Guiding is based on one very important principle: EXPERIENCE. The collection of individuals who are Sawtooth Mountain Guides are committed professional guides with a wealth of knowledge and a passion for the area where they do their work. As professionals, each individual has his or her own particular background of experience garnered locally as well as throughout the far corners of the world. We feel our staff is exemplary because of their high standards for mountain guiding and safety. Each SMG guide is thoughtful and considerate, leads an interesting life, and is a a lot of fun as a companion with whom to spend time in the mountains.
All SMG guides are members of Sawtooth Mountain Guides Limited Liability Company, which is run by by managing members Kirk Bachman and Erik Leidecker.
Kirk Bachman co-owner
Kirk Bachman has worked as a mountain and ski guide since the mid-seventies in the Sawtooths and Tetons. He first introduced the Mongolian yurt as a backcountry shelter to the mountains of North America and constructed the first "yurt hut system" in the Sawtooths. Kirk specializes in leading multi-environment trips mountain-to-river, and is also an avid sailor. Guiding internationally, his experiences includes numerous mountain ascents and ski/snowboard descents throughout the South American Andes, exploratory Himalayan climbing, heli-ski guiding in Alaska's Chugach Range, and adventuring in Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand. Kirk is an AMGA certified alpine and ski mountaineering guide.
Eric Leidecker co-owner
Eric grew up just south of the Sawtooth Range in Ketchum, Idaho attended the local private school--the one with the outdoor program--and was a member of the Sun Valley Ski Team. He started guiding in 1993 while attending Dartmouth College and has been at it ever since. In 2003 Erik purchased half of SMG and now jointly manages the business. Before full-time outfitter work kept Erik on the phone or in front of the computer, he managed several trips to South America, some for guiding, some for pleasure, including one to Patagonia where he and his brother Matt summitted Cerro Poincenot in the Fitzroy Massif, Argentina. Erik mainly spends the winter guiding with Sun Valley Heli-Ski and runs the summer show at SMG. He lives in Hailey, Idaho with his wife Gretchen and daughters Sascha and Svea.
Mike Hatch
Five year Sawtooth ski/backcountry guide and avalanche instructor with a loyal following of powder skiers and chute patrollers. Mike is a native of Idaho and has had a life-long passion for adventuring in mountains, deserts and rivers throughout the western US. Mike calls Stanley home, residing on a ranch with his wife, Jocelyn where they are expecting their first. Mike's passion for the winter backcountry has lead him to explore countless ski lines throughout the Sawtooths and Central Idaho Mountains. He is an American Avalanche Association Professional Member, and holds a BS degree in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana.
Steve Conger
Steve joins the SMG staff for avalanche education, namely for advanced courses instruction and planning. He began his ski touring in the Sawtooths during the early 1970s. Steve is a long-time avalanche professional and educator. He recently completed a M. Sc degree under Dr. Dave McClung's tutelage at the University of British Columbia with the Avalanche Research Group in key snowpack observations and avalanche forecasting. Steve now works with Ava Terra Services doing avalanche forecasting for Kicking Horse Canyon outside of Golden BC. He is the former lead forecaster for the Utah Department of Transportation-Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons and served the American Avalanche Association as Publication Committee chair for 10 years, 7 of which as Editor of the Avalanche Review. Steve is a Professional Member of both the American Avalanche Association and Canadian Avalanche Association.
Marc Hanselman
Like SMG's director Kirk Bachman, Marc Hanselman was born and raised in Idaho. He grew up in Sun Valley where with the help of the outdoor program at the Community School (a local private high school) Marc got an early start with adventure sports including snowboarding and rock climbing and he now has first ascents in Thailand, Japan, Australia and of course, Idaho. Marc got his start with SMG in 1993. Since then he has graduated from art school and lived for two years in Japan all the while maintaining his passion for both guiding and spending time in the mountains. Marc's calm demeanor is the cornerstone of his teaching style and it is effective in making our guests in the Sawtooths better climbers.
Sara Lundy
Sara has been a guide and avalanche instructor at SMG for 4 years now, starting out as the yurt caretaker and working up the ladder. Anybody who has Sara as their guide greatly enjoys her outgoing personality and positive attitude. She has toured extensively in the Sawtooth as well as taken part in ski expeditions in Canada, Patagonia, New Zealand and Europe. Sara recently took and passed her AMGA ski guides coures (congratulations!). Currently she resides in Stanley, although she has also lived in Montana and Oregon. Sara "loves powder skiing" almost as much as her dog Matty.
Clark Corey
The newest addition to the Sawtooth Mountain Guides crew. Clark joins the winter guide team as the Williams Peak hut keeper, assisting on avalanche courses and guiding ski and snowboard programs. His passion for the winter backcountry lead him to a record number of snowboard tours throughout the Sawtooths - where his descents in a single season, earned him the title of “Captain Coolio” and honorary status in the Chute Patrol. After several seasons in the Colorado San Juans, Clark loves the intermountain Snowpack. Clark is SMG Webmaster and IT consultant and has a degree in Computer Info Systems from Fort Lewis College. In the summer he enjoys exploring the Western US.
Aimee Barnes
Aimee first became involved with Sawtooth Mountain Guides in the mid-Eighties. She took a brief hiatus from full-time guiding to run the pro-purchase program for Black Diamond Equipment, but she came back, both to SMG and also to the Heli-ski industry in Alaska. Aimee is a past member of the US Women's climbing team and during her day she competed at the World Cup level. She has climbed extensively throughout the Western United States, Canada, South America and Southeast Asia, developing many new routes along the way. Aimee also grew up on skis and credits among her many accomplishments free-heel descents of the Ecuador volcanoes.
Josh Neilson
As a native of southeast Idaho, Josh knows the City of Rocks like the back of his hand. A top-level rock climber, his natural ability extends into a calm and patient teaching style. Josh got his start in guiding and outdoor education through the oudoor prgoram at Idaho State University and his first year with SMG was in 1999. During the rest of the year Josh teaches middle-school in Pocatello, Idaho.
Pete Patterson
Pete Patterson grew up in Ketchum, Idaho and has been skiing, kayaking, climbing and paragliding since just after the time he learned how to walk! Pete competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid where he finished fifth in the downhill. After retiring from ski racing Pete began his career as a mountain guide and has been going strong since then. In addition to Sawtooth Mountain Guides, Pete works for Sun Valley Heli-Ski and together with his wife Kim Jacobs they operate Mountain Spirits, an adventure travel company specializing in trekking in Nepal and exotic heli-skiing.