Our Guides |  | |
Guides are often the key to any successful outdoor adventure. Our guides are highly skilled outdoor enthusiasts who are passionate about sharing the beauty of the natural world. These knowledgeable and fun loving individuals make your adventure unforgettable by sharing sides of Tahoe few people see. Feedback from our guests has been clear: Our guides make the difference.
Trip leaders who work for Tahoe Adventure Company are truly special people. We hire only the top 10% of all applicants who apply. Because the Tahoe area is so beautiful, and our trips sound more like fun than work, we find ourselves with piles of applications. We are fortunate that we draw experienced guides from a variety of interesting leadership backgrounds: Outward Bound instructors, NOLS course graduates, river guides, sea kayaking guides, professional mountaineers, environmental educators, teachers and teambuilding facilitators.
Most of our staff members are long time locals in the Tahoe area, offering local insight on secret spots and little known lore and history. All trip leaders and assistant guides are CPR and First Aid certified while many have earned EMT, Wilderness First Responder, and Lifeguard certifications. Our rock climbing instructors boast American Mountain Guide Association certification as well.
Guide training: Our leaders are constantly learning and perfecting the skills necessary to lead great trips. We offer many hours of training to our guides through Trip Leader mentoring, focused in-services and ongoing staff training sessions for all the activities we offer.
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Name: Kevin Hickey Owner/Director
Age: 38
Years with TAC: 10
Education: Bachelor of Arts
Leadership Experience:
Kevin is the Founder and Director of Tahoe Adventure Company. His goals from the start have been to offer the highest quality adventure trips and tours with a focus on the natural and human history of the Tahoe/Truckee area.
Kevin has 17 years of Guiding and Outdoor Education experience throughout the U.S. and Abroad. He spent many years teaching wilderness education, backpacking, rock climbing and sea kayaking. He has also worked as a naturalist, ropes course facilitator, and developer of custom teambuilding programs. Additionally, he has worked as a ski patroller and on the logistics and medical teams for various adventure races around the globe.
Kevin has a passion for sharing the outdoors with guests and especially enjoys working with youth and school groups. He holds EMT, CPR, Avalanche Level II, and Leave No Trace Trainer certifications.
Favorite Adventure Trip: A 3 week trip to the Himalayas with my wife. Each and every scuba diving trip I have been on.
Favorite TAC Trip: On the water, SUP Tours; On land, any mountain biking tour.
Favorite Sport: Telemark Skiing in the backcountry or at the resort.
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Name: Liesl Kenney, Guide, Office and Marketing Assistant
Age: 25
Years with TAC: 2
Leadership Experience: Camp Head Counselor, LeapNow Central America, English teaching home and abroad in Spain.
Education: B.A. Communications at Boston College, Wilderness EMT
Favorite Adventure Trip: Backpacking in Guatemala and watching the sunrise over Lake Atitlán.
Favorite TAC Trip: Castle Peak in the winter.
Favorite Sport: Skiing
Other than guiding (what do you do when you're not guiding for TAC): Climbing, running, hiking, yoga, sitting on the beach, cooking, and traveling. I love going out to see live music!
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Name: Kevin Klein
Age: 40
Years with TAC: 10
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Outdoor Recreation at San Francisco State University
Leadership Experience: Many years guiding whitewater rafting trips in California, Utah, and Colorado; over 10 years facilitating team building programs; over 10 years teaching Telemark skiing and snowboarding; and 7 years managing snowboarding school at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.
Favorite Adventure Trip: Multi-day raft trips on the Green and Yampa Rivers.
Favorite TAC Trip: Sunset, Moonlight Paddle on Lake Tahoe
Favorite Sport: Telemark Skiing in fresh Pow!! (Backcountry, resort, or heli skiing)
Other than Guiding: Mountain biking, taking photos of professional ski and snowboard athletes, swimming in Lake Tahoe (fun and fitness), and paddling to Tahoe City Commons Beach for Sunday afternoon free concerts!
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Name: Robin McElroy
Age: 30
Years with TAC: 8
Education: Bachelor of Arts, French Minor at the University of Colorado, Boulder
Leadership Experience: My first teaching job was as a rock climbing instructor when I was 14. I've since taught skiing internationally, guided white water rafting for Tahoe White Water, and taught outdoor education programs for high school students with the Gateway Mountain Center.
I have been an outdoor educator for the past several years for TAC leading mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and team building events.
Favorite TAC Trip: The Sand Harbor Kayak Tour because the East Shore is so pristine. The Full Moon Tours are also great, as I love seeing the colors of the sunset reflecting off the surface of the water. I also love having the lake all to myself!
Favorite Sport: Big Mountain Skiing
Other than Guiding: I ski patrol at Squaw Valley in the winter and I compete in Big Mountain Skiing events. I love to do almost all independent sports in both the summer and winter - skiing, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, running, swimming, wake boarding, wake surfing, fishing, and paragliding.
