Our Guides:

Mountain Skills Climbing Guides are true Gunkies: we live locally and climb daily in our beloved Shawangunk's and Catskill Mountains.

We respect the environment by following and teaching the Leave No Trace Trainers Courses, actively support efforts to open more climbing opportunities in Minnewaska State Park Preserve by participating in rare plant and animal studies, sponsor DOT Adopt-A-Highway projects, maintain trails in our area through the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, volunteer for the Hudson Valley Mountain Rescue Squad, and train yearly with NYS DEC and Mohonk Preserve rangers on High Angle Rescue.

In addition, we believe education for our guides is paramount and regard certification to be the best way to achieve our goals as a guide service.  We also hold regular training for our guides to keep us all up-to-date on new methods for efficiency, client management, and client care, all in order to ensure that we are providing you a memorable and enjoyable experience!

Doug Ferguson -

Head Guide

Doug is the owner and one of the head guides for Mountain Skills Climbing Guides. His love for the mountains and outdoors was seeded while growing up in Michigan skiing competitively in high school. After clocking in 5 years at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Doug discovered rock climbing while living in Boulder, Colorado. This lead him to the New River Gorge in West Virginia were he started guiding and climbing full time while working at the amazing climbing store Waterstone Outdoors. Doug and his wife Christie moved to the Gunks five years ago so Christie could participate in a dual masters program at Bard College. Doug has guided and worked full time for Rock and Snow while living in New Paltz. His climbing and mountaineering educational background consists of AMGA Rock Instructor Course graduate,  AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, AMGA Top Rope Site Manager, AMGA Climbing Wall Instructor Provider, in the AMGA SPI Provider training, PCGI Lead Guide, Wilderness First Responder training, Leave No Trace Master Trainer, National Ski Patrol Level 1& 2 Avalanche Safety, New York State Licensed Rock, Ice, Hiking, Camping Guide, and also a Hudson Valley Mountain Rescue Volunteer. Doug is also on the Gunks Climbers Coalition Board of Directors. Doug has climbed extensively throughout the United States since he has started climbing in 1997. His focus was mainly on the southeast in the mountains of North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Since moving to New England his new passion is climbing all the amazing spots in the Adirondack's, Gunks, White and Green Mountains. He has climbed well over 1,300 different climbing routes and has climbed or hiked close to 100 peaks around the U.S.

Christie Ferguson

Christie is the wife of Doug Ferguson and part owner of Mountain Skills Climbing Guides. A native Floridian, she enjoys climbing and hiking the mountains and valleys of New York. She has climbed in over twenty states in the US, and hiked everything from the 14ers in Colorado to sections of the AT. Her background in wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education led to an internship through the Student Conservation Association at Minnewaska State Park Preserve and then the position as a zookeeper at Bear Mountain State Park. After obtaining a M.S. in Environmental Policy and a M.A. in Teaching at Bard College, Christie maintained her love of the outdoors through her staff position at the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Her title as the New York East Hudson Regional Representative allowed her to work with a dynamic volunteer network maintaining and building trails from the South Taconic Trail in Columbia County down to the Staten Island Greenbelt. Christie has since moved on to become the Executive Director for the Wallkill Valley Land Trust.  Christie is a licensed New York State Hiking and Rock Guide, a Leave No Trace Master Trainer, a Wilderness First Responder, and a United States Forest Service Chainsaw Sawyer. She also loves bird watching while exploring the great outdoors.

Chuck Boyd-Head Guide

Chuck is a worldly kind of guy. Not only is he one of our head guides, but he has climbed Mt. Everest and attempted other 8000 meter peaks such as K2 and Broad Peak. Chuck has 35 years of climbing experience around the world and is a Certified AMGA Rock Instructor, AMGA Climbing Wall Instructor Provider, AMGA TRSM, NSP Level 2 Avalanche, AIARE Level I Avalanche, Outdoor Emergency Care, and is a licensed New York State Rock and Ice Guide.  Chuck also runs his own company in CT called Vertical Realms that climbs at Ragged Mountain and teaches avalanche courses during the winter months. Chuck has been a ski patroller for too many years to count and has also had first ascents on the Shipton Spire in Pakistan in 1996 and the East Face of Cayash in the Cordillela Blanca, Peru in 1983. 

Wes Converse-Head Guide

Wes has been climbing for eleven years and is one of our head guides. He has climbed throughout much of the country, including the big walls of Yosemite in California, the long multi-pitch routes in Red Rocks near Las Vegas, and the splitter cracks of Moab, Utah. Climbing has also taken him to Jordan in the Middle East and Croatia in Europe. Here in the Gunks, he has taken to pushing himself to a level significantly above the norm by cranking the technically hard and minimally protected free routes. Wes is a AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, licensed New York State Rock and Ice Guide, a Leave No Trace Trainer, and is working on his AMGA Rock Instructor certifications.

Paul Curran-Head Guide

Paul was first introduced to climbing while in the Army and knew right away it would take him all over the world, if only he could perfect the sport. Once out of the Army Paul lived as a naturalist on the Mohonk Preserve for several years without running water or electricity. He worked as a ranger on the preserve in exchange for his housing. It was during this time that he mastered the skill of rock climbing and he has been climbing ever since. Paul started guiding fifteen years ago, and within a few years of guiding he was running all operations of the climbing school and traveling all over the world with clients. He has guided clients in Thailand, Mexico, Moab, Devils Tower, and The Swiss Alps to name a few. Paul has years of experience guiding both big groups and private lessons and has taken over five hundred people up the cliffs of several countries. Paul has also taken and completed AMGA Rock Instructor course, PCGI Lead Guide and Wilderness First Responder certified. While working as a climbing guide in the Gunks, Paul had an article written about him in Readers Digest and was featured in the pages of Swing magazine and Italian Vogue.

