About Your Guide

My name is Mark Klassen and I became a  certified Mountain Guide in 1996. My objective in guiding is to achieve the goals of my guests while at the same time maintaining the highest safety standards in the guiding industry. Success to me means having an enjoyable, comfortable trip in the mountains while at the same time learning about myself and the environment around me.

Since 1983 I have dedicated my life to the mountains, spending well over 200 days a year in the outdoors. Living in Banff - Lake Louise, I have spent much of my time in the ranges of western Canada. Ascents I have made here include the north faces of many of the high peaks in the Rockies such as Temple, Kitchener, Diadem, Edith Cavell and Robson; as well as some of the great ridges such as Patterson, Howse, and the Emperor Ridge on Robson. In the interior ranges I have made ascents of many of the Bugaboo and Selkirk classics, such as the Beckey/Chouinard on the South Howser multiple times. I have also rock climbed extensively, both in the Rockies and in the Coast mountains in Squamish.

In addition to climbing and skiing throughout British Columbia and Alberta I have gone on trips to Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, the western US, the Alps, Peru, Argentina, Nepal, Thailand and Australasia. Hilights of these trips include climbing several big walls in Yosemite, California, the 5th ascent of the West Ridge of the Moose's Tooth in Alaska, an ascent of the Lotus Flower Tower in the Cirque of the Unclimbables, a new route on Mt Asgard on Baffin Island, seven 6000 m peaks in Peru including a solo ascent of Huascaran Sur, a solo winter ascent of Aconcagua in Argentina, a solo first ascent of the West Face of Island Peak in Nepal and sport climbs up to 5.12 in Thailand.

I began my guide certification through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) in 1993 and became an internationally certified Mountain Guide in 1996. Since then I have guided many of the classics in western Canada multiple times and have led clients up peaks such as Mt Alberta, Mt Bryce and Mt Robson. I have also guided abroad, climbing peaks such as the East Ridge of Mt Logan in the Yukon, Mt Cook in New Zealand, the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Pachermo in Nepal. My ski guiding has included 5 years heli-skiing in the Selkirks and Coast Ranges as well as many long ski traverses such as the Haute Route in the Alps, the Lilloet Traverse on the coast, the Cariboo Traverse in the Columbia Mountains and the Clemenceau/Columbia Traverse in the Rockies.

My work also includes teaching professional level avalanche courses for the Canadian Avalanche Association and I am an instructor/examiner on ACMG mountain and ski guide certification courses.

Click here for Mark's biography

Click here for Mark's Professional Resume

Click here for Mark's Climbing/Skiing Resume