About Indigo Alpine Guides
Indigo Alpine Guides was founded in 2017 by Jack Bynum. After working for companies across America, including National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Alpine Ascents, Mountain Madness, and Mountain Professionals, Jack decided to start IAG focusing on custom unique experiences in the seldom-traveled parts of the world.
We’ve decided to stay small. Today, most expeditions and trips are guided by Jack. For expeditions requiring more than one guide or where different skill sets are required (arctic ship navigation for instance!) we hire from a select group of professionals who we call friends.
We don’t aspire to be a behomoth company — we focus on custom trips, with superb logistics, to places of overwhelming beauty. Every expedition we guide is an “expedition of a lifetime” for our clients.
About Jack
Jack has 10 years of experience guiding backcountry trips around the world. He has traveled over 20,000 miles by bike, sea kayak, foot, raft, and skis, become the youngest person to solo Denali and has put up first ascents on 6,000 meter peaks in the Himalayas. In 2016 his solo ascent of Bhandar Lek was listed as one of 20 most significant global ascents of the year by the prestigious Piloet d’Or. He calls Seattle home, but is often around the world leading trips or on personal adventures.
Before starting Indigo Alpine Guides, Jack worked for many guide and instructional services across the country including Alpine Ascents, Mountain Madness, Ice Axe Expeditions, Mountain Professionals, and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
All day trips and expeditions are either led by Jack or by a select group of professional guides with Jack’s oversight.
Jack’s Certifications:
AMGA Certified Rock Guide Swift Water Rescue Technician
Wilderness First Responder Leave No Trace Master Educator
AIARE Avalanche Rescue FEMA Incident Response Command
AIARE Pro 1 — The industry standard for professionals working in avalanche terrain.
Trip Offerings
We offer a mix of day trips in the Pacific Northwest and Expeditions across the world. We specialize in custom expeditions 7-24 days in length to remote areas with challenging access: think remote Alaska, the Himalaya, Mongolia.
We have the skill and experience to make your expedition come to life.
Our Philosophy
We Believe:
wild space is sacred
in the outdoors being accessible to all
in doing risky things with humility — you can not eliminate risk but you can manage it skillfully.
in engaging with other cultures with respect, curiosity, and humility
in treating the land and animals as part of us, not separate from us.
We Practice:
A group culture of humility, respect, and strong communication
Paying fairly for services we utilize
Donating to organizations working on climate change education
Educating our clients about the land we explore
Team Size
Our expeditions challenge team members to expand their decision-making and leadership skills and become more efficient and competent in the mountains. Every one of our expeditions is run as a partnership between the guide and you, ensuring your maximum learning, enjoyment, safety, and success. For all technical trips our max guest to guide ratio is 1:4. For all non technical trips our max ratio is 1:6.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
We’re always happy to talk through anything on your mind. Oftentimes the quickest way to get it all done is by phone or zoom. Hit us up at the button below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can (we’re often in the mountains.)
