Instruction & Guiding For Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing, Mountaineering and Backcountry Skiing In The Adirondack Mountains

Alpine Adventures - Mountain Adventures In The Adirondacks Since 1985 - Instruction & Guiding For Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing, Mountaineering And Backcountry Skiing

	R.L. Stolz – Guide’s Résumé
	Outdoor Experience Rock & Ice Climbing Experience I started technical rock, ice and alpine climbing in 1974 and I have climbed very actively since that time. I have not attempted to list each climb I have completed – such a list would include thousands of routes! I have listed the approximate number of different routes completed at each area. These climbs range in length from a short rock pitch to more than 20 pitches of mixed climbing, and multi-day routes. I have led more than 95% of the pitches on these routes and guided the vast majority of these climbs. I have comfortably led traditional rock climbs up to YDS 5.11 in difficulty, ice climbs to WI 5 and alpine climbs to TD. I have done many routes more than once, especially in the Adirondacks (some more than 200 times); these repeat ascents are not reflected in this list. My favorite climbs tend to be long (typically 10 pitches or more) and moderate (5.7 to 5.10, WI 3 to WI 4) rather than short and extreme. I enjoy solving complex climbing problems, especially those involving risk (more so than technical virtuosity). I have a decided preference for traditional climbs, but fixed gear here and there won’t ruin my day. There are a few places where I truly enjoy the carefree nature of “sport climbing” but, because it generally it lacks a “performance imperative”, its allure is limited for me. I have done a fair amount of unroped climbing up to 5.9 / WI 4 but I don’t make it a habit. The grandeur of the mountains and the camraderie of a trusted partner are every bit as much a part of the experience for me as the climbing itself. United States Northeast Region Adirondack Mountains, New York – This has been my home climbing area since 1985. I have guided nearly all of these routes (some more than 200 times) including nearly all the major and most of the minor cliffs, slabs, gullies and waterfalls - 350+ routes Shawangunk Mountains, New York - 150 routes Little Falls, New York - 115 routes (coauthored guidebook to this area) Bald Mountain, New York - 11 routes White Mountains, New Hampshire - including Cannon, Cathedral, Whitehorse, Huntington Ravine and other areas - 75 routes Pawtuckaway State Park, New Hampshire - 4 routes Mount Desert Island, Acadia National Park, Maine - 10 routes Smuggler's Notch, Vermont - 4 routes Bolton, Vermont - 1 route Delaware Water Gap, New Jersey - 10 routes Quincy Quarries - Massachusetts - 3 routes Ralph Stover Park, Pennsylvania - 25 routes Stoneyridge, Pennsylvania - 11 routes Southeast Region Hanging Rock State Park, North Carolina - 2 routes Stone Mountain, North Carolina - 5 routes Table Rock, North Carolina - 1 route Looking Glass, North Carolina - 5 routes Rocks State Park, Maryland - 5 routes Carderock, Maryland - 8 routes New River Gorge, West Virginia - 20 routes Seneca Rocks, West Virginia - 20 routes Mount Chateau, West Virginia - 6 routes Central Region Devil's Lake, Wisconsin - 15 routes Rocky Mountain Region Needles (Custer State Park), South Dakota - 55 routes Devils Tower, Wyoming - 4 routes Teton Mountains, Wyoming - 2 routes Wind River Mountain, Wyoming (Gannett Peak) - 1 route South Fork of Shoshone River, Wyoming - 3 routes West Yellowstone Area, Wyoming - 1 route Boulder Canyon, Colorado - 17 routes Eldorado Canyon, Colorado - 14 routes Estes Park, Colorado - 4 routes Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado - 1 route Flatirons, Colorado - 4 routes Garden Of The Gods, Colorado - 2 routes Ouray Area, Colorado - 40 routes Telluride/Ophir Area, Colorado - 10 routes Silverton Area, Colorado - 2 routes Cascade Creek, Colorado - 5 routes Zion, Utah - 3 routes Hueco Tanks, Texas - 2 routes El Rito, New Mexico - 2 routes Las Conchas, New Mexico - 1 route White Rock, New Mexico - 2 routes Diablo Canyon, New Mexico - 2 routes Western Region Red Rocks, Nevada - 65 routes Joshua Tree, California - 55 routes Pinnacles, California - 4 routes Tahquitz/Suicide, California - 9 routes Yosemite Valley, California - 19 routes Tuolumne Meadows, California - 24 routes Lee Vining Canyon, California - 2 routes Owens River Gorge, California - 1 route Domelands, California - 3 routes Stoney Point, California - 5 routes Sierra Nevada Backcountry, California - 13 routes Benton Crag, California - 7 routes Clark Canyon, California - 4 routes Horseshoe Lake, Mammoth Lakes Basin, California - 2 routes Donner Pass, California - 3 routes Lovers Leap, California - 3 routes Castle Rock, California - 10 routes Canada Eastern Region Val David, Quebec - 35 routes Rattlesnake, Ontario - 5 routes Niagara Escarpment/Lions Head, Ontario - 5 routes Rocky Mountain Region Banff & Jasper