As the director of High-Alpine Mountain Guides, Michael Silitch is an American internationally certified UIAGM/IFMGA mountain and ski guide. Although focusing the last 14 years on guiding in the Alps, he has over 20 years of guiding experience, including numerous ascents of Denali in Alaska and big walls in Yosemite. Michael has climbed extensively in the Alps from the Matterhorn and Eiger in Switzerland throughout the Mont Blanc range, all the way down to limestone crags in southern France, Italy and Spain.
Certified by The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) in alpine, rock and ski disciplines, Michael sits on the technical committee as well as being a guide’s trainer and examiner for the AMGA. He is also the only American guide to be a member of both the French and the Swiss Mountain Guide’s Associations.
Michael is an avalanche and snow safety educator for the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) and is Level 3 certified.
He has been trained as a wilderness EMT and is currently certified as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and in CPR and is one of only a handful of Americans with this level of guide’s training and certification.
He is a former Outward Bound instructor and instructor trainer of 15 years, and an American Alpine Institute guide and guide’s trainer for 7 years.
Michael’s sponsors include Under Armour, Backcountry Access, La Sportiva, Mountain Gear, Petzl/Charlet Moser, Marmot, PowerBar and more.
Having raced bicycles during and after college up to UCSF Category 2 and participating in Olympic Training Center training camps, Michael has gained a strong foundation in cycling techniques and training principles. He is a meticulous bike mechanic having worked and managed shops in Boulder, CO and Santa Fe, NM. Living in the Alps has rekindled his love for cycling where he rides many of the mountain passes in his spare time.
Cross country skiing is another of Michael’s past times and he loves sharing it with others. He is currently a cross country and alpine ski instructor of the Swiss Ski School of Villars, Switzerland. He first cross country ski raced in New Hampshire for Holderness School, then went on to race out west for University of Colorado, Boulder participating in the NCAA races and receiving tremendous coaching from Norwegian and US coaches alike.
Educated at St. John’s College, in Santa Fe, New Mexico and University of Colorado, Boulder, Michael currently lives in Chamonix, France.
High-Alpine Mountain Guides is growing! I have a hand picked group of guides that I personally feel are among the best, most friendly, and most skilled guides out there. I am condfident you’ll have a great trip and achieve your goals with my guides!
OTHER GUIDES ON THE HIGH-ALPINE TEAM
ADAM GEORGE
Adam started climbing at Holderness School, the same outdoory New Hampshire boarding school that High-Alpine’s director, Michael Silitch and his wife Nina attended. Adam built on his skills and experience pushing his limits on hard ice climbing and rock climbing throughout New England. Wanting to stay in the area to climb and to pursue a degree in Geography, Adam attended Middlebury College in Vermont.
I first met Adam over 5 years ago when he came over to the Alps to finish his international guides certification. As his Instructor for the AMGA Advanced Alpine Course, I immediately recognized his great attributes that would make him the successful and popular guide that he is today: on the AMGA course he was not only a super strong climber, but displayed mature judgement and calm but effective decision making. He was always pleasant and fun to around, even during the highly stressful situation of the course examination process. I’m sure you’ll enjoy his company and his skill in the mountains. Adam is a fully certified IFMGA and AMGA mountain and ski guide.
CAROLINE GEORGE
Caroline is the other half of this dynamic husband wife guides team. She is originally of Swiss origin, growing up in Leysin, Switzerland. And her extensive knowledge of the European Alps is reassuringly obvious after spending some time with her. With an American father, she seems more like an American who has great insight and experience climbing some of the hardest climbs in the Alps. It is not uncommon to see reports of Caroline climbing on the north face of the Eiger or doing a hard mixed route on the Drus.
Caroline is a fun-loving woman, but takes her climbing seriously. She is also an extremely capable skier having skied and ski toured throughout the Alps, including racing the Swiss Patrouille des Glaciers ski mountaineering marathon. I fist met Caroline almost ten years ago while Nina and I were living in Villars, Switzerland, a neighboring town to Leysin. We skied and climbed together and instantly got along well. She and Nina have enjoyed ski touring around the Pre Alps together. Of course Caroline is fully IFMGA and AMGA certified as well.
MIKE BROMBERG
Mike is a fun, dynamic and positive mountain guide! We first met while he was training in the Alps to finish up his International Mountain Guide Certification. I instantly enjoyed his likable personality and his sharp focus while guiding, and always felt comfortable out in the mountains with him.
Michael had guided and climbed throughout the Alps. He particularly likes skiing and ski touring and searching out remote tours, such as the Ortler Ski Tour. Mike is equally fully IFMGA and AMGA certified.
