Alpine Ascents International — Local services in Seattle

Everest Base Camp

Positives: The itinerary is well set out after all these years.

Cons:For a company that’s been around for 40 years, I was really shocked by the level of communication and the fact that they don’t have protocols in place for Covid or Altitude Sickness.

I don't want this to happen to anyone else.

No one was checked for Covid when they landed or even within a couple days into the trip, or when the coughing started. I had specifically asked to have my own room to avoid any issues to find out when the trek started I would have a roommate in the teahouses. Already into the first day one of the participants was having a hard time and I notified the company. Our guide was not checking on people at night. I was basically told to mind my own business. Well, that individual was helicoptered out with oxygen. Within a couple days participants were exhibiting symptoms, coughing, respiratory issues. Yes, there might be a Khumba cough, but when I mentioned to the guide that I believed people had Covid, he responded that there is no Covid here. How ridiculous. Trekkers from all over the world bring it in. I asked my roommate to test and right away she showed Covid. She was helicoptered out. She ended up having quarantine for 9 days. The guide felt terrible, but why weren’t people tested earlier symptomatic or not living in such close quarters? Then another participant also tested for Covid and he was allowed to walk back down the mountain staying in teahouses knowingly sick. Crazy. How unconscionable. Then others on the trip decided they were testing because they didn’t want to have to leave and be quarantined. Again, no protocol from the company. I, miraculously did not get Covid. I made the decision to wait for symptoms before taking Diamox because I had bad reactions in the past. At 16,300’, on a second rest day I began to experience altitude sickness and took Diamox, but it was too late and we were trekking the next day again. My 02 saturation levels were between 60-69, severe headache, chills so I made the wise decision to leave the next day though the guide said those levels weren't too bad. At this point, the guide was supportive to some degree. I have no idea why I wasn’t given oxygen like she was, and no one made any calls to the 24 hour/7 day insurance company to get preapproval.

We waited about an hour for the helicopter and it was freezing outside and I was still experiencing chills. I was moving around a lot to keep warm and the guide accused me of dancing and being happy I was leaving. Of course I was looking forward to going to a lower altitude to be rid of my symptoms. I found out that our guide told the other woman who was sick that she should say I was accompanying her, though I was also sick and needed preapproval. Then when I got back, another man who takes care of the details on the ground told the other woman to tell her insurance co that she was alone in the helicopter, though there were 3 others with her. Then I asked the leader of the other group how their trip went and she replied, “Great.” Then I found out that 4 of their participants were helicoptered out.

To their credit, they took care of the helicopter bill and gave...

Climber/Buyer Beware: I did the Ecuador Volcanoes trip with AAI last summer and I’ve frequently been asked recently about my experience with AAI, so I figured I should finally make a post: In short, save yourself a lot of money and frustration and book directly with Andean Face. It’s the local Ecuadorian company who AAI outsources too to run the trip, but AAI charges nearly double for the same itinerary that you would find on Andean Face’s website. Last year, AAI was not open or forthright about this arrangement at all prior to arriving in Quito. If you’re still reading…I was very disappointed with AAI and felt a bit scammed. There are no AAI guides or staff present on the trip. Your entire interaction in country will be with local Andean Face employees and guides. AAI pockets an excessively inflated fee and doesn’t offer any benefit over booking with Andean Face directly. AAI basically acts like a hotel booking website, but charges a 80% markup for doing nothing, other than running your credit card, and takes zero accountability for the trip once in country. Communication with AAI staff prior to payment and departure will be excellent. Good luck though once in country, and this is a safety concern, your only point of contact is AAI’s Director of Field Operations, who is guiding daily trips in Washington at the time and won’t be able to respond for days at a time. So, if you have serious issues in country, you cannot depend on AAI to resolve them and the guides and staff on the trip can’t be held responsible because they are Andean Face employees, not AAI’s. The guides don’t really have a vested interest in your success on the mountains since not summitting doesn’t reflect poorly on Andean Face, it’s an "AAI trip" after all. I had high expectations for AAI, and by rep I assume they are better locally, but definitely avoid if wanting to...

Last year, we had an amazing experience with Alpine Ascents on our Glacier Peak climb, which inspired us to book another adventure with them—this time, a 3-day ascent of Mount Rainier.

There were several highlights of the trip worth noting. Guides John and Kate were exceptional—patient, kind, and personable. They consistently went above and beyond to ensure our safety and comfort. The real food prepared for us at camp was also a fantastic touch, making the experience even more enjoyable.

However, there were some areas that could use improvement. The guide who conducted our gear check provided incorrect gear-related advice to multiple clients and seemed unapproachable. He did not engage with us or greet us either at the office the morning of the climb or at Camp Muir, which was disappointing.

Our lead guide, despite her technical skills, left much to be desired in terms of client interaction. Her responses to basic requests, such as more hot water or antacids, were met with indifference or excuses. Her answers to questions about the weather or route were often unhelpful, and she displayed noticeable impatience with our inquiries. There was a lack of encouragement and acknowledgment of our efforts throughout the trip. Opportunities for building team morale and connecting on a personal level were missed, and there was no celebratory recognition of our accomplishments at the end of the climb.

Given these issues, particularly with the lead guide’s attitude, we would be cautious about booking another trip with Alpine Ascents...