Most recently Paul worked for Disney on Broadway. Disney came looking for expert climbers who have mastered rope work, rock climbing equipment, and who come with the highest of recommendations to work Tarzan on Broadway. Paul was the head climber for Tarzan and was in charge of all aspects of the soft rigging and keeping the aerial performers safe. He was sent to Amsterdam, Holland on several occasions to teach the riggers and set up the rig for the debut of Tarzan in Europe.

Now Paul divides his time between his family, rigging, and rock climbing. He looks forward to getting his clients high each day he's on the cliff.

Nick Farley-Head Guide

Nick is an A.M.G.A Certified Rock Instructor, P.C.G.I. Certified Multi-Pitch Guide and New York State Licensed Rock and Ice Guide, Certified Wilderness First Responder, AIRIE Level II Avalanche trained and also hols a B.S. in History. He has guided thousands of students across the U.S. during his 12 years as a professional climbing guide. In 1997, Nick began guiding rock climbing in the Gunks. From 1997 on, Nick guided rock and ice climbs throughout the Northeast. In 2003, Nick moved west and began working for the Yosemite Mountaineering School. In Yosemite National Park, Nick guided everything from multi-day ascents of El Capitan and Half Dome, to remote alpine peaks, and beginner climbing classes. In 2004, Nick became head guide for the Sierra Rock Climbing School in the Eastern Sierra. In 2007, Nick returned to the Gunks to help establish The Gunks Guide.  Nick is married to his wife Andrea and has two boys ages 3 and 5.

Mark Folsom-Lead Guide

Mark has lived and climbed in the Gunks for 11 years. His training includes AMGA Rock Instructor Course graduate, AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, licensed New York State Rock Guide, Wilderness First Aid/ CPR, Hudson Valley Mountain Rescue member, Cave Rescue Certified and a Leave No Trace Trainer. While living in New Hampshire, he explored many  White Mountain crags and many other northeastern locales. Mark has also climbed in many areas in the southwest including Joshua Tree, CA and Red Rocks, Nevada. In the winter, he enjoys back-country skiing, snowshoeing and trips to warmer destinations. He is an avid caver who has explored and mapped caves throughout the US and several foreign countries. Mark is always looking for ways to explore, understand, and share with others our natural world.

Pete Guyre-Lead Guide

I started climbing 11 years ago when I was living and studying in Argentina. I fell in with a group of friends that happened to be climbers and guides. I ended up spending more time climbing than studying as we did weekly trips to Los Gigantes, or the Andes both in Argentina and Chile. The following year I spent studying and backpacking through Guatemala. When I returned to the states I got a job as a Spanish teacher and continued to climb on weekends and breaks all over the east coast and several spots out west.
While I was living in VA, I started to work at Peak Experiences, a climbing gym. I taught lead classes, technique classes, and did team building on the high and low rope courses. In 2004 I moved to New York to live closer to real rock. Since then I climb and trail run several days a week. I got my NY state guides license and have been enjoying guiding ever since. I also, volunteer with the Mid-Hudson Search and Rescue.

Jeremy Haas-Lead Guide

Although well traveled in the western climbing arenas, Jeremy is happiest when clinging to a cliff in New York State. A Gunks climber (and Catskill ice climber) since 1989, Jeremy grew up in the gorges of Ithaca and, recently co wrote and published Adirondack Rock: A Rock Climber's Guide.  Jeremy is an AMGA Single-Pitch Instructor, NYS licensed Rock and Ice Climbing Guide, former Emergency Medical Technician, and is Level II Avalanche certified. During the day he teaches science to high school students and has come to recognize the importance of personalize instruction. Jeremy finds guiding to be a great method of learning because the client gets immediate feedback under the watchful eye of an experienced guide. Patient out of practice, he has been guiding rock, ice, alpine ascents and backcountry skiing since 2002.

 

John Mackey-Lead Guide

A native to the Gunks, John Mackey has been climbing locally for ten years now. First starting off ice climbing in the ravines of the Catskill's then promptly moving on to rock climbing in the Gunks, Adirondack's, and the White Mountains. While hard mixed routes are his favorite in the winter, John loves the back country routes that the Northeast has to offer. He is a powerhouse when it comes to ice climbing and is quickly becoming to go to guy for finding the best ice in the area.  John has also hiked countless peaks in the Catskill's and Adirondack's as well as climbing on Mt. Rainier in Washington. He is a certified PCGI Lead Guide, licensed New York State Rock, Ice, Hiking and Camping Guide with Wilderness First Aid/ CPR training.

Brendan Mealia-Head Guide

Brendan has been climbing in the Gunks for fourteen years. He is a staunch advocate of the traditional style that the area's ethics adhere to, but is just as much into sport climbing and bouldering. He has climbed across the country in areas of New Hampshire, New York's Adirondack's, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, and California. He also loves skiing and playing music. In winter he has lived the in Southern US and out in Big Sky Montana, and Brendan is always psyched to take people to new places. He is a licensed New York State Rock and Ice Guide, Leave No Trace Trainer, and is working on his AMGA certification.