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High Altitude Mountain Guide - Tim Rippel Tim Owner-Operator of Peak Freak Expeditions. Guiding and Instructing since 1983.
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 living and working in a mountain environment. As
a seasoned High Altitude Mountain Guide, High Altitude Cameraman and Extreme Skier, Tim spends the winter months working as a lead heli-ski guide in the
Bonnington Mountain range and instructs mountain safety courses from the
Rippel's lodge outside their front door in his hometown in Nelson B.C. Canada. He
is certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ski
guide) and
is also a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association,
Mountain Safety and Risk Management Professional and
examiner as
well as a certified Outdoor Leadership Instructor and certified in
Mountain Medicine. His professional
guiding career began when he led the C.O.L.T. (Canadian Outdoor Leadership
Training) program at Strathcona Park Lodge on Vancouver Island.
During this time, Tim took the opportunity to explore the remote West
Coast Mountains on his time off from guiding he explored many routes solo. He trained for his first Everest Expedition from his post at a ski area in Northern British Columbia where he was in charge of
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. Tim's
Everest climbing career has brought him the opportunity to work with many
legendary climbers like Allison Hargreaves, Eric Jones, Greg Child, Anatoli
Boukerev, Rob Hall and American one leg amputee, Tom Whitaker to name a few. Some of Tim's Everest experiences have been aired on networks across the nation. He provided footage to National Geographic, the Discovery Channel "Climb for Hope" in 1991, and again currently for " Storm Warning". To learn more about what people say about Peak Freak Expeditions, ask for a list of testimonials and contact numbers. The most important question to ask yourself when taking on such an endeavor as high altitude climbing is; who is doing the guiding? Ask around, if you are not completely satisfied, keep asking. TESTIMONIALS- click here to see what people have to say. AKA- Tim Ripple for the benefit of finding a common spelling mistake used when searching Everest on search engines.
Expedition Logistics & Communications: Becky Rippel -
BECKY RIPPEL- A travel professional of over 35 years takes her skills to the mountains following husband Tim Rippel and his expeditions to the world's highest mountains, Mt. Everest and beyond.. Becky runs the administration end of Peak Freaks and is a Group International Travel specialists who takes great pride in detailed expedition logistics lists and client communications. Becky owned and operated an International Ski Tour business prior to meeting and joining forces in marriage, adventure and business with Tim. She is a Level II CSIA Ski Instructor and Certified International Travel Agent specializing in group travel. In 1983 she was a key player in the start-up office of the "first" Uniglobe Travel Agency in Canada at which there are now over 1000 offices in five countries. Becky leads treks to base camp where trekkers are invited to join in and be part of life on our mountaineering expedition and without climbing skills. She has spent the past 18 years working and learning with sherpa families and friends while following Tim's climbs. Because of this Peak Freak participants are offered a unique and privileged look inside the homes and lives of the sherpa people of the Everest region. Tim and Becky you guys did an outstanding job of organizing, hosting and guiding. You have surpassed my expectations. Your attention to detail and effort to provide service was dedicated and thorough. Many companies could learn from you." Ralph Rhey- Japan/Canada
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 circumstance and most important- prevention. Peak Freaks uses only Certified Mountain Guides for our Everest Expeditions. IFMGA, NSMGA and NMA (Nepal Mountaineering Association) and aspiring ones with apprenticing certifications and certified Sherpa climbing guides. All our guides are paid the highest in professional fees, maintain their professional standards with the association, are required to have their skills reviewed on a regular basis making them insurable by standards that are recognized worldwide. This is who we put our climbers on a rope with. If you are paying close to the same in fees and your guides are not certified, I'd be seriously be looking elsewhere. This is a serious climb with serious consequences should 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 looking!
CLIMBING GUIDE and TREKKING SARDAR- Ang Nima Sherpa - (NMA)
Peak Freaks happy and hard working team!
Our highly regarded High Altitude Sherpa guides after a hard days work.
CLIMBING GUIDE- Ngima Sherpa - (NMA) Specialized Island Peak Guide.
Ngima now specializes in leading our Island Peak groups.
AFRICA SPECIALIST AND GUIDES KILIMANJARO LEAD GUIDE- Reginal Stevens- Certified Park Mountain Guide
PEAK FREAK TANZANIA OPERATIONS MANAGER- Edita Mboya
PEAK FREAK ESSENTIALS Michael Scott Mortensen - Adventure Filmmaker/Writer and Multi Media support
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.
A few of our Sherpa family of friends when they were young.
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HIMALAYAN HIGH ALTITUDE SPECIALISTS since 1983
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Tim
Rippel - Owner/ Operator of
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. 
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. 
