Meet Our Expert Guides

Josh has been a Yosemite Mountaineering School guide and instructor since 1993. He is a Certified AMGA Rock Guide, Certified PSIA Level III Nordic Ski Instructor, Certified in Rigging for Rescue, Wilderness First Responder, and Certified Interpretive Guide. He has more than 28 ascents of El Capitan and has completed over 70 big wall climbs including first ascent big wall expedition climbs in Greenland, Baffin Island, Antarctica, Alaska, Morocco, and Socotra Island (Yemen).

Josh is a certified AMGA Rock Guide and has been a Yosemite Mountaineering School guide since 2006. His accomplishments include 30+ ascents of both El Capitan and Half Dome, and more than 100 big wall ascents. Josh has climbed both The Nose and the Salathe Wall on El Capitan together in a single day. He has solo day ascents of The Nose on El Cap in 19 hours and 30 minutes and the Regular N.W. Face of Half dome in 6 hours. He has day link ups of Half Dome and El Cap 17 hours and 20 minutes.

Amber is an AMGA Certified Rock, AMGA Apprentice Alpine, and AMGA Apprentice Ski Guide as well as an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor. Amber has been guiding for Yosemite Mountaineering School since 2022, and has guided alpine rock and glacier mountaineering objectives in Washington's North Cascades, as well as crack climbs in the Utah desert since 2016. During the winter months she teaches avalanche education courses in Grand Teton National Park. She is also an Avalanche AIARE Course Instructor, Wilderness First Responder, and Leave No Trace Trainer.

Paul began guiding in 1996 and is an IFMGA Certified American Mountain Guide with extensive international guiding experience. As an El Capitan guide, he has many one-day ascents of El Cap to his name. He is a former Yosemite Search and Rescue team member, a Denali Lead Guide (12 summits), a Lead Guide on Rainier (10 summits in 10 attempts while guiding in 2018), and a Lead Guide on Aconcogua and Carstensz Pyramid. Paul works for the U.S. Antarctic Program as a mountaineer and Search and Rescue team member. He's a graduate of the Search and Rescue Institute of New Zealand (SARINZ) in vertical rescue training.

Jake is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, Wilderness First Responder, and Leave No Trace Trainer. He has been guiding since 2015 and has been guiding climbing for the Yosemite Mountaineering School since 2022. He has worked in the High Sierra, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and as far as Vietnam and China. Prior to joining YMS, Jake worked as an EMT for the Yosemite Search and Rescue team and Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol. Jake's experience with big wall climbs in Yosemite Valley include multiple routes on El Capitan, Half Dome, Mount Watkins, Leaning Tower, and Washington Column.

Drew is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, and Certified Single Pitch Instructor. He has been guiding for the Yosemite Mountaineering School since 2022. He has a bachelor's degree in Physics as well as a Wilderness First Responder. Prior to guiding in Yosemite, Drew was a climbing guide and instructor in Acadia National Park, Maine. He has spent a lot of time climbing long routes in the Red Rocks (Nevada), Cochise Stronghold (Arizona), Wind River Range (Wyoming), Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado), Black Canyon of Gunnison (Colorado), El Dorado Canyon (Colorado), and Spain. Drew has climbed multiple big wall routes in Yosemite including routes on El Capitan.

Chase is an AMGA Certified Rock guide, Wilderness First Responder, and a Leave No Trace Master Educator. He's been guiding for the Yosemite Mountaineering School since 2022. He has a Bachelor of Science degree focused on Therapeutic Recreation and has worked as an adaptive climbing guide, wilderness therapy leader, and navigation and primitive skills instructor. Chase came to Yosemite in 2018 and has climbed some of Yosemite's big walls, including El Capitan.

Glen is an AMGA certified rock guide who has passed the AMGA Advanced Alpine Guide Course and Aspirant Exam. He has been guiding since 2002, and has guided and climbed extensively around the world, including in the Himalayas, Andes, Southern Alps of New Zealand, Canadian Rockies, Cascades, Rockies of the United States, Sierra Madre of Mexico, and Sierra Nevada. Significant guiding has included AmaDablam, Kyajo Ri, Kangchung Shar, and dozens of 20,000ft peaks in Nepal. In North America Glen has guided many Grade IV and V rock and alpine routes such as the Becky-Chouinard in the Bugaboos, North Face of Mt. Shuksan in the Cascades, North Ridge of Mt. Stuart in the Enchantments, and Resolution Arete in Red Rocks.

Lance grew up climbing and mountaineering in the North Cascades where he climbed and guided Mt. Rainier 26 times as well as many others. He has also climbed long, committing alpine rock and ice routes during multiple trips to Alaska, Patagonia, and Canada. As a dedicated big wall climber, Lance has climbed El Capitan more than 30 times with multiple El Cap speed records. Familiar with the Yosemite landscape, he has climbed over 200 other Yosemite rock climbs. He has a B.S. in Earth and Space Sciences and has contributed to many scientific field studies on the vertical walls of Yosemite National Park.