Aspen Kayak School

Aspen Expeditions is a professional mountain guide service based in Aspen, Colorado, offering ski, rock, alpine, ice climbing, hiking, and trekking since 1977. They provide privately guided custom expeditions locally in Colorado and around the globe, specializing in worldwide adventure skiing from Hokkaido, Japan to the Andes. The business operates under a special use permit from the USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, and acknowledges the traditional territory of the Ute People.

The business is located at Aspen Highlands Village, 133 Prospector Rd #4115, Aspen, CO 81611, and can be reached by phone at +19709257625 or email at [email protected]. Their office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. They also operate a Silverton-based program called San Juan Expeditions after acquiring Kling Mountain Guides in 2018.

Aspen Expeditions has been operating since 1977, founded by pioneer American IFMGA Guide Dick Jackson. The company is now owned and operated by Internationally Certified Mountain Guide Amos Whiting and AMGA Certified Ski and Rock Guide Britt Ruegger. In 2022, they acquired Aspen Alpine Guides, which was started in 1987 by Scott Messina.

The business partners with The North Face, CAMP, Ortovox, and Cripple Creek Backcountry for retail equipment and apparel sales. They offer a wide range of services including daily custom guided rock climbing, Moab Desert Climbing, day hiking, and snowshoe/nordic skiing tours. Their summer adventures include mountain and gravel biking, hiking, backpacking, and hut trips.

Aspen Expeditions offers four-season technical mountain guiding, including ski, rock, alpine, ice climbing, hiking, and trekking. They specialize in worldwide adventure skiing from the deep snows of Hokkaido, Japan, the fjords of Iceland and Norway, remote Alaskan glaciers, European hut traverses, and the jagged peaks of the Andes. They also provide privately guided custom expeditions locally in Colorado and around the globe.

The business is known for its genuine care and safety of guests, with guided experiences tailored to meet individual expectations and goals. They pledge to uphold the highest industry standards in training and certifications for their highly skilled and seasoned mountain guides. They believe in equitable accessibility into the mountains, including growing their women's programming and promoting their female guides and instructors.

The business acquired Kling Mountain Guides in 2018, rebranding it as San Juan Expeditions, which is based in Silverton. This program has earned a reputation as one of the finest AIARE avalanche education programs in the San Juan Mountains, offering privately guided custom ski, ice, hut, rock, and mountain climbing adventures from Red Mountain Pass to Durango.

The business acquired Aspen Alpine Guides in 2022, which was started in 1987 by Scott Messina. This addition has been integral in creating one of the most trained and experienced guide staffs in Colorado, contributing to organizations like the 10th Mountain Hut Association and Mountain Rescue Aspen.

The business offers a variety of summer adventures, including privately guided custom mountain and gravel biking, hiking, backpacking, hut trips, and rock climbing. They also provide daily custom guided rock climbing and rock climbing instruction in Aspen and the surrounding areas, with options ranging from short day family climbing to technical multi-pitch adventures.

The business provides short day (4 hrs) or full day (6 hrs) private custom mountain hikes daily on request. Their knowledgeable office staff and veteran mountain guides create these experiences to explore the Aspen-area wilderness on foot. They also offer snowshoe and nordic skiing tours as an alternative to backcountry ski touring trips.

The business offers Moab Desert Climbing, which features enormous wingate sandstone towers that distinguish the Moab area from almost any other desert on earth. These desert monoliths provide a climbing experience available nowhere else, with an endless amount of Wingate Sandstone walls for climbers.

The business has a Trustburn rating of 4 out of 5 from 12 reviews. The reviews are mostly positive, with themes of knowledgeable, friendly, and experienced instructors who make sure everyone feels comfortable and safe. The scenery is frequently described as breathtaking, and the equipment is often praised as top-notch and in excellent condition.

The business has a 4 out of 5 rating on Trustburn from 12 reviews. The reviews are recent, with the most recent from October 2023 and the oldest from December 2022. The rating split shows a majority of 5-star and 4-star reviews, with a few 3-star reviews.

The official website of Aspen Kayak School is aspenexpeditions.com.