More than a mountain guide
Community-supported athlete and human
About
My world has been very centered around establishing myself as a mountain guide for the last few years. Besides working full-time, year-round as a guide, I’ve also been working double time to collect the resumes to take the AMGA courses to operate within the new scope of practice. In 2022, I managed to cram 24 days of guide training in between the 10-day Ski Guide Course, 9-day Advanced Alpine Guide Course and the 5-day Ice Instructor Course. Now it’s time to get to work with all of this training.
Work for me is always interesting. In the winter, I teach avalanche education and guide ski tours in my backyard at Snoqualmie Pass. Come spring ski season, I teach ski mountaineering, steep ski clinics and guide ski descents. When it warms up a little more, I will pivot to alpine guiding. My favorite days have me guiding low ratio technical routes in the North Cascades. Sometimes I guide summit expeditions on Denali in Alaska. Sometimes I teach week-long climbing courses that take folks from zero to hero in the mountains. When I’m lucky, I get to teach rock climbing clinics or guide rock routes at Washington Pass. Most days I come away from work feeling pretty lucky to do what I do.
I started guiding in 2017 in the Cascades in Washington. And since then, I’ve grown a lot as a guide, climber and person. I feel lucky to have connected with so many different people over the years; it’s a treat when we get to reconnect for repeat adventures. I especially love when folks keep in touch with social media and share their climbing journeys and progression.
This year I decided to take on a new ambitious project writing a book about the mountain range that has given me so much. My goal is to compile a history of some of the stand-out ascents that define this rugged, remote range. I hope to have the final product delivered to the kind folks that supported me in the fall of 2023. This project takes me back to my roots and training as a writer, since I have a bachelors degree in journalism from Western Washington University. It’s also always been a life goal of mine to publish a book. Hopefully this is the first of a few!
My philosophy in all things outdoors is that if I can do it, so can you. Especially the women that I get to work with. Each step I take forward in my career is beyond the wildest dreams of what younger Mal would have thought possible. I’ve learned that when I get very clear on what I want, put in the hard work, keep humble and keep patient, there’s no telling what’s possible. Here’s to dreaming big and working hard. I’d love to join forces to make your mountain dreams a reality. It’s what I do.
GUIDING HIGHLIGHTS
AMGA Rock Guide Course, Ski Guide Course, Alpine Guide Course, Ice Instructor Course, Advanced Alpine Guide Course
AIARE Instructor Training Course, Pro 1 Avalanche Course
Scholarships: Guide Like Liz Scholarship, Backcountry.com Ski Guide, Marmot AMGA Ice Instructor Course, Mammut International Women’s Day Scholarship
Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Chimborazo, 20,549 feet – 2019
Denali, 20,310 feet – 2021, 2022
Shuksan Fisher Chimneys, 9,131 feet – 2020, 2021, 2022
Forbidden West Ridge, 8,815 feet – 2021, 2022
Kulshan North Ridge, 10,778 feet – 2022
Prince of Darkness, Yellow Brick Road, DOWT 5.10c – 2021
SPONSORSHIPS
Marmot – 2020
LINE Skis – 2020
Backcountry Access – 2021
Wolfe Optics – 2021
Get in touch
See the contact button at the top of the page.
mallorie estenson 