Meet Phil Powers | Mountain Guide and Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Phil Powers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Phil, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
The natural world, especially activities that call for mastery like climbing, bring a confidence and peace to one’s life. At Jackson Hole Mountain Guides we take people into the mountains for extended stays so they can more thoroughly gain the benefits and learn the lessons of immersed experiences in wild places. Most of the people I have taught over the years hearken back to their mountain experience with more than fondness. The natural world has affected their values and brought them a satisfaction that permeates much of what they do back in town.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been a climber and a teacher. I found my early learnings and partners at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) where I work in various capacities for seventeen years. During those years I had control over my calendar and found my way to long rock climbing excursions and expeditions to Alaska, South America and the Karakoram Range. My costs of living were low and I was able to devote all my time to climbing or teaching in the mountains. It was a special time during which advances in equipment and the imagination of what was possible allowed me to push myself as a climber. I opened new routes in big mountains and climbed two 8,000 meter peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen.

Climbing opened doors for me. I was able to parlay the leadership and resilience I gained in the mountains into key administrative roles at NOLS and Naropa University culminating with fifteen years at the helm of the American Alpine Club. Now I am back to my own business and my main passion helping the four Mountain Guides locations thrive.

Led by Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, we provide mountain guide services in Jackson, Moab, Colorado and the Red Rock of Southern Nevada.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would suggest my friend take the “A” train in from the airport. Once at Union Station we’d enjoy a beverage there. A couple of the restaurants I would be sure to hit would be Bamboo in the Lower Highlands for sushi and Safta in RINO for Middle Eastern Food.

What many don’t know about our wonderful Front Range is how easy it is to get out for day excursions–hiking or climbing. My favorite destination is Eldorado Canyon State Park. It is one of our nation’s best rock climbing areas and has many worthy hikes as well. The walls are steep and the river is rushing so it is easy to find shade and cool locations in a hot summer. Colorado’s newest State Park, Staunton, is also a great place to find a respite from the heat. It is tree covered and higher in elevation so the hiking and climbing are both nice.

I’d need to make at least one trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park. It is filled with high mountain meadows, beautiful peaks and stunning views. Whether one seeks small hikes around Lumpy Ridge or adventures in the High Peaks, the park is one of the jewels of our part of Colorado and should not be missed.

On the way home, a stop at one of the great restaurants in Boulder makes a nice end to the day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The people who work at the four Mountain Guides locations continue to be my inspiration. They work hard and bring a great attitude every day. Together with my immediate family, I am surrounded by extraordinary support. They challenge me to be better, to take on the hard questions and to make The Mountain Guides better every year.

“We cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are.” Max De Pree

Website: https://themountainguides.com

Instagram: @jhmgphil

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/philpowers

Twitter: @jhmgphil

Facebook: Phil Powers

Youtube: https://youtu.be/ZHxkH9GqPHo

Image Credits
Feature photo by Jason Gebauer