Mike Alkaitis

Certified Rock Guide

Mike Alkaitis is the General Manager for both the Colorado Mountain School and Boulder Rock Club. He joined the team 2 years ago, bringing with him a wealth of experience not only in the office, but also in the field as one of our Senior Guides. Mike has been working in the mountain guiding industry for nearly 20 years and is the former Executive Director of the American Mountain Guides Association. He is an AMGA certified Rock Guide, as well as a certified Wilderness First Responder, and has completed the AMGA Ski Mountaineering course. Mike enjoys living and working in Colorado because it offers such diverse terrain – mountains, water and plains; rock, ice and snow – and all within minutes of the office.

Since moving to Boulder in 1991, Mike has climbed and skied throughout the Rockies and knows the terrain like the back of his hand. Some of his favorite local climbing destinations include Eldorado Canyon and the South Platte. A few of his favorite local routes are The Naked Edge, Yellow Wall, Wunsch’s Dihedral, and The Buldge. To satisfy his winter itch, Mike likes to hit Alaska and British Columbia for ski mountaineering. If he doesn’t have time to travel up north, look for his turns on Dragontail Couloir in Rocky Mountain National Park. Mike has climbed and skied in some of the most popular areas for both sports around the globe. “One of the hardest routes that I have ever climbed was a 5.8 offwidth at Cathedral Ledge, New Hampshire. The 80 ft. climb lasted for an hour and a half and left me gripped out of my gord.” The crack was 6 inches wide and Mike carried only a set of stoppers and few small cams. Somehow, he wasn’t deterred by his first wide crack experience, and has since mastered the art of offwidth climbing, having sent such notorious offwidths as Crack of Fear (10d) and Automotive Supply House (11d).

When he’s not pulling hard or shredding powder, Mike enjoys golfing, running, surfing and anything else that he can do outside with his wife Suzie and son Oz. His advice to climbers, new and old: “Get out and have fun!”