombs.  He has personally been able to take his passion for skiing to some interesting places around the world. He has skied throughout Europe, Canada, and South America. In 2005 Kent and Mark Newcomb ascended The Central Summit of 8000 meter Shishapangma in Tibet without oxygen, and completed the ski descent.

Kent has climbed El Capitan in Yosemite 6 times along with many of the other classics routes such as Astroman and various routes on The Nose. He recently co-guided Poincenot in Patagonia, South America.  Kent is a fully certified UIAMG/IFMGA guide. He enjoys guiding throughout the world and specializes in working with private clients. He is capable and experienced in finding adventurous places to travel to, preparing thoughtful goals for his clients and helping them to develop their skills in the mountains.

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Matt Farmer

Though some say he looks like a farmer, he really just prefers going by his last name. Farmer’s home is in Washington, however he spends most of his summers in the Chamonix valley, and his winters ski guiding in La Grave, France. He is an IFMGA/UIAGM certified mountain guide and has a solid background in all disciplines of climbing and skiing. This certification reflects his enthusiasm for sharing with others the challenges and subsequent rewards of moving through technical terrain in the mountains. He is a veteran of many Denali expeditions, holds a Level III avalanche certification and has EMT and OEC medical training. These qualifications, along with his B.S. in Geology, with which he says he can “B.S. about geology as long as you want,” form a core of competence which ensures a fun time in the mountains whatever the itinerary.

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Joe Vallone

The phrase “in the moment” could have been invented for Joe. Colorful, focused and energetic, Joe’s qualities shine through in both his personal interactions as well as his accomplishments: He’s an IFMGA/UIAGM internationally certified guide, a professional drummer with a B.A. in music, an accomplished whitewater kayaker and a professional extreme free skier. Whether safely guiding his clients up a pitch, delivering jokes the moment his client’s carabiner locks into the anchor, or hucking back flips on skis, Joe possesses a unique ability to instantly shift his undivided attention to the task at hand. Having spent his whole life living and dreaming of skiing, Joe’s competition resume is one of the most diverse you will find in Free Skiing. From big mountain extreme comps to slope style, USSA Bumps and Aerials, and over 40 half pipe competitions, Joe truly represents the breed of an all around skier. Averaging 200 days a year on snow, Joe can be found chasing snow anywhere, from your local urban rail, to a burly North Face in the Alps.

Before graduating from Colorado State University he spent three summers in Yosemite, where he’s climbed more than two dozen big walls. This experience took him to Peru in 2001, where he and his partner completed a major new route on The Sphinx. He’s climbed and skied throughout the Alps, Canada, Alaska and the lower 48, has appeared in major and minor ski films, Chevy and Ford commercials, Powder, Freeze, and Free skier magazine and was a member of the Copper Mountain Free Ride Ski Team for five years. His favorite place to ski is La Grave, France and he has spent his last 7 winters exploring and guiding on the steep north faces and endless couloirs of this steep skiing mecca. He is also an Alaskan Heli guide for Chugach Powder Guides in the Chugach and Alaskan Ranges. The rest of the year, when in the U.S. he guides for All Mountain Adventures and the Colorado Mountain School. What little time he has left, he spends working for the AMGA teaching and training the next generation of ski mountaineering guides.

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Dale Remsberg

Since his first climb, Dale pushed himself. That climb, as a teenager wearing basketball shoes, was an unroped “scramble” of a classic multi-pitch 5.6. Seeing other climbers using ropes, he reasoned he’d better figure out “what was going on.” It didn’t take him long to get it right, as he’s subsequently become an extremely accomplished technical climber and guide. He started guiding in 1993 and today holds AMGA Rock, Alpine, and Ski Mountaineering certifications. He is an Internationally Licensed IFMGA Guide.
Dale’s focused, quiet and efficient demeanor appeals to those serious about their climbing. But his direct and knowledgeable approach doesn’t come at the expense of friendliness, sincerity and a smile. Dale’s high-end skills cover all disciplines of climbing; sport, trad, mixed, ice and alpine. He’s competed in the invitation-only Ouray Ice Festival, and his extensive climbing experience includes routes throughout the lower 48, Alaska, Canada, Peru, Ecuador and Spain.

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Geoff Unger

Geoff has been climbing and skiing for most of his life. His climbing experience has taken him all over the world from the magnificent rock climbing of North America to the high peaks around the globe. In 2008 he became an IFMGA/UIAGM certified guide by passing all his exams through the American Mountain Guides Association. He is a certified Rock, Alpine and Ski Mountaineering guide earning him the IFMGA credential. This achievement means that Geoff is trained and certified to guide at the highest standard in the world. Geoff is based in Moab, Utah USA, but makes trips to the Alps, Alaska, South America, Eastern Europe and Asia to guide clients of all ability levels.

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Krista Javoronok

Krista is a full time 4th grade teacher at Ridgway elementary school. In the little free time that she has she will help run AMA’s office.

Krista previously worked four years for the Colorado Mountain Club teaching outdoor education, leading field trips and coordinating logistics for kids of all ages. She has also shared her passion for the outdoors while working for the Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Youth Program, and Northern Colorado Youth Naturally. Krista’s personal mission is to build awareness of natural places through hands-on science and recreation. Her outdoor interests include rock climbing, alpine climbing, skiing, and trail running. She is an AMGA Top-rope Site Manager, Wilderness First Responder, and holds a Level II Avalanche certification.

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