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Name: Kerry Andras
Age: 36
Years with TAC: 10
Education: BS at CSU Chico
Peace Corps Mali 2000 - 2002
Leadership Experience: Guiding for TAC, teaching music and leading various bands
Favorite Adventure Trip: Anything outdoors
Favorite TAC Trip: Sand Harbor Kayak Tour
Favorite Sport: Backcountry Skiing
Other than Guiding: Musician, eduacator
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Name: Chris Kelly
Age: 36
Years with TAC: 7
Education: New England College
Favorite Adventure Trip: Visiting Arlington Cemetery - we got lost on the way back and ended up scaling a wall onto a military base!! I never did see JFK's grave :(
Favorite TAC Trip: Sand Harbor Kayak Tour
Other than Guiding: My favorite activities are mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, cooking, and visiting Utah.
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Name: Jay Sanavage
Age: Timeless
Years with TAC: Just enough (AKA, 3)
Leadership Experience: Lead you into and out of trouble on a daily basis.
Education: 2+2=4 I got the knowledge.
Favorite Adventure Trip: There have been a lot of adventurous trips in my life but the one that brought me to Tahoe and continues to go on is still the best.
Favorite TAC Trip: Anytime I get some humans new to paddling on the lake, and they come out with a new passion, that is my favorite trip.
Favorite Sport: Competitive Whitewater Lawn Darts...sounds dangerous right.
Other than guiding (what do you do when your not guiding for TAC):It's hard to keep me from live music and festivals, cooking, long walks on the beach, listening...wait is this still the dating website questionnaire?
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Name: Quincy Young
Age: 30
Years with TAC: Two
Leadership Experience:
Ropes course and climbing wall instructor. Outdoor education camp counselor, and numerous years coaching alpine skiing.
Education: M.S in Sports Psychology, B.S in Health Ecology
Favorite Adventure Trip: My favorite adventure trip would be my most recent adventure trip, which was kayaking around Lake Tahoe! Being able to see the 72 miles of Lake Tahoe's shoreline gave me a new appreciation for the entire Lake Tahoe Basin.
Favorite TAC Trip: I'm a wildflower enthusiast! I love the wildflowers and waterfalls that are located in Squaw Valley. The vast variety of plants and the beautiful waterfalls makes each trip exciting and special for each group.
Favorite Sport: Alpine and Backcountry Skiing
Other than guiding, what do you do for fun?:
I try to spend as much time as possible outside, hiking and biking. I also enjoy going to music festivals and reading for my wonderful book club. If I'm not outside, I'm writing my blog at www.sportselevatedconsulting.wordpress.com.
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Name: Chase Allstadt
Years with TAC: 3
Leadership Experience: Outward Bound Instructor, Raft guide
Education: B.S. Adventure Recreation
Favorite Adventure Trip: Middle Fork of the Salmon River Rafting
Favorite TAC Trip: Sand Harbor Kayak Tour
Favorite Sport: Anything on the water
Other than guiding (what do you do when your not guiding for TAC): Swimming with my dog around Donner or floating and fishing on the Truckee River. I also like to Brew Beer!!
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Name: Kelly Boire
Years with TAC: 2
Kelly Boire is an avid outdoor enthusiast who has been guiding, teaching and lecturing in the North Lake Tahoe area for over 15 years. She received her degree in horticulture/botany while working abroad on an organic farm in Sussex, England. After relocating back in the United States, she settled in Truckee, CA and has worked as a naturalist guide and outdoor educator in the Lake Tahoe area, Yosemite, Mendocino, Point Reyes, Olympic Peninsula and Moab. She currently divides her guiding time between a number of outdoor recreation companies that cater to a wide range of clients. Her work gives her an opportunity to coordinate with schools from all over the country to teach children hands-on about natural history, ecology, and botanical illustration, as well as facilitate outdoor sports such as climbing, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. Other avenues of work allow her to lead active adults and seniors on adventures of their choice, whether that be hiking, mountain biking, kayaking or horseback riding. Through these active pursuits she shares her knowledge and love of the outdoors by teaching others to explore the natural world with enthusiasm and a sense of fun!
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Name: Emily Danford
Age: 25
Years with TAC: 2
Leadership Experience: sea kayak guiding in the San Juan Islands, ski instructing in Squaw Valley, naturalist on whale watching boats in Kaikoura New Zealand, wildlife conservation camp instructor, teaching environmental education lessons through the creative arts in the Seattle public school district
Education: University of Washington, Environmental Studies and Geography, BA
Favorite Adventure Trip: exploring East Africa, learning Swahili, diving in Zanzibar and climbing Mt Kilimanjaro on the Rongai Route
Favorite TAC Trip: any trip out on the lake
Favorite Sport: skiing and kayaking
Other than guiding (what do you do when your not guiding for TAC): I love to travel, lounge on the beach, play cribbage, eat sushi, wine taste, paint, make art projects out of recycled materials, take photos, read, run, rock climb, cook, and bake.
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Name: Sean Bunnell
Age: 26
Years with TAC: 2
Leadership Experience: Canadian Outdoor Leadership Training.Teaching skiing and rock climbing.
Education: Hospitality Management Degree.Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
Favorite Adventure Trip: High Sierra ski touring/backpacking
Favorite Sport: Backcountry Skiing
Other than guiding (what do you do when your not guiding for TAC): Enjoying a variety of outdoor activities, painting, gardening.
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