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At Alpinehikers, we emphasize quality over size. Our goal is to offer the finest hiking tours available in the areas we know and love best. We keep our groups small and intimate, and you'll benefit from our own genuine excitement for the Alps and the knowledge that comes from years of personal experience.
We're committed to offering affordable, first-class vacations filled with exciting discoveries and the world's best hiking. On our tours, you will get a chance to meet new friends, dive into a different culture, and immerse yourself in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We've uncovered the best trails and most breathtaking vistas, found the most authentic restaurants and charming inns, tested the chocolate (it's all good!), and run through the fields to determine their Heidi factor. We're picky, and we've assembled, I believe, the very best that the Alps have to offer.
We'll strive to make our trip as ecologically sound as possible, using marked trails, staying in small local inns, and maintaining respect for the land through which we walk. Traveling as a small group allows us to minimize our impact.
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I was first introduced to the Alps while studying in West Berlin in 1989. On a break from my studies, I made the first of many trips to these wonderful mountains. It was love at first sight. The rugged, imposing power of the surrounding peaks combined with the peaceful, cultural allure of the villages below formed a powerful attraction for me that I have not been able to resist. Time and again I returned to walk the trails, meet wonderful people, and envy the lifestyle of those lucky enough to live in such a beautiful setting. Finally, I moved to the Alps myself, living and working in the hotels in Mürren, and spent many happy summers wandering the trails and discovering new places.
In the meantime, I've earned a degree in linguistics from Stanford University, taught 1st Aid and CPR classes for the American Red Cross, and led rock-climbing, hiking, and cross-country skiing trips. We led our first guided tours in the summer of 1999, adding self-guided tours the next year. I love meeting and walking with new people in beautiful places, and hope to find many others on these tours who share the same love of life and discovery that I do.
Jennifer and I currently live in Prescott, Arizona, and travel to Switzerland every summer to lead and organize tours. Our daughter Sidney and son Owen will be 5 and 2 in 2011, and both have spent every summer of their lives (so far) in Mürren. I also maintain an online Switzerland travel guide, www.alpinetraveler.com, organize many self-guided tours, and maintain a charitable website, World Neighborhood Fund, which provides easy ways through searches and shopping links to help some of the world's poorest people. Please check it out when you get a chance.
As the founder and owner of Alpinehikers, I am intimately aware of every detail of these tours. I am also ultimately concerned with your safety and satisfaction. For us, these tours are a labor of love. We'll be there every step of the way with support, encouragement, and (hopefully) interesting facts and stories of the country we'll be seeing. I lead many of our tours personally, and we also have some superb co-leaders guiding our tours: Matt Brown, Titiana Shostak-Kinker, and Brant Kilber. They all bring considerable enthusiasm, professionalism, and a wide variety of knowledge to share with those around them.
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Troy Haines - owner and guide
Troy, JJ, Sidney, Owen
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Matt Brown is owner of Rubicon Outdoors, which specializes in hiking tours of the Grand Canyon, and hiking and climbing tours in Arizona and California. Growing up in California, Matt was fortunate enough to live close to the Sierra Nevada mountains. At an early age, his parents instilled in him a healthy respect for the outdoors and helped foster a desire to go further into the mountains. Matt has been working in the field of adventure travel for over 15 years and is a certified Wilderness First Responder, certified American Mountain Guides Association(AMGA) Top Rope Site Manager, and has successfully completed the AMGA Rock Instructor Course. He holds a BA in Wilderness Leadership from Prescott College.
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Michelle Willix lives in Boulder, Colorado where she hikes, skis, bikes, competes in triathlons, kayaks, does yoga, and plays outdoors as often as she can. She has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, and has lived, traveled, and hiked in Central and South America, Europe, England, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands. Michelle was a white water raft guide in Washington state, has taught yoga to kids in after school programs, teaches snowsports to people with various disabilities, and volunteers in her local community. She loves to share her passion for the outdoors and inspire others to explore new activities and expand their horizons. Michelle has guided with Alpinehikers since 2003.
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Brant Kilber is from Oregon, and has been an enthusiastic outdoorsman his whole life, with a keen interest in backpacking, birds, and outdoor history. He lived for many years on the Bodensee, on the border of Germany and Switzerland, speaks fluid German, and is constantly adding to his extensive knowledge of the Alps. He is also an excellent photographer and engaging hiking companion.
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Judy Strickler hails from the Pacific Northwest, where she fanned her passion for the outdoors. From backpacking, cycling, mountain biking to adventure travel, she brings with her a wide range of outdoor experience. Conversant in German, Judy is also a trained horticulturist and enjoys exploring and identifying the lush flora and fauna of the Alps. One of her greatest strengths is her love of people. Judy loves conversing with people and making sure everyone is comfortable and enjoying themselves. At home in Prescott, Judy enjoys working with various non-profits and exploring the amazing Southwest with her husband and two children.
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Jake Gaventa splits his time between Prescott, Arizona and an Airstream trailer in the mountains of Colorado. He is an avid skier, hiker, biker, and boatman, but mostly enjoys a good adventure. He has skied in Europe, climbed in the Himalaya, attempted to surf in Mexico, and been stuck on glaciers in Canada. Jake is an adventure eductaion instructor at Prescott College, has been a mountaineering instructor at Colorado Outward Bound School, and a raft guide. He is an EMT, holds Avalanche Certification II, and basic life support for health care providers. When not enjoying the outdoors Jake likes hanging out with dogs, reading mysteries, and baking cookies.
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Titiana Shostak-Kinker graduated from Prescott College in 1999 with a BA in Outdoor Education and multicultural studies. She has climbed all over the US, Thailand, Mexico and Nepal. Titiana is passionate about the connections between climbing, meditation and self-awareness, and is a natural leader and group facilitator. When not in Switzerland, she works as an outdoor educator at Prescott College. She is also a massage therapist and yoga teacher.
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