National Parks, Alberta - 8 routes Great Britain Wales Snowdonia - 8 routes Gogarth - 1 route Scotland Glen Coe - 5 routes Fort William/Ben Nevis - 6 routes Cairngorms/Northern Corries - 6 routes Italy Arco Region - 15 routes Cattinaccio Dolomites - 3 routes Sella Dolomites - 8 routes Sassolungo Dolomites - 2 routes Val Gardena Dolomites - 6 routes Tofana Dolomites - 4 routes Cinque Torri Dolomites - 9 routes Tré Cima/Patternkoffel Dolomites - 2 routes Mont Blanc Massif (Italy) - 2 routes France Mont Blanc Massif (France) - 3 routes Aiguilles Rouge, Chamonix - 1 route Val d'Isere - 1 route Savoie Region - 6 routes Spain Bielsa Region (Pyrenees) Boca Norte - 3 routes Australia Mount Arapiles, Victoria - 26 routes Mount Buffalo, Victoria - 8 routes Booroomba Rocks, Australian Capital Territory - 12 routes Blue Mountains, New South Wales - 22 routes New Zealand Castle Rock, Christchurch - 10 routes Darrans Mountains, Fiordland - 6 routes Mount Cook, Canterbury - 5 routes Nepal Annapurna Sanctuary - 2 routes Upper Marsyandi Valley - 1 route Morocco Anti-Atlas Mountains (near Tafroute) - 8 routes Ecuador Cayambe - 1 route Illinizas - 1 route Mexico Popocatepetl - 1 route Rock & Ice Climbing – Guiding/Teaching Experience Alpine Adventures, Inc., Keene, New York: 1985 - Present Founder and director. Year-round guiding and instructional service for rock and ice climbing serving clients from throughout the United States, Canada and elsewhere, with a wide range of programs, at beginning through advanced levels of ability. Since 1985 I have guided climbing (or skiing) about 200 days per year, accumulating more than 4,000 days of experience along the way. Crag Courses Climbing School, Doylestown, Pennsylvania: 1982 - 1984 Founder, director and instructor. Rock climbing school serving individual students and institutions in southeastern Pennsylvania/New Jersey area, beginning through advanced levels. Institutional Climbing Consultant, Sydney, Australia: January 1985 Staff trainer and climbing consultant for Sydney City Mission, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving Australian youth at risk. Designed a therapeutic adventure program for this organization. De La Salle Vocational School, Bensalem, Pennsylvania: 1981 - 1984 Course director, instructor. Ran basic rock climbing programs as a part of a therapeutic adventure program for court-adjudicated deliquent boys. Introduced boys to climbing and trained new staff members. Syracuse University Outing Club, Syracuse, New York: 1974 - 1981 Volunteer leadership chairman, instructor. I served as instructor for several hundred students at various ability levels. Also coordinated training and approval program for leaders. Conducted climbing and other outdoor trips for university students to destinations throughout the eastern United States. Alpine & Nordic Skiing Experience I began skiing in 1963 and I have skied throughout the northeastern US. I have also skied in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, California, and Quebec, Canada. I am equally comfortable on alpine or nordic equipment and my choice of equipment is usually dictated by the objective of a trip. I have completed most of the classic backcountry tours in the Adirondacks as well as many High Peaks descents, including some extreme first-descents of open slides. I have not attempted to list my skiing accomplishments in detail. Alpine & Nordic Skiing – Guiding/Teaching Experience I have taught nordic and alpine skiing and served as head freestyle coach for four ski areas. I designed a teaching progression for freestyle skiing, coordinated and judged many freestyle skiing competitions in New Hampshire and New York, and taught basic freestyle techniques to fellow instructors in clinics. I also served as ski area representative for a ski binding manufacturer and a ski shop. In addition to teaching for ski areas, I have taught in a backcountry setting each season since 1982. Alpine Adventures, Inc., Keene, New York: 1985 - present Founder and present director. Backcountry skiing instruction and guiding serving students from throughout the United States and Canada with a wide variety of programs. De La Salle Vocational School, Bensalem, Pennsylvania: 1981 - 1984 Course director, instructor. Ran nordic and backcountry skiing courses up to two weeks long as a part of a therapeutic adventure program for court-adjudicated delinquent boys. Song Mountain Ski Area, Tully, New York: 1980 - 1981 Freestyle coordinator, alpine ski instructor. Ran all aspects of freestyle skiing program including freestyle camps, weekend coaching of freestyle team, area competitions, demonstrations and coordination of assistant coaches. Also taught alpine skiing technique at all ability levels. Mystic Mountain Ski Area, New Woodstock, New York: 1977 - 1980 Director of freestyle skiing, alpine ski instructor. Ran all aspects of freestyle skiing program including freestyle camps, weekend coaching of freestyle team, area competitions, demonstrations