Chamonix Experience
 Our sister company based in Chamonix in the French Alps is a perfect location to start your expedition training and gain valuable mountaineering experience.

Operating year round, we organise Mont Blanc, Eiger and Matterhorn trips as well as skiing in the winter.
Mountain Experience
 Our sister company based in Kathmandu can organise your personalised trekking trip in Nepal. This is a chance to trek with our experienced Everest Sherpas utilising the same logistical care that we use on expeditions.
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    • Russell Brice

      Russell has been leading expeditions to the Himalayas since 1974. He has led clients to the summit of Everest and Manaslu, as well as Cho Oyo (8,201m), Himal Chuli (7,540m), Shishapangma (8,046m) and Ama Dablam (6,856m).

      Individually, he has the world record for the fastest single solo ascent without oxygen of both Cho Oyo and of Ama Dablam. In 1988 he was the first climber to cross the infamous Pinnacles of the NE ridge of Everest. He is now widely reputed as one of the most professional leaders of all guided expeditions to the Himalayas.

      His superior organisational skills and logistical prowess have been used by several film and television crews including the Discovery Channel, the BBC and National Geographic.

      Russell is a member of New Zealand Mountain Guides Association, British Mountain Guides Association and Syndicat National des Guides de Montagne and Founder President of IGO-8000 (International Guiding Operators Association), as well as co-founding Director of Friends of Humanity, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping disadvantaged peoples in various parts of the world.

      Along with Himalayan Experience, Russell also owns       Chamonix Experience and is part owner of Mountain Experience.

      Born in New Zealand, he now resides in Chamonix, France, with his wife, Caro.

      For his full bio, please click       here.


    • Dean Staples

      Born in 1964, Dean is a fully qualified New Zealand UIAGM guide. He has climbed extensively in New Zealand, Europe and Canada, and has spent several seasons heli-skiing in the Indian Himalaya as well as New Zealand.

      He has been to the summits of Cho Oyo X times, Shishapangma X times, Ama Dablam X times and Everest 6 times (from both North and South sides) and has worked with Himex on X expeditions.

    • Mark Woodward, aka "Woody"

      Born in 1963, Woody found the call of the mountains through skiing while still at school, where he spent as much time as possible skiing or race training. This led to six years of ski tourist work, both in New Zealand and Austria where his passion developed to include ski touring in the wilderness and the whole mountain environment.

      His guiding career began as a heliski guide, followed by mountain climbing. He is a fully qualified ski guide and aspirant climbing guide in the UIAGM system. He has successfully guided on many NZ peaks, including over 15 ascents of Mt Cook and 22 of Mt Aspiring, with winter ascents of both mountains, has guided in the Canadian Rockies and summited Mt McKinley.

      In 2004 he joined the Himex team and has now summited Everest 6 times (5 North, 1 South). He has been involved with the film industry for many years, working on alpine safety and rigging, as a stunt double, and has also been behind the camera filming on Everest.

      Woody lives with his wife and three daughters in Queenstown, New Zealand.

    • Adrian Ballinger

      Born in 1976 in the UK, Adrian has been guiding full-time for over a decade and has led over 60 international climbing expeditions on 5 continents. He is a Georgetown University graduate and is a fully certified IFMGA/AMGA  guide (one of only 50 in the USA).

      Adrian's personal ascents include successful solo climbs of Ama Dablam, Artesonraju, and more recently, alpine-style climbs on the South Ridge of Pumo Ri, the West Face of Cayesh, and the NE Ridge of Huascaran Norte. He has also climbed Kilimanjaro 13 times by 4 different routes and Denali by the West Rib, as well as Alpamayo, Orizaba and Quitaraju.

      He has worked for Himex on Cho Oyo, and has been to the summit of Manaslu (1 time) and Everest (South Side, 1 time) with Himex. He has also worked in the Mont Blanc range for Chamonix Experience.

      In the few months of the year when he is not on expedition, Adrian splits his time between North Lake Tahoe, California, USA, and La Grave, France.

      He is the owner/operater of Alpenglow Expeditions which, among other trips, runs expeditions on Ama Dablam using Himalayan Experience Sherpa staff and Mountain Experience logistics.

    • Shaun Hutson

      Born in 1965, Shaun started climbing on the rugged moorland gritstone outcrops of the UK in the early 80s. Becoming a full time climber in 1987, he began to explore the bigger rock walls of the European Alps. In time this led to many ascents of the soaring walls and crack climbs of Yosemite and other big wall venues, and later on to new routing in the remote arctic wastelands of Baffin Island (longest day 28 pitches A3, 7a).

      In 1992 he finally bid farewell to the shores of England, moved to Chamonix in the French Alps and became a full-time UIAGM guide. Living in the Alps has allowed Shaun to climb many of the classic north faces including Eiger, Droites, Grandse Jorasses and hundreds of alpine rock routes.

      In 2004 Shaun started to guide for Himex first with a trip to North Col and then over the next 5 years trips to Everest North Side (summit 2006), Cho Oyo and Everest South Side (summit 2009).

      When not guiding, Shaun spends his time perfecting his carpentry, skydiving, making yummy muffins and hosting great parties.

    • Dave McKinley, aka "Narli"

      Born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1968 to Irish parents, Dave lives in Twizel, NZ (nearest town to NZ’s highest peak – Aotearoa/Mt Cook) with his wife, Kiersten (an ex-guide) and three wonderful children.  Dave’s father was a squad leader in the RAF Mountain Rescue Squad and his parents encouraged an active participation in the outdoors from childhood. He started seriously climbing in Queenstown while working as a Chef.

      He is an UIAGM/IFMGA guide  with 30 ascents of Mt Cook, 20 odd of Mt Aspiring and has climbed in Europe, Argentina, Alaska and the Himalaya including ascents of Denali and two trips to Everest with Himalayan Experience (one on the north side in 2005 where he descended with team members from just below the 2nd step, and in 2009 when he summited from the South Side).

      When not working with Himex, Dave runs his own guiding company,       Mountains New Zealand Ltd NZ guiding and playing in the Southern Alps during the NZ summer and heliskiing for Alpine Guides Ltd in the winter. He is also very active with the local Search and Rescue teams running two air-scenting search dogs and assisting with technical rescues in the Park.

    • Hiro Kuraoka

      Hiro was born in 1961 in Tokyo, but now lives in Chiba, Japan. In 1984 he completed the first ascent of Angel Fall and in 1985 summited Denali south face via American Direct 3 alpine style ascent. He has summited Ama Dablam, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus (10 times), Aconcagua (3 times), Vinson (3 times) and Carstensz Pyramid (2 times), Denali (3 times).

      He has been on 6 trips with Himex, summiting Everest 3 times, Cho Oyo 2 times and Manaslu once. He has been featured as "Fire Breathing Japanese" in Greg Stump's ski video.

      Hiro is a JMGA-qualified guide and climbs with clients globally.       When not guiding, he enjoys skiing, free climbing, hot springs and sake. Hiro has contributed many photos to the Himex website; many more can be found on his. 

    • Shinji Tamura

      Born in 1966, Shinji, who is Japanese, lives in Zermatt, Switzerland with his wife and two children, where he operates Active Mountain. He is a Swiss aspirant UIAGM guide, and has climbed in Russia, Greenland, Antartica, South America and Europe.

      Shinji has been on 4 expeditions with Himex, summiting Cho Oyo 2 times and Everest 2 times (both North and South sides). He has also climbed Vinson, and has filmed in Greenland and on Vinson for Japanese TV.

      When not on expedition, he enjoys ski guiding and photography.