Expert Mountain Guides

Alpenglow Expeditions is an IFMGA-certified mountain guide service founded in 2004 and based in North Lake Tahoe, California. We lead 60+ international expeditions each year — including guided climbs of Everest, the Seven Summits, and 8,000-meter peaks — plus backcountry skiing, rock climbing, and avalanche education in the Lake Tahoe region.

Rapid Ascent™ is Alpenglow’s proprietary expedition methodology combining hypoxic training before departure, precise acclimatization scheduling, and small team sizes. The result is an expedition that’s 30–50% shorter than traditional approaches — reducing time away from home while significantly improving summit success rates. It is exclusive to Alpenglow and available on select 8,000-meter peaks. Read More About Rapid Ascent™

It depends on the program. Introductory expeditions — like the Ecuador Climbing School or Kilimanjaro are designed for climbers with no prior high-altitude experience. Intermediate and advanced programs like Aconcagua or Everest require demonstrated skills and prior expedition experience. Alpenglow’s team will assess your background and recommend the right starting point for your goals.

All Alpenglow lead guides hold AMGA or IFMGA certification — the highest guiding standard in the world. Fewer than 200 guides in the United States hold IFMGA certification. Alpenglow was also one of the first guide services in the US to require this standard across its full team, and remains one of the few AMGA-accredited companies in the country.

Alpenglow offers a full range of AIARE-certified avalanche courses in both North and South Lake Tahoe, including AIARE 1, AIARE 2, Avalanche Rescue, and a hybrid online/field format. Courses are taught by professional mountain guides and are available for beginners, intermediate skiers, women’s groups, and teens throughout the winter season. View all Avalanche Education Courses.

Alpenglow Expeditions is headquartered in North Lake Tahoe, California. Locally, we operate guided adventures across the Lake Tahoe region and Mount Shasta. Internationally, we run expeditions across South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central America — including peaks in the Himalaya, Karakoram, Andes, and Alps.

Alpenglow’s Mount Everest Rapid Ascent™ expedition runs approximately 36 days — significantly shorter than the 60–70 days typical of conventional Everest expeditions. The condensed timeline is made possible by pre-expedition hypoxic training, which allows climbers to arrive already partially acclimatized and spend less time at altitude waiting for their body to adjust.