Experience the thrills of alpine climbing in the Rocky Mountains and beyond with professionally certified alpine guide Max Lurie. An experienced and knowledgeable guide, Max will help you achieve your climbing goals safely no matter what your experience level is and level up your technical mountaineering knowledge.
Alpine climbing is a thrilling experience that tests both your physical and mental abilities. It is a challenging and rewarding sport like no other which can take you to some of the most beautiful mountain vistas on the planet.
This climbing discipline isn't for the faint of heart, as Alpine climbers must be able to navigate steep, mountainous terrain while roped up, as well as climb rock and ice routes. The physical demands of the sport are enormous, and climbers must be in excellent shape to participate.
Whether you've gone alpine climbing before and need help accomplishing a specific objective, or are ready to try out the most challenging sport the mountains have to offer, AMGA-certified alpine guide Max Lurie can lead a guided experience to help you achieve your goals.
Max Lurie of Alpine to the Max has been providing safe and rewarding Alpine climbing experiences for over a decade.
By hiring Max to take you deep into the mountains, you are getting access to an extremely knowledgeable, detail-oriented climbing professional who will teach you the technical climbing and safety skills you need to traverse the world's greatest mountain ranges.
Ready to take your Alpine climbing skills to the max? Come join Alpine to the Max and scale incredible heights with AMGA-certified alpine guide Max Lurie. Click the button below to get in touch and start planning your day in the mountains.
Alpine to the Max has a proven track record of providing incredible alpine climbing adventures in some of the top venues in the United States. If you're looking for a top-notch guide to help you expand your knowledge as well as your physical & mental limits, you're in the right place.
Experience an increase in confidence that caries over into all aspects of life by challenging yourself like never before by alpine climbing.
The mental challenge provided by alpine climbing will inevitably lead to a stronger mindset and help you navigate difficult life situations.
Forget the stress of daily life by going on a full-day guided alpine climbing experience with a professionally certified guide you can trust.
Alpinists are known for their unique subculture and is regularly exploring the mountains with Alpine to the Max can help you form genuine friendships.
Alpine climbing is a challenging sport that is a great way to build fitness & endurance by testing all aspects of physical strength and conditioning.
Revel in the awesome mountain landscape and experience the wonder of Earth from a vantage point reserved for only the bravest.
Are you ready to take your skills into the mountains? Considered by many to be the ultimate expression of climbing, alpine climbing encompasses a wide range of mountaineering areas. As an American Mountain Guides Association certified Alpine Guide, Max can teach you the skills to be self-sufficient in the mountains or do a specific objective with you.
Our independently guided alpine climbing courses offer something for everyone regardless of past experience or current skill level. With over 100 five-star reviews, you can't go wrong.
Alpine to the Max is owned by AMGA-certified rock climbing guide Max Lurie. Based in Boulder and providing custom mountain experiences in the Colorado Front Range and beyond, Max is a well known Colorado rock climbing guide that offers guided rock climbing experiences for all skill levels at the top climbing venues throughout Colorado.
From first-time climbers wanting to learn the basics to seasoned veterans looking to update their practices, Max will provide direct, hands-on instruction to help you achieve your mountain goals. All of the instruction is customized to fit your unique objectives and provide you with a memorable experience.
Regardless of your current skill level and past climbing experience, Max Lurie will help you plan out a custom day of rock climbing instruction tailored to you. Use the tabs below to discover what a day of climbing will look like based on your experience level.
The type of alpine climbing you do on your outing is going to vary widely depending on the season and your goals. Alpine climbing can consist of summiting glaciated peaks to scrambling exposed rocky ridges. Most climbers acknowledge alpine climbing as the most difficult discipline of climbing because of all that it entails. Our typical outing will consist of an introduction to these skill sets.
We may practice cramponing on a firm snow surface and self arrest with a mountain axe. Or how to effectively use the rope on moderate terrain. These days can either be educational or experiential. Due to the inaccessible nature of alpine climbing, getting to and doing an objective often takes 10-12 hours in the mountains.
Typical alpine objectives start well before sunrise. Encompass long approach hikes and can last 10-14 hours of intense physical activity in the mountains. Deeply challenging, yet equally rewarding. Conversely, the necessary skills to tackle an objective like that don’t always require such physical effort.
Learning how to rope up and travel on a glacier is a popular topic. As well as the associated crevasse rescue for when/if your teammate punches through the surface and falls into a hidden hole. There are many other skills necessary for being a well rounded alpinist, such as moving efficiently over rock, snow and ice in the mountains. It isn’t just the movement skills you’ll learn, but how to identify and manage the many mountain hazards we encounter.
We believe in forging great relationships with everyone who climbs with us. See what people are saying about their alpine climbing experience with Alpine to the Max.
Working with Max was an incredible confidence booster! He did a great job helping us find our blind spots, and think about how to protect ourselves while climbing in alpine terrain. It was one of the best days I have had on rock
Max is great! We took a crevasse rescue course in a group to prepare us for Mt Rainier (and other future mountains). The course was informative and fun! I plan to go to Max in the future for an avalanche course and I'd recommend him to any of my friends.
Max @ Alpine to the Max has over a decade of guiding experience and is the real deal. I took my AIRE 1 Avalanche course with him and had learned a lot. There were so many helpful "tricks of the trade" that you can't get from watching YouTube videos that you do get from personal instruction. He is patient, knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor to make for a fun day in the mountains.
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!
I have hired Max a few times, one for me and a couple for my husband. I did the 1st flatiron with him and my husband did an alpine trip in the NW and an alpine day in the Rockies. I trust Max and believe that besides being really experienced, he is also very safe and conscious of his environment. I will hire Max in the future!!
Had an awesome experience with Max. Courteous and patient, and a very good climber. Takes the time to explain everything and always made sure we were comfortable with the various routes.
Max was a knowledgeable and thoroughly prepared guide who led us through some awesome terrain while teaching us a ton. His clear explanations and willingness to explore any question ensured that the new material was easily digestible.
Very professional as well as patient and understanding. Took me up Mt. Ranier. A goal I never thought I’d achieve.
A typical alpine climbing day will start very early in the morning, hours of hiking with nothing but the light from your headlamp to illuminate the way. Depending on the objective, it could be a snowy couloir, a rock route or a combination of both. Roping up for the technical climbing and spending many hours navigating steep mountainous terrain.
Finally reaching a summit or the top of our objective, the journey is only half over. We have to get home safely. With either a long hike or technical descent, likely both. We’ll finally make it back to the trailhead many hours later, tired but satisfied. With only the memories of success as the suffering already begins to fade.
Experience the thrill of alpine climbing in the Rockies and on Mount Baker with Alpine to the Max. Explore some of the most rugged and beautiful mountains on the planet with complete confidence and safety.
Famous for its high quality granite alpine rock climbing in the summer and its long snow couloir climbing in the spring. Rocky Mountain National Park is quite literally the spine of the continent.
Some of the deepest seasonal snowfall rates in North America are found on Mount Baker. This creates impressive glaciated terrain on a formidable peak. Mount Baker provides an excellent training ground for the greater ranges of the world.
Rocky Mountain National Park is the perfect venue for all things alpine climbing. From snow climbing and mountaineering in the Spring and Summer to technical rock climbing in the mountains. There is no shortage of spectacular terrain for climbers of all levels. From using a mountain axe for the first time to climbing a technical rock route on The Diamond of Longs Peak, we can get you there.
Alpine Climbing Venues
Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Mount Baker Wilderness Area.
Preparation is critically important before a full day of alpine climbing. Below are answers to common questions to help you get ready for your alpine adventure.