I have been fortunate to spend the last 15 years of my life climbing in one of the most pristine climbing areas in the Northeast, the Shawangunk mountain range. For the last five years I have been working as a guide for one of the most established guide services in the area, High Angle Adventures which has been in business since 1974. These have been some of the best experiences of my life. Now I am the new owner of this guide service and it is my aim to provide the best possible climbing experience for our clients. I really enjoy meeting new people, sharing my climbing knowledge, and showing them the beauty that this wonderful area has to offer. I look forward to climbing and guiding here for many more years to come.

Jason Beaupre is an endurance athlete in training who has come to climbing after racing on the national downhill mountainbiking circuit for five years. Since 2000 he has climbed all over the United States and Canadian Rockies. He enjoys both rock and ice climbing, hiking, camping, biking of any kind, and especially long distance trail running. Having been mentored by some of the best climbers in the world (Scott Backes and Mark Synnott) he currently holds certifications for NY State license to guide Rock, Ice, and Hiking. Teaching is something that Jason really takes pleasure in and has taught everything from climbing to adventure racing to art classes for kids. He is an active volunteer for the Hudson Valley Mountain Rescue Squad, and has both Wilderness First Aid and CPR training. Jason currently lives one mile from the Mohonk Preserve with his wife and two sons and spends time everyday in the mountains.

I'm originally from central PA, not an area that immediately comes to mind when thinking about mountainous regions. My folks, however, were avid skiers and ran a ski school at a small local ski area. I've been skiing since I was 3 or 4 and have always been drawn to the mountain sports. I've worked in many aspects of the ski industry from snow-making operations to ski patrol which has taken me all over the US from Hunter Mountain, NY to Alyeska in Alaska.

Introduced to rock climbing through a course offered by a local community college in the early '80's, climbing seemed to be a natural seasonal fit with my ski activity in the winter.

This is my 17th year working with High Angle. I'm still finding new ways to pass on to my students both the technical information they'll need to climb safely and a love and respect for the mountain environment where we practice our craft.

Putting aside all of life's other distractions, I focused almost exclusively on climbing after having discovered the sport (or, more accurately, "way of life") as an adolescent. Despite my resolve to let nothing interfere with my climbing obsession, I managed to complete a college degree in 1965. I have climbed extensively in most major US climbing centers and did some mountaineering in the Andes of South America.

Unable to contain or restrain my enthusiasm, I "forced" several of my friends to let me introduce them to the world of climbing. Many folks commented on my ability to organize, present and articulate what is a fairly extensive and complex body of knowledge and information. Sharing that material with friends provided me with a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Soon I found myself teaching people who were recommended by friends. At this point I made a decision to become a climbing guide.

I started High Angle in 1974, and did lots of other things to support my guiding habit. After a few years, as the demand for instruction began to increase, I hired other climbers who also had some aptitude, as well as passion, for teaching and who demonstrated a high degree of safety awareness.

Obviously, over the years I have seen vast changes in the sport in general and in guiding specifically. The "body of knowledge" we speak about and which a guide has to "own" has been organized and codified by the American Mountain Guides Association. Their program utilizes, to a great extent, the long-established European model of extensive training courses and a rigorous field exam. All of us in the guiding business can clearly see the dramatic increase in the level of, professionalism, accomplishment and preparedness of AMGA trained guides.

As High Angle begins its 30th season, I continue to be inspired by the joy, satisfaction, and achievement which our students share with us.

Dave Leahy lives in New Paltz, and has been climbing for 10 years. He is an N.Y.S. liscensed guide, and a volunteer on the Hudson Valley Mountain Rescue team. Dave is Red cross First Aid and C.P.R. certified, a formerly certified N.Y.S. E.M.T.. Dave is also a former U.S. Army combat medic and rappeling instructor, has 12+ years of extentsive martial arts training, is a martial arts instructor, and an AMGA Rock Instructor Course Graduate.

Some of Dave's other interests are ice climbing, trail running, hiking, mountain biking, and snow boarding.

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 several AMGA courses. 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 deput 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.