Dylan Taylor

Dylan is a 34 year-old alpine mountain guide from the USA who has worked with Mountain Tracks in the Alps for the past 2 years.

In his own words: "My name is Dylan Taylor and I'm a "reformed geologist". I used to be a ‘real’ geologist once: I used to work in gold mines and in the dark, dusty corners of university laboratories. I escaped academia by becoming a mountain guide in the northwestern USA. There, I guided rock and alpine climbs and expeditions along the Pacific Rim - from Alaska's Mt McKinley to the Washington Cascades; from the sunny California Sierra south along the Andes from Ecuador through Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile down to Patagonia. I travelled 10 months out of the year and called two 130L duffel bags ‘home’.

One of the best parts about guiding here is that I get to combine my past experiences, my profession, and an amazing locale to create memorable and rewarding experiences for my clients. I like seeing my guests reach their goals, and I love it when I'm able to provide them with the keys to unlock the many puzzles that the mountain environment provides for us. I think that a huge part of guiding is teaching: not just teaching people the skills to climb and descend peaks (that's important of course) but the skills to recognize how amazing and delicate and dynamic the mountain environment is, and how important it is that we preserve it.

When I came to desire a more stable living environment I at this time discovered Chamonix: a tasty mix of good food and wine, world-class alpine and rock climbing, and the most exhilarating ski mountaineering routes imaginable. I moved to Chamonix 6 years ago and have found little reason to leave, except for the odd ski expedition to Afghanistan or the odd scientific expedition to Antarctica (old habits die hard I suppose…)

The Mt Blanc Massif and the European Alps are my back yard: they've provided me with innumerable rewarding experiences. I've found my favourite rock climbs, unforgettable alpine climbs, and absolutely riveting ski descents. I even get to inspect them from above when soaring around the massif in my paraglider!"