Alpenguides
Our camp staff guides are the #1 reason to choose Alpengirl as your summer adventure camp!
Your Alpengirl teen camp guides are seasoned outdoor women who have an excellent rapport with teenage girls, are experienced leaders in adventure travel, and are intuitive educators. These skills are combined with professional certifications such as Wilderness First Responders, Lifeguards, and Yoga Instructors. In addition to our own Alpenguides, we contract professional guides for some educational and adventure elements. All leaders associated with Alpengirl are positive and fun role models. Alpenguides have superhuman powers! Read On...
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Oni Known Superhuman Powers: Onijish is a traditional Anishinabe (French-Chippewa) word that can be translated as, "we are beautiful." By consciously repeating this word at an audible or sub-audible level, the superhuman named Oni, is able to gather the energy of nearby Alpengirls and convert these individual energies into One Colossal Group Super Power that is able to accomplish goals for the good of the group that were previously thought of as impossible! Horse Whispering is also a part of Oni's super power grid. Experts agree that this horse whispering super power is somehow related to her "onijish" mantra, perhaps humans and horses are able to help each other in ways previously thought impossible. Abilities: Oni uses her super powers to work towards improving worldly conditions. She is able to "Keep On Truckin'" no matter what happens. She is commonly seen truckin' with a smile on her face and a colorful and bright kite in hand! She flies her kite high overhead in a display of joyful celebration and also uses this beautiful wind powered art piece as a calling for others to gather for a common purpose. History: Oni's childhood days in northern Minnesota were filled with outdoor adventure; biking, kayaking, sailing, canoeing, skiing and camping along with soccer and horseback riding on her spirited black mustang that she purchased on her own at the age of 15! The only thing that could tear the wild rider away from all of that for long was the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It was here, at an all girls overnight camp, after 7 seasons as a camper turned camp counselor, where she identified with her cohesive super powers and became specialized in guiding groups of girl campers in flat-water canoeing, kayaking, and rock climbing. Oni stayed close to home and horse by choosing to attend College of St. Benedict / St. John's University. 2007 was a big year for Oni, she studied abroad in Spain and completed a semester with the National Outdoor Leadership School where she learned more about group dynamics and leadership while enjoying sea kayaking, backpacking, and mountaineering in New Zealand. Oni brings her warm Midwest charm and easy laugh to Alpengirl this summer. Current Base & Operations: Minnesota. Undergraduate student in Peace and Conflict Studies and Environmental Studies. Competitive Dressage (English, Western, and In Hand) Rider. A member of Campus Greens, Global Initiative, and Campus Sustainability groups. Rock climbing and Cello playing. She was last reported to be on a Peruvian educational adventure at the time of this writing. She holds certifications as a Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard & in CPR. |
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Scorpio Spumoni Known Superhuman Powers: Born under the zodiac sign of Scorpio, Scorpio Spumoni generates her power from living in water environments, frozen mountains or liquid seas. Her unique and bizarre superhuman power of willing herself to turn into a delicious dessert dish composed of differently colored and flavored layers, often containing powdered mountains and candied oceans is unknown in any other being. Abilities: She has the ability to reduce the kinetic energy of atoms and thus reduce temperature; she regularly uses this to generate awesome days of powder skiing. She is also a self-taught single eyebrow raiser, a player of the violin, a tap dancer and a sheerer of sheeps. History: Scorpio Spumoni grew up in New Hampshire with two older brothers on a mini-farm with lots of dogs, cats, sheep and other animals. She was camping and participating in 'outdoorsy' things at a very young age, at the age of 3 she was skiing with poles she fashioned from fallen tree branches and later on in her young life enjoyed attending her local overnight summer camp in New Hampshire. She spent a semester after high school with NOLS enjoying the adventures of backpacking, rock climbing, sailing and canoeing in the Pacific Northwest. The mountains of the North Cascades were the greenest and biggest forests she had ever seen! Her NOLS instructors were all EMT's and when she returned to NH she immediately signed up for an EMT class and got certified. She attended UNH studying lots of French things but wanted to ski out west, she transferred to Western State College in Colorado and graduated with a Biology degree. While living in Gunnison, CO she really got into mountain biking and skiing and earned the nickname "wrecca" for all of her spectacular