Certified Guides for Personalized Mountain Adventures

We curate unique rock, alpine, and ice climbing experiences that help you build confidence, discover your potential, and create memories that will last a lifetime. As a small independent guide service, we offer a personalized and friendly approach to mountain guiding.

Alpine to the Max is an AMGA accredited guide service, ensuring the highest standards in mountain guiding and education.

About Alpine To The Max

Welcome to Alpine to the Max, your premier mountain guide service founded by Max Lurie in 2020. We are an independently certified guide service based in Boulder, Colorado, providing custom education and unforgettable mountain experiences in the Colorado Front Range and beyond.

At Alpine to the Max, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the thrill of mountain sports, regardless of their skill level. From first-time climbers to seasoned veterans looking to update their practices, we are here to help you reach your mountain goals.

Our customized instruction is tailored to fit your unique objectives, whether you are looking for guided trips, skills development, or a combination of both.

AMGA accredited business

As an AMGA-accredited business with certified guides, we not only adhere to industry standards but surpass them. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our adherence to rigorous AMGA guidelines, ensuring that our certified guides provide exceptional mountain experiences.

Customized Goals

Our guide takes pride in tailoring experiences to individual preferences and skill levels. Our diverse range of offerings caters to different abilities, and we create customized itineraries, ensuring every journey aligns with the specific goals and desires of our clients for a truly unique and personalized mountain experience.

Experience and expertise

Trust in our expert guides for a mountain adventure of unparalleled expertise and experience. Highly trained, our team ensures your journey is led by professionals with a deep understanding of the terrain and risk management to create enriching experiences that last a lifetime.

Climbing Adventures We Can Take You On

As an AMGA accredited business, we specialize in curating distinctive rock, alpine, and ice climbing experiences designed to build confidence, uncover your potential, and forge lasting memories. Embracing a personalized and friendly approach to mountain guiding, our small independent guide service ensures a tailored adventure that resonates with your aspirations

Rock climbing

Come join Alpine to the Max on a custom guided day of rock climbing. We offer top roping, sport climbing, traditional climbing, multi pitch climbing and instruction on all the aforementioned topics.

Alpine climbing

Take your climbing to the next level and apply your skills in the mountains. Many consider climbing a route in good alpine style to be the pinnacle of climbing achievement.

Ice climbing

Experience climbing a frozen waterfall with Alpine to the Max. Ice climbing skills are necessary for anyone looking to climb in the greater ranges. It is also an incredible way to continue climbing in the winter.

An Exceptional Climbing Experience For Both New & Seasoned Adventurers

Whether you’re interested in trying climbing for the first time or you’re a seasoned veteran, we have a course that will allow you to take your climbing to new heights. Each coaching/guiding day is unique and fully customized to best suit your goals and desired outcomes. A single day of instruction will last a lifetime.

Novice Climbers

Whether you’re looking to try climbing for the first time or have some experience but want to receive more professional instruction. We’ve got a customized progression that will help you safely enjoy the mountains as a self-sufficient climber.

Expert Climbers

If you’re an avid climber who is looking to take their skills to the next level, we can provide you with the instruction and mentorship necessary to get you there.

Join Our Community Of Adventurous Climbers

Alpine to the Max is an independent certified guide with more than a decade of experience in a wide variety of terrain. No matter your current skill level, when you climb with us you get a top-notch experience that is fully customized to meet your exact desires.

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“I climbed with Max last summer on a couple of couloirs in Rocky Mountain National Park. I’m a complete newbie to technical snow and Max was everything that I was hoping for in a guide. Knowledgeable, patient and passionate about educating his clients. It was a fantastic experience and I cannot wait to go back out with him.”

William Rosenberg
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“Max is easily one of the best guides I have ever taken a course with. Max's knowledge paired with his experience and skill set is unparalleled. I learned so much and I am so grateful to have taken a course with him! Max provided the education and knowledge I needed to continue recreating safely in the mountains.”

Nichola Krieg
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“Max was an amazing guide and instructor for our 2-day AIARE 1 course. Funny, affable, deeply knowledgeable, with an excellent approach to instruction and learning. We saw several other AIARE courses out there in the same locations, and in comparison, we were VERY glad we were spending our weekend learning from Max!

Dylan Cate
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Max is awesome! My climbing partner and I booked a day with Max to learn how to ice climb. Between making the meetup spot an easy to find location, to providing in-depth instruction throughout the day, I can't recommend Max enough. Max's instruction was clear, safe, and easy to follow. He's personable and easy to learn from.

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What an awesome experience. My friend and I spent four days with Max going through a variety of topics and we couldn't have been happier with the instruction. Max is SO well versed in a multitude of areas. And he's an awesome person to be around and it makes the guiding experience that much better. I would 100% do another session with Max!

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We strongly recommend Max as a guide and instructor. Having climbed with Max several times over the past decade, we always come away with a great experience and a smile. His enthusiasm and knowledge, plus a wry sense of humor, make for instructive and fun days of climbing. We hope to get out to CO to climb someday with Max again.

