What Sets Us Apart

AMGA Accredited Business

Skyward Mountaineering is an Accredited guide service through the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). This means we have undergone a comprehensive evaluation of our risk management, guiding procedures, professionalism and ethical business practices. As a small guide service in a competitive industry, we are committed to supporting our community and the guides who work in it and maintaining the highest level of professionalism possible. We continue to strive for improving the assessment and mitigation of risk in the field, offering more logistical support start to finish for our customers and ensuring our guides have a high quality of life.

A rock climber in a pink shirt and pink helmet is climbing a steep black and tan rock buttress. She is grabbing gear off of her harness to place protection as she leads.

AMGA Certified Guides

Skyward Mountaineering guarantees that all guides operate within their Scope of Practice. Furthermore, the bulk of Skyward Mountaineering guides are certified in the discipline in which they work, in fact most of our staff are fully certified AMGA/IFMGA Mountain Guides, having achieved the highest possible certification level at an internationally recognized standard. You can be certain your guide at Skyward Mountaineering is an expert climber and skier with a profound level of training, evaluation and personal experience.

Additionally, Skyward Mountaineering owners, Vince Anderson and Micah Lewkowitz, along with several of our staff are AMGA national Instructor Team members. This means they work with the AMGA to train and evaluate guides, supporting the next generation of guides to also meet a rigorous standard.

We Are a Leader in the Climbing and Guiding Industry

Skyward Mountaineering was built on the backbone of alpine climbing, our guides are expert climbers and skiers in their own right and have accomplished significant personal and guided ascents/descents around the world. Here is a list of some of our climbing and skiing accomplishments:

  • New route on the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat (26,660 ft), ninth highest mountain in the world.

  • First ascent of K7 West (22,500 ft) in Pakistan.

  • New route on the North Face of Mount Alberta in the Canadian Rockies.

  • First guided ascent of Ham and Eggs on the Moose’s Tooth, AK.

  • First guided ascent of the SW Ridge on Peak 11,300, AK.

  • First guided ascent of the West Face Couloir and Harvard Route on Mount Huntington, AK.

  • First guided ascent of the Moonflower Buttress on Mount Hunter, AK.

  • Other notable hard-classic routes that we have successfully guided include the Eiger North Face by the 1938 route, the North Face of the Grand Jorasses via the Croz Spur, the North Face of the Piz Badille by the Cassin, the North Face of Slovenia’s challenging Triglav and Les Courtes North Face.

  • Skyward Mountaineering continues to guide successful ascents of challenging routes in our backyard and the Greater Ranges, with modern tactics and a proven safety track record.