biffs! She loved winter so much she worked in New Zealand for 2 summers and skied nearly 24 months straight. After so much winter and snow, she felt a song coming to her from her inner mermaid and she followed the enchanting tune that led her to Hawaii for an internship with an underwater filming company diving with sharks, mantas, dolphins and whales! The following summer she worked for an Audubon Youth Camp in Vermont teaching natural history and producing a short promo video for the camp. The kids at the Vermont Camp inspired her to get her teaching certification, so, despite the beautiful foliage and Maine lobster, she went west to Montana and earned a BS in secondary science education at MSU. Current Base & Operations: SW Montana, Big Sky area. Scorpio Spumoni prefers to teach outside rather than in a traditional classroom setting and has been teaching at Big Sky during the winters while skiing with kids and spends her summers teaching Alpengirls. She is a volunteer Girl Scout Troop Leader and has traveled to Panama and will soon travel to Japan where she would love to meet the real Hello Kitty and learn some ninja warrior moves. She loves yoga, Pilates, gardening, baking banana bread, playing short-distance Frisbee with her elderly dog, collecting insects, watching for moose in Gallatin Canyon, testing science experiments in the kitchen and skiing with lit flares! In her second season with Alpengirl, she brings her talents as a certified Wilderness First Responder, CPR, Lifeguard and over 15 years of professional slope-side experience teaching kids how to ski and enjoy nature. |
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Dyno Known Superhuman Powers: Dyno has the superhuman powers of energy conversion and energy banking. She absorbs energy from spunky Alpengirls and coverts it to powerful speed that allows her to run with wild horses one minute while simultaneously banking energy that allows silent meditation the next. Abilities: Dyno has the ability to operate at any speed, combined with mega amounts of energy to power through the most difficult of situations. Her strength lies in helping others recognize their own energy potential whether loud and action packed or in quiet meditative stillness. History: Dyno grew up in Laurel, Montana exploring the Beartooth Mountains with fishing pole in hand, traveling to logger's rodeos and enjoying horse pack trips with her family. Switching gears and moving to Minnesota with her family brought change and the ability to adapt to new places and faces, spending most of her time snowboarding and developing her Aquawoman-like skills in swimming at submarine speed. She traveled back to Montana and spent summers with her grandparents helping on the farm and furthering her knowledge of local mountain ranges. As the railroad moved her family yet again to Texas she was able to pick up new skills rock climbing while she worked on her college degree in film and anthropology. These summers were spent working as an outdoor teen leader for the Youth Conservation Corps and as a Wildland Firefighter in the Gila National Forest and Aldo Leopold Wilderness in New Mexico. Upon finishing her undergraduate degree Dyno packed her bags to head home to Montana, bringing her closer to her family and the mountains she loves. Pursuing and completing her Master's degree at Montana State University in Science and Natural History Filmmaking allowed Dyno to travel the world and make films about social issues concerning women. She has traveled to South Korea, Nepal and all over the USA to make two documentary films. Her thesis film was on Sherpa women of Nepal. Current Base & Operations: Bozeman, Montana. Dyno regularly plays in the great outdoors horseback riding, hiking, biking, ice climbing, skiing, swimming, slack-lining and visiting hot springs. She practices Bikram's yoga, loves traveling to new places, and enjoys many forms of art - jewelry, photography, weaving, and the art of listening and learning. In addition to freelance filmmaking and Alpengirl, Dyno is employed at an organic farm in the Paradise Valley, she sews backpacks for Mystery Ranch, and she brings science and filmmaking together with Montana kids thru Terrapod workshops. She is certified in Wilderness First Aid & CPR. |
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Comet Known Superhuman Powers: As a small, fiery body of water, vapors and dust, Comet blazes a path wherever she goes. When her orbit passes close to an Alpengirl a long luminous tail is produced and Comet is easily identifiable. She has the superhuman power to project abundant amounts of energy and excitability. Sourcing of power is unknown although it may be related to her glowing smile! Abilities: Comet uses her superhuman power to enthuse and inspire others while encouraging them to forge their own paths and learn more about themselves. Those around her find they can hike over enormous mountains, paddle rushing whitewater rapids, stretch out unused muscles and talents, giggle uncontrollably, and whip up gigantic, tasty meals afterwards! Whether she is up to her neck in mud or snow, contorted into yoga poses, face down in veggie lasagna, identifying wildflowers, or