Sammy Podhurst
Growing up in central New Jersey, Sammy always knew she was destined to move out West. Impatient to finish college, she graduated a year early to pursue her life on the new frontier.
Sammy has been with Aspen Expeditions since 2011. Getting a job as the “shop girl” when she was 20 years old – (now 33) – she has grown up at AE, with the team as her west-coast family. Booking trips, assigning guides work, fitting clients with AT gear, and selling retail were among a few of the duties that filled the early years. Tail-guiding & mentorship, along with devoted time in the mountains, dovetailed into pursuing mountain guiding as her main profession. Having gone through extensive AMGA training in the ski, rock & alpine disciplines, as well as becoming an AIARE Level 1 & 2 Course Leader, Sammy is now one of the senior guides at the company – including the only year-round female!
Sammy loves taking her adventuring abroad – skiing & climbing in South America, Europe, Canada, Iceland, Antarctica, and Nepal. Some of her more notable endeavors include climbing in the Khumbu region of the Himalayas – a new route up the Southwest Pillar of Labouche (6090m), and summits of Island Peak (6189m), and Chhukung Ri (5546m). She has also skied & climbed in the Cordillera Blanca – the highest tropical mountain range – in the Peruvian Andes, with several summits above 6,000m.
Though she loves traveling, Sammy loves nothing more than exploring her own backyard. She has skied extensively in the Elk range, with prominent ski descents from the summits of the famed Maroon Bells and Pyramid Peak. If you can’t get a hold of her during the shoulder seasons, she is usually deep in the desert, or scaling the dark walls of the Black Canyon.
Background
- AMGA Assistant Rock Guide
- AMGA Apprentice Ski & Alpine Guide
- AIARE Course Leader
- AIARE Pro 2
- Wilderness First Responder
