American Alpine Institute

"I'm out $1000!...absolutely disappointed that cancelling on me last year and the hardships American Alpine Institute put me through would not be taken into serious consideration - Cancelling on me is okay and not the same as me asking to reschedule...in their mind my time and money is not the same as theirs. Last year, right before the event, AAI cancelled my scheduled climb as no one else signed up. I scrambled...I rearranged my life, vacation and plans. To accommodate them, I rescheduled my climb to this year. This year, two weeks before my climb, I injured my knee. I asked them to _return the courtesy_ I afforded their company and move my climb to another class. They told me it was not an option. I then offered to pay double and have my wife join me on a rescheduled climb - they declined. They explained they allocated double guides for 4 climbers in my class and a rescheduling could cause a guide "not to be paid", and I should have bought insurance."

"I hired a guide for a day of multi-pitch rock climbing at Red Rocks. I had a less than optimal day including some true safety concerns. I wrote a long and detailed note and got NO response. They do not seem to care much about their client's safety or following up on things that were less than perfect on their trips. Would NOT recommend."

"I recently completed a “Learn to Lead” course down in Red Rocks with AAI Instructor Chad Cochran. Everything about my experience with AAI was 5 star worthy. The communication leading up to the course was excellent. My instructor Chad was fabulous, and I walked away feeling accomplished and ready to try my new skills on my own. I really want to spotlight Chad though. The entire three days we spent together were a total blast. He was humble, patient, informative, highly competent, and fun. I learned so much and I really appreciated him sharing his knowledge in a way that accommodated my style of learning. Thank you AAI, and thank you Chad. 10/10 would recommend this experience for anyone wanting to learn more about lead climbing, and I look forward to future courses with AAI. UPDATE: 6/25/22 I just finished Alpinism 1 with Richard and Kyle and they were both beyond excellent. I found them to be knowledgeable, competent, engaging and fun to be around. I also felt they did a great job explaining things and that they worked hard to deliver the information in a way that was palatable and easy to understand for all learning styles. This was my second course with AAI, and I can’t say enough positive things about every aspect of the process from sign up to course trip. Every detail of the experience ran smooth and easy, and you can tell they have been doing this awhile because the process was dialed. The bottom line is I learned a lot and really enjoyed myself. Thanks AAI, and thanks Richard and Kyle. I look forward to future courses with AAI."

"I did the 12 day AMTL 1 and it was exactly if not more than I expected. It was challenging and educational, and didn’t skip a beat on covering something new each day. Mike Riley was my guide and he was patient and chill with the learning experience and allowed each of to struggle when needed. Plus you just can’t beat the variety of terrain you can cover in the North Cascades, from glaciers, to awesome crags, with exceptional alpine rock objectives like the Winter Spires. I’m headed back for AMTL 2 and excited as heck."

"Have hired many guides over the years for fishing and climbing and this crew was the best, hands down. The 6 day Baker Alpinism class was a great course with a summit on Baker. The guides Ben, Lani, Jodi and Lee were truly fantastic. Adjusting the level of instruction to the individuals on the course and pushing the group to ensure we all had a wonderful and complete experience. The four guides clearly had great chemistry and made the class fun while displaying professionalism and concern for our safety throughout. A real group of professionals, I would highly recommend the course to anyone interested in developing their skills in the mountains. Will be looking to them for professional services in the future."