fixing a broken zipper, Comet has a knack for having fun and exploring new perspectives. Believing in the power of communication and teamwork, she focuses on using those skills in her day to day life to make ordinary days extraordinary. History: Growing up in Ann Arbor, MI, Comet was immersed in the vibrant arts and culture of a college town. Following a love of music she studied and performed around the world with her trusty companion 'Cabina' - a six foot tall wooden instrument called a double bass. Together they explored the US, Italy, Germany, Austria, Russia, and China. All that traveling opened her eyes to the beautiful places and adventures the world has to offer. Determined to learn more about living in the wilderness she spent a summer with NOLS in the remote backcountry of the Yukon; backpacking, mountaineering, and whitewater canoeing. Towards the end of her trip, she ventured too close to a powerful electrical display of Northern Lights which unleashed her true superhuman powers. After finishing a bachelor's degree in classical performance she abandoned all pretenses and moved to West Virginia to battle some of the oldest and wildest whitewater rivers in the country. Empowered with the wisdom found in those rushing waters she went on to hone her skills on rivers in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and New Zealand. In the winters she found herself in the mountains of New Hampshire mopping up the battle wounds of others. As a wilderness EMT, she was well suited to the post of Ski Patroller and often found herself on a sheet of blue ice, using her superpowers to survive in 100 mph winds on her way to rescue others. Somewhere up a mountain, in the course of many adventures, she became an Alpengirl Adventuress and an Alpenguide; always ready for the next adventure! Current Base & Operations: Michigan. Comet is a Wilderness-EMT, Swiftwater Rescue Technician, Leave-No-Trace Trainer, CPR and 1st Aid Instructor, experienced outdoor and whitewater guide, avid yoga student, and Jane-of-all-Trades. |
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The Human Link Known Superhuman Powers: The Human Link gains power when wearing her costume (an ever-changing mix), singing songs and wielding her mighty shovel in her favorite weather... the rain! Abilities: Worlds unite when she speaks from her heart, helping people and cultures mingle by merely transporting their words across the invisible barriers of language. Her magical shovel allows her to create space in the earth for plants to grow and for people to come together to harvest a sustainable crop. She can scale walls with a wiggle of her fingertips and a twinkle of her toes and can make a joke out of almost anything, preferably herself! All of that wiggling and twinkling makes Link easy to spot, and she sends up a rainbow-filled cloud of mist as she beelines for the fun, organizing and list-weaving along the way. History: Yeee-haw!! Through the woods and past the waterfalls, bamboo forests, and fresh water springs of her home grounds in Tennessee, The Human Link was born to barefoot it to the mighty NW where she resides today. The Link played soccer all through elementary and high school, but her true passion was horseback riding. She was active in the United States Pony Club and competed in horse shows for several years with a few big successes. When she graduated from high school, she chose to go to the Pacific Northwest on a 25-day adventure with Outward Bound. This trip really opened her eyes, and it confirmed her thirst for travel, adventure and for personal growth - as uncomfortable as that can be! In 2003 she moved to Portland, Oregon, and after working for a year and getting in-state residency, started taking classes at Mt Hood Community College. She completed a certificate in outdoor education, and was hired on to work for the program, Education Outdoors. She enjoyed leading mountaineering, backpacking, and rock climbing trips and along the way started taking Spanish classes. She has traveled to Mexico and border states for education and leisure and has worked in rural public schools in Guatemala. The Human Link's passion for cultural travel, the Spanish language, and adventure sports led her in pursuit of formal education in Spanish with a desire to serve communities that may have limited opportunities to participate in adventure sports. Current Base & Operations: Portland, OR. The Link has just completed her BA in Spanish at PSU and is currently employed at the PSU rock gym setting new climbing routes. She enjoys rock climbing and volunteering for Betties3sixty, a non-profit group that introduces women to adventure sports. She has just started a volunteer project with Adelante Mujeres, a non-profit group that supports Latina women and their families. She is growing to love the art of gardening through her volunteering efforts at a learning garden where she enjoys digging in the dirt with public school kids. These are just a few ways that the mighty Link connects people to each other and to planet earth. She holds Wilderness First Responder, CPR, Wilderness Education Association (WEA) Wilderness Educator and Leave No Trace instructor certifications. |