Founded in Durango, Colorado in 1989, Southwest Adventure Guides is one of the most established climbing schools and guide services in the U.S. We specialize in offering small, customized, professionally guided mountaineering, rock and ice climbing, ski touring and avalanche training expeditions and courses throughout North America, South America and Nepal.

We are locally owned, and are the only mountain guiding service based in Durango, CO to offer guiding and instruction with American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Certified Guides, the industry standard for professional mountain guides.

What sets Southwest Adventure Guides apart?

• Experience: Experience counts.  Since 1989 we have conducted thousands of trips involving a wide range of activities.
• Small group sizes: Our trips usually have between two and six people plus one or two guides per trip. The trips are small and very personalized.
• Guide Certification: Many of our guides are AMGA Certified, and all of our guides have participated in AMGA courses and trainings. This means you will experience the highest level of professional service and technically proficient guiding.
• Leadership: Our guides are experienced professionals that have developed highly effective teaching skills and have unparalleled training and experience. Our Senior Guides also speak the language in the countries in which we operate international expeditions, insuring that your trips runs as smoothly as possible.
• Pre-trip support: You have access to a small and personal office staff who have actually "been there and done that".
• Economy: If you're looking for a "tour bus" experience and five star hotels, you might want to look elsewhere. While we can arrange this type of experience for private groups, we believe that a "sanitized " experience isolates you from the culture, and from a rewarding experience.
• References: We maintain a data base of previous and current clients who can provide references for Southwest Adventure Guides' trips and guides.
• Strong Domestic Program: We are not an office in a large city, far from the mountains. Our office staff and guides live, train, and work in the mountains every day. We train international mountaineering clients weekly in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

What does all this mean?

We guarantee that your trip will run smoothly, with a high rate of success, no hassles, the highest possible safety margins and unsurpassed customer service. We know the places we run trips and love the job we do. It's that simple.

Whether your looking to do a major high altitude climb, learn some new skills, or just have an enjoyable mountain adventure, Southwest Adventure Guides has the experience to pull it together for you.