and coordination of assistant coaches. Also taught alpine skiing technique at all ability levels. Tyrol Mountain Ski Area, Jackson, New Hampshire: 1976 - 1977 Director of freestyle skiing, alpine ski instructor. Ran all aspects of freestyle skiing program including freestyle camps, weekend coaching of freestyle team, area competitions, demonstrations and coordination of assistant coaches. Also taught alpine skiing technique at all ability levels. Song Mountain Ski Area, Tully, New York: 1975 - 1976 Freestyle instructor, alpine ski instructor, member of professional freestyle team. Drumlins Ski School, Syracuse, New York: 1970 - 1975 Nordic and alpine ski instructor. Taught nordic technique, primarily in a track-skiing setting as well as alpine technique at all ability levels. Non-Technical Mountaineering & Backpacking Experience I have been active with mountaineering, backpacking, winter and summer camping, and trekking since 1969. I have spent time in the mountains of New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming and California. I have also spent considerable amounts of time in the backcountry of Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Nepal, Australia and New Zealand. These excursions are most often a means of access to related activities such as technical climbing, skiing or photography. Representative Experience Hiked more than 100 miles of the John Muir Trail, California, 1976 Completed several three-week backpacking trips in West Virginia, 1981 - 1984 Trekked around the Annapurna Massif (200+ miles), Nepal, 1984 Climbed Mt. Batur, Bali, Indonesia, 1984 Hiked extensively in the Southern Alps in New Zealand (in conjunction with climbing), 1985 Numerous winter and summer wilderness trips in the Adirondack Mountains, 1985 - present Non-Technical Mountaineering & Backpacking – Guiding/Teaching Experience Alpine Adventures, Inc., Keene, New York: 1985 - present Founder and present director. Teach and guide winter and summer mountaineering and backpacking primarily as they apply to gaining access to activities such as climbing or skiing. De La Salle Vocational School, Bensalem, Pennsylvania: 1981 - 1984 Course director, instructor. Taught basic backpacking/camping skills to court-adjudicated delinquent boys as a part of a therapeutic adventure program. Courses involved hiking, canoeing and skiing in varied lengths of up to 21 days. Introduced boys to wilderness camping. Other Outdoor & Related Experience Caving: Have explored wild caves in New York, West Virgina and Virginia. Taught vertical and horizontal caving as well as complete courses in sport caving and cave ecology for De La Salle Vocational School. Served as volunteer caving leader for the Syracuse University Outing Club and discovered several thousands feet of virgin passage in a major West Virgina cave with members of that group. Paddling (canoeing, kayaking and rafting): Have paddled many rivers, lakes and ponds in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia, primarily in open canoes. Taught canoe camping courses up to ten days in length covering up to 150 miles of river in that time. Paddled up to Class III water in open canoes. SCUBA Diving and Snorkeling: Have explored reefs in the South Pacific, Indonesia, Tahiti, Costa Rica and the Caribbean Sea as well as rivers, lakes, caves and quarries in the United States since 1982. National Association Of Underwater Instructors Certified SCUBA diver. Photography: Have done various types of photography including mountain, underwater, cave, wildlife and macro. Have maintained a black and white darkroom. Have given numerous slide presentations about my travels to outdoor organizations. Fly-fishing/Fly-tying: Have fly-fished for trout and other species in the streams and lakes of New York, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, California and Eastern Canada. I ordinarily fish on a catch-and-release basis with flies I tie myself. Birding and Conservation Activities Published Works “Little Falls: A Rock Climber's Guide” - Co-authored with Christophe Davis, published by Adirondack Alpine Adventures, 1985 “Experiential Education With Delinquents: Rationale, Methodology and Curriculum” - Co-authored with Skip Gaus, this chapter in Wilderness Challenge: Outdoor Education Alternatives For Youth In Need, editors D. Teschner and Dr. J. Wolter, published by Institute of Experiential Studies, Hadlyme, Connecticut, 1984. “All About Rock Climbing” and “How To Choose The Right Rock Climbing School” - Authored these chapters in “If You Can't Remember Yoru Last Vacation You Need This Book!” by Laura and Jonathan Greenburg, published by Thunder Publications, Calabasas, California, 1993. “The Business Of Guiding” - A series of articles in Guidelines, the newsletter of the New York State Outdoor Guides Association. My articles provided business tips and ideas to the membership. Photographs - My photographs have been published in a variety of books, catalogs, magazines and other periodicals