High Altitude Mountain Guide Tim Rippel and company

Owner-Operator of Peak Freak Expeditions. Guiding and Instructing since 1983.

Tim Rippel - Owner/ Operator of Peak Freak Expeditions based in Western Canada. Tim grew up in the Okanagan, British Columbia. Immediately upon graduation he began a career in guiding and instructing . Now 28 years later he has not looked back, only up. Tim has been successfully operating mountaineering and trekking expeditions in the Himalayas for the past 20 years. Veteran of 40 Himalayan expeditions including "10- times" on Mt. Everest from Nepal and Tibet as well as neighboring peaks of Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Pumori and Island Peak. Other climbs include the Coastal Mountains of British Columbia, the Canadian Rockies, Denali numerous times the Pamirs in Russia, Africa and South America. Whether it is heli-skiing, extreme mountain biking or climbing the world’s tallest peaks, Tim holds a flawless safety record and your safety is his priority.

He instructs and examines Canadian Search and Rescue professionals in Mountain Rescue for the Canadian government, runs a ski guide training program and teaches Avalanche Courses when he is not in the Himalayas.. Tim spends 12 months a year in a mountain environment.

"I am proud to be a friend of you both. Your involvement in Nepal and its people is one of the things that Tim really impressed upon me, he is a different kind of climber, and I aspire to that. I would trust my children to climb Everest with Tim. He is one of the most well rounded climbers I know."

Todd Sampson-

Canadian/Australian -Peak Freak- Mt. Everest summit- May 21, 2001

mountain safety and outdoor operations. He trained for the cold and skied the extreme faces of the Murray Range (foothills of the Rocky Mountains) daily as part of his training regime. His extreme skiing has taken him to Mt. Robson (highest mountain in the B.C. Rockies) for an icy North Face winter ski accent as well as the first ski ascent on Mt. Everest's North side in 1991 from the top of the North Col. At this time Tim was given the name "Peak Freak" from fellow skiers and later adopted the name for his company.

Expedition Logistics & Communications: Becky Rippel -

VERY IMPORTANT READ: As it is in all other countries in the world, using Certified Mountain Guides is essential and most of the time mandatory not only for the country you are climbing in but more importantly the well being of members of the team and especially on Everest. Stats are being calculated on the number of incidents that have occurred with climbers being led by "trip leaders" compared to operators who use certified mountain guides and you would find the differences to be astounding. Just because someone has been lucky enough to successfully climb Everest before does not mean they meet all the criteria and have learned and practiced skills that save lives and offer client care in extreme circumstances. Peak Freaks uses only Certified Mountain Guides for our Everest Expeditions. IFMGA, NSMGA and NMA (Nepal Mountaineering Association) certified Sherpa guides. All our guides are paid professional fees, maintain their professional standards with the association, carry insurance and have put their time in to have our clients lives in their hands. If you are paying close to the same fee and your mountain guides are not certified, I'd be seriously be looking somewhere else. This is a serious climb with serious consequences if things go wrong. Rule number one of surviving Everest: prevention.

One of the most important things you can do when shopping around for a commercial Everest outfitter is to find out who is doing the guiding? are they certified? if you are not completely satisfied, keep asking.

Marty Schmidt (NZMGA) - Mountain Guide - Everest and many more-

Marty Schmidt from New Zealand; (NZMGA, mountain guide), (NZOIA, alpine 2, rock 2 instructor), (USAF, Pararescueman, land, sea and air rescue) Guiding for over 35 years around the world.

Marty's climbing record is second to none: 23 ascents of Aoraki/Mount Cook, Mt Tasman 7X and Mt Aspiring 16X: 34 ascents of Aconcagua via 6X various routes: 28 ascents of Denali 6X routes, including the Cassin and 2X new routes, Mt Foraker 5X (63 hours BC, summit BC Soltana ridge), Mt Hunter 3X: 6X ascents of Cho Oyu, world speed record 10:45 hours and a 13 hour one day climb with a ski descent from the summit to the end of the snow at camp 1. Ascents of Kanchanjunga, second Kiwi ascent, first without 02, Everest and K2 to 8350m, North and South sides on both: Seven Summits, Trekking Peaks, Ama Dablam, Big Walls of Yosemite, etc. In May 2010 Marty summited Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,485m. In traditional 'Marty style' he didn’t use any porters or any supplementary oxygen to get to the summit, becoming the first New Zealander to do so! Just before his summit, on summit day he rescued 3 climbers, one being above 8,200 meters. After climbing Makalu, Marty also successfully climbed Gasherbrum 2 (8,034m) guiding it and then a 2 day ascent of Gasherbrum 1 (8,080m) again without the aid of porters or bottled oxygen on the mountains. We are proud to be able to share Marty's vast experience of the world's mountains.

Joshua Jarrin- (IFMGA) Mountain Guide- Pumori, Island Peak in the Himalayas and now Everest-

Joshua Jarrín started to climb at age of ten in Ecuador. His first expedition outside of the country was to Peru when he was sixteen. In his years of mountaineering he has climbed in Andes, Alps, Dolomites, Apennines, Himalayas and Thien Shan Ranges. He is one of the few climbers who has done two ascents of the the south face of Aconcagua (Argentina). As guide, he is member of the ASEGUIM and also a international certified mountain guide (IFMGA/UIAGM). He holds a B.A. in Culinary Art, so when he is not working as a guide, he enjoys spending time as a Chef.

