Doug in Red Rocks, NV

Doug is the owner and one of the head guides for Mountain Skills Climbing Guides. His love for the mountains and outdoors was seeded while growing up in Michigan skiing competitively in high school. After clocking in 5 years at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Doug discovered rock climbing while living in Boulder, Colorado. This lead him to the New River Gorge in West Virginia were he started guiding and climbing full time while working at the amazing climbing store Waterstone Outdoors. Doug and his wife Christie moved to the Gunks five years ago so Christie could participate in a dual masters program at Bard College. Doug has guided and worked full time for Rock and Snow while living in New Paltz. His climbing and mountaineering educational background consists of AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, AMGA Top Rope Site Manager, AMGA Climbing Wall Instructor Provider, in the AMGA SPI Provider training, PCGI Lead Guide, Wilderness First Responder training, Leave No Trace Master Trainer, National Ski Patrol Level 1& 2 Avalanche Safety, New York State Licensed Rock, Ice, Hiking, Camping Guide, and also a Hudson Valley Mountain Rescue Volunteer. Doug is also on the Gunks Climbers Coalition Board of Directors. Doug has climbed extensively throughout the United States in the 12 years since he has started climbing. His focus was mainly on the southeast in the mountains of North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Since moving to New England his new passion is climbing all the amazing spots in the Adirondack’s, Gunks, White and Green Mountains. He has climbed well over 1,300 different climbing routes and has climbed or hiked close to 100 peaks around the U.S.