Our mountain interests have taken us around the globe to countries including Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, Morocco, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Canada as well as throughout the United States. R.L. started climbing in 1974, and he has skied since 1962. Karen has climbed since 1979 and skied since 1966. We have been active climbers and skiers ever since. 

Since 1985 our professional mountain guiding activities with Alpine Adventures have kept each of us busy for about 200 days per year. This experience has been accumulated in the small-group, low-ratio settings we believe are essential for effective mountain guiding and instruction. Prior to 1985 our mountain guiding experience included several years of seasonal rock climbing instruction and, for R.L., ten years of ski instruction. Even after accumulating nearly 4,000 days of professional guiding experience each, we are still committed to continually improving our skills. 

We are trained as Wilderness Emergency Medical Technicians and Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians, and we are members of the Adirondack Backcountry Technical Rescue Team. For 15 years we were active members of the Keene, NY Ambulance Squad where we gained extensive practical experience applying our medical training. 

We are New York State Licensed Guides for all the activities we teach and guide.

Guide’s Résumé – R.L. Stolz

Guide’s Résumé – Karen Stolz

Credentials
When we began our mountain guiding careers there were no widely accepted credentials for mountain guides in the US. Anyone could call themselves a mountain guide. At that time, however, wages were so low that few people wanted be guides – and there really wasn’t much demand for guiding services anyway. Understandably, individuals (including us) who were devoted to the profession wanted to differentiate themselves from those with less commitment. The only way to do this was through the slow process of building experience and reputation. That is the route we followed. 

As alpinism grew rapidly during the 1990’s in the US, demand for skilled guides increased and all of a sudden it was possible to make a living as a guide. Many newcomers were attracted to guiding but few had the skills or experience required to do the job effectively. Guide certification was implemented to help sort the “wheat from the chaff” and gradually became the tool to get your foot into the door of professional guiding. For a newcomer to the profession it makes obvious sense to gain knowledge, skills and a useful credential all at once. 

When certification became available we chose not to pursue this credential. We were already busy doing exactly what certification opens the door to for younger guides. It continues to make little sense for us to pursue a credential that would allow us to become what we already are!

Recognition
Over the years a number of publications or other media have included Alpine Adventures and/or R.L. or Karen Stolz in various editorials or features. 

Magazines:
National Geographic Adventure Magazine
Adirondack Life
American Way (American Airlines In Flight Magazine)
BE Magazine
The Mountain
Powder
Yankee
Adirondack Alpine Journal
Men’s Health
New York Outdoors
Outdoor Woman
Syracuse University Magazine
New York Alive
Business Week
Vogue 

Newspapers:
The Lake Placid News
The Plattsburgh Press Republican
The Toronto Globe & Mail
The New York Times
The Manhattan Cooperator
The Saratogian
The Glens Falls Chronicle
Eye On Saratoga
Jill Magazine, Supplement to the Press-Republican 

Books:
The Ultimate Adventure Sourcebook
Adventure Travel North America
Learning Vacations
The Adirondack Book
Lonely Planet Guide To New York, New Jersey & Pennsylvania
If You Can’t Remember Your Last Vacation You Need This Book

Television:
The Backpacking Experience – Ice Climbing Feature (aired on The Outdoor Channel and elsewhere) 

Other Media:
Peterson’s Guide To Summer Programs
Yale Guide To Summer Programs
Active & Ageless
SUNY College Of Environmental Science and Forestry Alumni News
McNeil Tyline
I Love NY Tourism Guide
Essex County Tourism Guide
Keene/Keene Valley Guide