Angel Armesto - ( IFMGA) Mountain Guide- Everest, Ama Dablam, Aconcagua and many more-

Angel Armesto from Argentina lives at the foot of Aconcagua in Argentina's quaint wine capitall city of Mendoza, the gateway to climbing Aconcagua. Angel has led over 60 expedition to the top Aconcagua and back. Tim met up with Angel several years back while working on Ama Dablam in the Himalayas. He has an extensive climbing background on Aconcagua and is well known for his culinary expertise. One of the raves we get back often from our participants is how well fed they were while on expedition with Angel.

Angel is one of the top guides in South America, he has been climbing for 20 years leading trips all over the world during the last 12 years. He has an impressive background in climbing and expeditions, excellent summit success rate and safety record which is priority as part of our Peak Freaks team in maintaining our flawless safety record. He spends thousands of hours studying and researching every aspect related to expeditions and our participants safety.

Javier Carvallo Contreras - (IFMGA) Mountain Guide- Everest, Bolivian peaks and many more-

From Bolivia: Javier Contreras comes with an extensive mountain guiding background and is certified by the International Federation of Mountain Guides since 2005. He guides in Austria, Italy, Chile, Peru and his homeland Bolivia. 2011 was Javier's first expedition on Everest and he summited. As for many guides from South America they bring with them exceptional client safety and care skills.

Tashi Sherpa from Pangboche, home of Lama Geshe now lives in Gokyo running the prominent family guest lodge there with his parents. Tashi has six Everest summits to his credit and has demonstrated excellent inter-personal skills working with our climbers and Sherpa guides.

Tashi is a well spoken and respected mountain guide of the Himalayas. He works with us on both our Everest Training climbs on Pumori and on Everest each season.

Age 49: Sardar or Sirdar is a Sherpa mountain guide. Ang Nima lives in the sherpa village of Kunde, Nepal where he and his wife Kamirita own the Kunde the Lodge. Ang Nima manages all other sherpas and porters on our climbing and trekking expeditions. He is the most experienced of all our sherpas having worked with us since our beginning of our time in the Himalayas on the Tibetan side of Everest in 1991. He has been to our home in Canada and is our family. His survival stories of avalanches on Kanchenjunga, not once but twice, are sure to keep you on track while walking the trails of the Himalayas with him.

Mingmar has been kicking around in the Himalayas with us for a very long time now. Having stood on the top of Everest 5 times and

counting. He also has bragging rights on a long list of summits within Tibet and Nepal.

Ang Namgay Sherpa: Has been on nine Mount Everest Expedition, summited five times and other Himalayan giants like Pumori and Cho Oyo.

Bio currently being developed. Has worked with us for 3 years now and has Everest summit stats.

Ngima is Ang Nima's son. Nima works on our expeditions in Nepal during the Dashian Festival which takes place during oceur autumn climbs on Ama Dablam and Pumori. The schools in Nepal are closed during this month so it works well for Ngima to take a break from his schooling in Kathmandu and work on his real passion "guiding and climbing". Ngmia is a member of the NMA- Nepal Mountaineering Association and attended the Manang Mountain School in Thame. We first met Ngima helping his mother and sister working in the family teahouse in Khunde. He was just a young boy then and has chosen to follow in his father's footsteps working in the mountains that they know so well.

Regi is one of the most senior guides working on Kilimanjaro. We were honored to learn of his continued interest in working with Peak Freaks as lead mountain guide for our Kilimanjaro Expeditions. Regi has had over 100 ascent on Kilimanjaro, he could do it with his eyes closed yet each trip his enthusiasm and love for what he does never faulters.

This is our lovely Edita who will meet you at the hotel upon your arrival. She is behind all our Tanzanian logistics, organzing guides, group lists, transportation and making sure everyone is accounted for. We could not manage our expeditions worlds apart without her many years of experience working with groups.

Scott summited Mt. Everest via the south ridge May 21, 2008 with Peak Freaks. A former firefighter and real estate project manager, Scott's deepest passion is for Philanthropy. To raise funds for an orphanage in Thailand called the House of Miracles, he rode a bicycle across the entire United States with his best friend, Matt Elam. To help rebuild the Bay Islands after Hurricane Mitch, he shot a documentary film and contributed financially to the Pandytown Youth Center on Roatan, Honduras. While studying Cultural Anthropology in New Zealand he met the Dalai Lama and while in Rome he listened to Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. Scott has done motivational speaking here in the States, shot photography in Russia, built a community center in Fiji, and published articles worldwide from Hawaii to Saudi Arabia.

Currently, Scott is writing a book about his experiences called, The TarZen Diet. Part memoir, part motivational literature, the book promotes his concept of "total life nourishment." There is even an indpendent film of the same name to accompany the novel- which Scott wrote, produced and directed.

