About — Jediah Porter

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Mountains make people better. And I share the mountains with people. Regardless of how you come to the mountains, you will leave better. This fundamental truth drives my work and avocation.

I've climbed and skied in every corner of North America, from Greenland to Baja and Chattanooga to the Alaska Range. Yet, I have not seen it all. That said, few are as well prepared to forge on foot, ski, or rope into new terrain. An ever-growing familiarity with South America is serving almost annual trips there. A worldwide network facilitates knowledgeable access to mountains on every jagged facet of the globe.

I am an all-around, all-season mountain adventurer. I have committed the entirety of my adult life to mountains. I spent my 20s “getting it out of my system”. I spent my 30s realizing that the mountain life is my system. My 40s started mountainous and remain so. My primary passion is mountains. Personally and professionally I will go to the mountains.

Ski Mountaineering. Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

I work with every level of mountain athlete, from “never evers” to full-time pros. The common thread is that we go to the mountains together and do more than you thought you were capable of. The “high end” endeavors are easily documented in a bullet list, but what lights my fire and provides the bulk of my work is shepherding you through months and years of growth to your potential and beyond.

Mountain and Guiding Resume Highlights:

Philosophy

A "Jed-venture" is characterized by wilderness, athleticism, and the right amount of suffering. I am not averse to pushing. We'll find an endeavor near your limits, and find new capacity in you. We'll eat well, or go light. We'll walk far, or not at all. We will not eliminate risk, but we will optimize the risk to reward ratio.

Regardless of where, for how long, or at what rate, I will capture professional-level images. Check out my gallery for examples.

Whether on skis or on foot, in excellent conditions or marginal, icy, rocky, or a trail, the mountains transform people. It is Earth's wild and steep terrain that gives you the experience you seek. I simply facilitate an efficient and enjoyable experience and intact return to civilization. We may redefine success along the way, but you will have no reason to complain.

I am an internationally certified American Mountain Guide. There are countless reasons you should hire a certified guide. Not all American guides are certified. It doesn't have to be me, but your mountain guide must be certified. Caveat emptor.

Ongoing professional development. Cordillera Blanca, 2015

Certification is the bare minimum. However, we'll spend hours and days together. Personalities and styles must match. I have an empowering, flexible style. I won't let you coast along "for the ride". You'll be engaged in the decision-making process most of the way. To be honest, some find this fatiguing. Disclaimer number one: if you wish to be directed, I'm happy to find you another guide. What we will do together is take the journey. Each trip with me is, simultaneously, the culmination of a major goal, an enjoyable “vacation”, and the launching of yet another objective. Mountains are infinite. You, nor I, nor any aficionado has done all there is to do. I have a ready list of "next steps" for every climber and skier.

Geography:

Wydaho's Teton region is home. Summer Grand Teton laps and Wind River basecamps swing into deep powder ski mountaineering all winter long. Educational forays to the City of Rocks, Lander, and Togwotee pass complement the crags and peaks of the central Tetons. Here, close to home, I can provide all the kinds of mountain endeavors and launch to the corners fit, sharp, and fresh for broader adventure.

I take most bookings in the Tetons and Wind River Range through Exum Mountain Guides. Exum is one of the oldest guide services in the country, with a deep institutional knowledge base in the Tetons. I am honored to be a Lead Guide there with some of the best in the business and share an amazing region with my guests and theirs. A growing set of business relationships in the Teton region only enhances what I have to offer.

Mount Moran’s Complete South Buttress, Tetons, Wyoming.

With over 12 years of frenetic, year-round High Sierra exploration behind me, I have as deep a familiarity with California's "Range of Light" as any working guide. I have climbed, skied, hiked and run all over the range. I have done so alone, with guests, and with a long list of athletic and motivated partners. What this means for you is that I can take you to the classic climbs and ski descents, and point to the far corners from the summit. I can point out a lifetime of pursuits for you and for me. For a full breakdown of my High Sierra accomplishments, see this page.

Beyond the Sierra and Tetons, I have relevant and valuable experience all over the US. I have spent, and do spend, a great deal of time working and playing in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Washington, Nevada, Oregon and Arizona. In my formative climbing and skiing years, I lived in the Northeastern US. I have there a network of guide colleagues that keep me posted on conditions and local information. Three states in the US require guides to be licensed. I am licensed in Idaho and New York.

This Continent's Great North

If your desires take you north of the 49th parallel, I am uniquely suited to setting up a trip. I have done thirteen expeditions to the many remote corners of Alaska. In 2007 I participated in a major exploratory rock climbing trip to Eastern Greenland. Canada is my adopted second home.

And Beyond...

Internationally, I have a deep pool of resources to help direct our travels to South America, Antarctica, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

I have the confidence and background to go to new areas, as well as the wherewithal to know my own limits. I have "on-sight" guided some of the world's most technical alpine guiding routes and pioneered the guiding of one of the longest rock climbs in the world. I've been dropped from helicopters and planes in wild, steep terrain and gotten my group out enjoyably, efficiently, and safely. If you can cook it up, I'll consider guiding it!

Booking

Working as a guide within the US requires navigating a labyrinth of permit and insurance requirements. For your safety and enjoyment, I only operate with respect to local laws and traditions. Inside the US that generally means working in partnership with established, permitted companies. Wherever possible, I work as a member/partner in the Certified Guides Cooperative. Where the CGC does not serve, I have developed a network of partners that effectively covers over 90% of North America's sought-after mountain terrain. Internationally recognized certification gains us access all around the world. I have my specialties and locales with which I am most familiar, but I can take you almost anywhere. The primary reason I might be unable to guide in a given setting is that there exists in a few places a monopolistic "concession"-based commercial use permit system.

Overseas, whether as near as Mexico or as distant as Africa, Peru, or Argentina, I work within local regulations and with local support as much as possible. More complicated trips require more lead time, but nothing is out of the question.

My availability is ever in flux. The best way to track me down is to first check my (usually) up to date calendar here .

Referrals

If I cannot take you somewhere for one reason or another, I am more than happy to find you an excellent, certified guide that can.

Rates

My rates depend on a number of variables, not the least of which is the local company, if any, with whom I am working for a given trip. Rest assured that you will get more than your money's worth. I provide high-end, professional service. You will finish every trip more than satisfied with what we've seen, done, and learned along the way.