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It was awesome. We covered a ton of material in such a short window and I was able to apply everything I learned. I had pretty minimal experience at the start but he delivered everything in a super easy to understand manner that made it a ton of fun and extremely informative. I’ll definitely be coming back for future sessions.

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Max was incredibly helpful for our intro to trad course. He not only teaches the information, but makes sure to go over alternative techniques and general climbing philosophy. We were able to customize the class that day to go over things that interested us rather than a set curriculum, which I really enjoyed. I couldn’t recommend Max enough.

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I had very limited climbing experience coming into this guided rock climbing experience. Max takes me out and we literally jump right into my introduction to climbing. Max literally inspired me to get out of my comfort zone immediately and go beyond what I thought I was capable of. Thank you Max for an awesome experience in the mountains.

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Max is an outstanding guide! I couldn’t have asked for a better day of climbing and learning. I joined Max in hopes of setting a solid foundation of skills and knowledge in my own climbing endeavors to come, and I was beyond satisfied with the day he had prepared for us. An incredible instructor and ideal climbing partner!

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Max is adept, knowledgeable, and great to work with all around! He breaks down skills and explains them thoroughly, taking the time to make sure you understand a concept before moving on to something more complex. If you want to up your technical climbing skills and have a darn good time doing it then Max is your guy!

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Max was extremely knowledge and encouraging while we were learning and practicing building anchors and hauling for crevasse rescue. He also had a great sense of humor and kept the mood light while we were suffering through brutally cold temperatures during the practice. 10/10 would recommend!

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My partner and I hired Max for a day of self rescue skills and we had an absolute blast. Max is super knowledgeable and was more than patient answering all of our questions. We never felt rushed and had time to go through different scenarios and skills. I really enjoyed learning from a professional and would recommend to anyone!

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Max was a terrific mountain guide. We did a split-board tour of the Hidden Valley area of Rock Mtn National Park and I couldn’t have had asked for a better guide. He answered all of my questions and expressed great knowledge in snow science as well as mountain geology and avalanche safety. Highly recommend!

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I spent a day learning trad/multipitch climbing with Max in a "classroom setting". The dollars I spent on that session have been more valuable than any climbing trip or equipment. The techniques he taught me have stuck with me throughout my climbing career and set me up for success in the mountains.

Frequently Asked Questions

Rock climbing is an exciting sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. However, before heading out to the mountains, it’s important to be prepared. Here are some common questions climbers have along with answers that will help you get ready for your adventure with us.

What Rock Climbing Outing is right for me?
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When you hire Colorado rock climbing guide Max Lurie, you can be sure that the day of instruction/guiding provided will be completely customized to help you achieve your goals. As such, we will talk on the phone and ask you some questions to get an idea of what your goals are. From there we can make some suggestions about how to get there together.
How do I pick a good Rock Climbing Guide?
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This is actually a scary topic because there is no oversight or regulation in the mountain guiding industry. This means that anyone with a rope can call themselves a Colorado rock climbing guide. Furthermore, guide services will often use language like “Professional Mountain Guides” while hiring young and/or inexperienced guides while paying them a fraction of what you pay for their services.

Always ask if your guide is certified by the American Mountain Guides Association. This will ensure that your guide/instructor has been peer reviewed and has passed their examinations. By hiring an independent certified guide, such as Alpine to the Max, you are ensuring the quality of instruction or experience that you will receive.
What is the Cost To Hire a Rock Climbing GUide?
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A guided rock climbing day in the mountains can range from $250-$900/day depending on the ratio and the complexity of the objective.The upper end of that scale would be a 12-16 hour day in the mountains climbing a strenuous and technical route.

Generally speaking, courses are cheapest because they occur at the highest participant-to-guide ratio.

Private instruction can range from $450-500/day and semi-private instruction is $300/pp/day. Semi-private guiding (for two participants) is often the best of both worlds. It allows you to have a customized experience while keeping the cost as low as possible.
Is Rock Climbing Hard for Beginners?
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Yes, and also maybe no. 

It really depends on what your previous level of athletic ability is and what you are attempting to climb. There is climbing for everyone and everybody. Hiring a Colorado rock climbing guide is an excellent way to find your baseline abilities as a climber. They will give you some pointers and you’ll be amazed at how fast you can pick up the basics.
What Venues In Colorado Are Best For Rock Climbing? 
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Different venues or areas offer different things, so it really depends on what your goals and objectives are. 

For top roping or sport climbing, Clear Creek Canyon and Boulder Canyon are excellent options. They both have dozens of crags that offer a lifetime of adventure and discovery. 

As for traditional or trad climbing, specifically multi-pitch trad climbing, there is no place like Eldorado Canyon State Park. Eldo is such a special place with unique rock formations and very engaging climbing. It offers everything from beginner first-time terrain to the most advanced technical climbing at the forefront of the sport.

Schedule Your Next Mountain Adventure with Alpine to the Max

If you’re ready to experience the mountains like never before, then get in touch to begin planning a custom climbing adventure. I’ll personally help you put together an action-plan tailored to your goals and objectives to ensure an educational and memorable experience.

Photo of Max Lurie Rock Climbing