Scott will leading and filming our Kilimanjaro New years expedition commencing Dec. 28, 2009. He will film the climb and produce a DVD that will be available to participants, or anyone interested for that matter. I can assure you it will be good, both the flim and the climb. If you have seen the Peak Freak Everest 2008 preview YouTube flick on this site you will get a good idea of what I mean. Scott was also the master blogger throughout the Everest 2008 climb. When the expedition was over, our readers were begging for more. An extremely gifted and entertaining personality to climb Kili with this New Years. The "ONCE IN A BLUE MOON" expedition.

Mother, adventurer, business owner, June Ray has been climbing passionately for the past 22 years. Originally from Australia, Ray now lives in the eclectic, mountain-blessed city of Nelson, British Columbia, and part owner/operator of a successful guiding and climbing wall business, Gravity Unlimited Adventures.

ACMG Rock Guide and Gravity Adventure Ltd. owner/operator. Mirek is our rock and ice specialist working on our Everest Training Camps. Originally from a mountain town in the Czech Republic and family guiding background makes Mirek a great asset to the Peak Freak team. Mirek is multi-talented. Harmonica player, band member, founder of Gravity Adventures climbing gym, First Chair shuttle service, Unimog Mountain Bike shuttle, Amphibean shuttle service for access to terrain via Kootenay Lake and Bio Diesel distributor. When it comes to making life about having fun and being environmentally responsible, Mirek has it dialled.

A part-time fitness instructor near Barrie, Ontario, Vanessa enjoys anything that keeps her outside and enjoying life. Her passions include rock and ice climbing, white-water canoeing, mountain biking and travel. Her love of adventure, nature, people, exciting cultures and photography have taken her to places like East Africa, Thailand, Nepal, and all over the United Kingdom, and North, Central and South America. Some of Vanessa’s prior trekking peaks include Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Cotapaxi and Gokyo Ri.

No matter where she is however, a part of her heart remains in Kathmandu, Nepal, at Hopeful Home Orphanage, where she spent some time volunteering in 2006. Her continued work with the children of Hopeful home is her greatest passion. She is currently in development of a post-secondary scholarship fund, with the hopes of breaking the cycle of poverty for these great children whose potential will otherwise never be realized.

Suresh began mountain bike riding in 1999. As this time he moved to Kathmandu from his village in the country, he worked at a variety of jobs to pay for his upkeep and learn the English language.

Suresh is currently the number one mountain bike rider in Nepal. He has participated in races not only in Nepal, but also Japan, Germany and the UK. He has been entered into the Asian games and the European Trans Alps in 2003 and his main aim is to enter into the Olympics in Beijing in 2008.

He has supported his mountain bike career by working as a Himalayan Guide, traveling to Tibet, China, India, Butan, Mongolia and many areas of Nepal. He has determination, dedication and commitment to his sport- with the correct training, sponsorship, he should achieve his dream of entry into the 2008 Olympics.

Maryann specializes in adventure travel and has traveled all over the world. She has experience escorting small trekking and cultural groups in Nepal and Tibet and understands your travel needs well. Her passion is hiking whether it be here, or in the Rockies or in the Himalayas. She has trekked the Inca Trail in Peru and Nepal she has trekked to Everest Base Camp, Kala Pattar, the Jomsom Trek and Annapurna base camp. She has also been to Everest Base Camp on the north side in Tibet.

Need the best deals on flights from your home town to Kathmandu and return. Perhaps a stopover vacation on the return in Thailand, Hong Kong or Japan. Ask Peak Freaks travel specialist Maryann, who is well traveled in the Himalayas and has now turned her focus to mountain travel full time. Email: trek@peakfreaks.com

Karen an avid outdoor enthusiast has been with Peak Freaks since the beginning of its time. As our Chartered Accountant with over 25 years experience she has helped us and other companies in setting up and maintaining their accounting records and she provides valuable advice to the entrepreneur.

An extensive world traveler Karen not only keeps the back end of the company in order but she also understands the front end with her extraordinary adventure resume. Karen has been to Everest Base Camp and Ama Dablam Base Camp ( Nepal), the Dolomites (Italian Alps), Pyrenees (Spain), Jebel Sharo (Morocco), Sierra Madres (Mexico), GR20 (Corsica), Machu Picchu (Peru) and has traveled throughout Europe and Ireland, England, Ecuador, Bolivia, Galapagos, Belize, Vietnam, Thailand, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Karen is still on the move exploring new destinations while balancing the books here at Peak Freaks.

Helen is a Registered Dietitian living in Nelson, BC. Over the past 15 years Helen has developed expertise in nutrition education, chronic disease prevention, media and public speaking, and involvement in health promotion and wellness initiatives. Helen is highly regarded for her ease of communication and practical approach to translating the science of nutrition into everyday language and practice. Helen enjoys telemark skiing, cycling, baking, gardening, and being a mom to her boys. Helen, her husband and two young sons enjoy adventuring together in the great outdoors.

Helen's contribution to the Peak Freak team is extremely valuable. Helen offers climbers and other athletes expert guidance in nutrition and meal planning to help attain conditioning prior to their adventures.