as well as on the web. Professional Activities Expert Witness - Provided technical consultation and an expert report to Pennsylvania's Office Of The Attorney General in reference to a rock climbing related lawsuit, 1987 Served as co-reviewer for the Internal Review Of The Wilderness Recreation Associates Degree Program at North Country Community College, Saranac Lake, New York, 1986 Rock Climbing Advisor - Questing Travel Society. Provided a broad spectrum of rock climbing related advice and consultation to staff and members, starting in 1991 Guest Lecturer - SUNY College Of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse, New York Topic: “Managing A Successful Recreational Services Business”, 1990. Guest Lecturer - North Country Community College, Saranac Lake, New York Topic: “Hiring Practices Of Recreational Services Businesses”, 1995. Co-presenter - Wilderness Challenge Conference, Becket Academy, East Haddam, Connecticut Workshop: “Academic Accountability In Experiential Education”, 1983. Presenter - Wilderness Recreation Conference, North Country Community College, Saranac Lake, New York Workshop: “Designing Academically Accountable Wilderness Experiences”, 1985. Wilderness Rescue - Provided various rescue services as a senior member of the Keene, New York Ambulance Squad and through its interface with the backcountry rescue system. Organized several litter evacuation training drills. 1986 thru 2000. Although I am no longer active with Keene Ambulance, I remain a technical rescue volunteer. “The Backpacking Experience”, Marhull/Schwally Productions, featured guest for 20-minute ice climbing segment of this hour-long television program, aired September 1996 through present on WNET, the Outdoor Channel and other outlets. Shot on location, this segment focused on Alpine Adventures, Inc.'s ice climbing instructional programs and climbing of classic ice climbs in the Adirondacks. Provided test questions to the New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation to be used for evaulating potential rock and ice climbing guides during examinations for New York State guides licenses, 1986 Facilitated communication and negotiation with land mangers, local and state government agencies, legal advisors, college club organizations, climbers, and community members to re-open climbing sites in Little Falls, New York, 1981 and Ralph Stover Park, Pennsylvania, 1983. New York State Outdoor Guides Association, member 1987 - present National Association For Search & Rescue, member 1989 - 2000 American Mountain Guides Association, professional member 1987 - 2002 Association For Experiential Education, member early 1980's Education & Training Bachelor of Science, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse, New York, 1981 Major: Resources Management. In addition to my regular coursework, I designed a rock climbing management plan for Moss Island, New York and collaborated with a fellow student to design an environmental education facility for the De Ruyter Central School, De Ruyter, New York. New York State Licensed Guide: Rock and Ice Climbing, Hiking, Camping, since 1985 Advanced Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate, New York State Certified 1991 Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician, NASAR/Wilderness Medical Associates, 1990 American Heart Association Professional Rescuer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation American Red Cross Basic Water Safety, 1986 Mountain Medicine - participated in this backcountry medical care seminar, 1993 American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, 1975 Personal Born January 9, 1956 Married since 1982 One child Brief Biography I first discovered my fascination with high places at age 5, while swaying to and fro in the top branches of a tall spruce tree. The following year I got my first taste of skiing which, in combination with climbing trees in the warmer months, occupied much of my free time. At age 14, while on a picnic, I wandered off and found my first rock climb in the form of a dry waterfall. I was mesmerized by the intensity of climbing it but rocks were few and far between where I grew up in Central New York, and I had to wait several years to get my first taste of real climbing. By chance, I attended a college outing club meeting early in my freshman year. I had found my major! With this group I discovered an open door to climbing, caving, and all kinds of other activities. I became immersed in climbing and caving to the point where there was simply no time for academia. For the next two years my summers were filled with climbing at a frantic pace, and my winters were devoted to skiing. After returning to college to complete my degree I realized that my place was in the mountains, doing what I loved and sharing it with others. More than a quarter century later I am still absorbed in this quest – and there’s no end in sight. Updated: 3/20/08

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