Of the 138 IFMGA Mountain Guides in the U.S., 32-year-old American ex-pat Mike Arnold is among the youngest. Only five years after his first ski guide course, the Northern Maine native passed all three exams (rock, ski, alpine) within seven months, and all on the first try. In 2014, at the age of 27, he became the 96th American to earn his IFMGA credential.
As a former ski racer, Mike spent his formative mountain years in Colorado, skiing rarely skied lines and first repeats around the state, as well as guiding in Aspen, Alaska and Europe. His 20’s were filled with more than a dozen expeditions to Alaska, Peru and Argentina and six years skiing and climbing in Canada and the Alps and skiing steep descents in Grivola, the Argentière basin, Miage and off the Aiguille Du Mid.
Mike lives in Aosta, Italy with his fiancé.
Accomplishments:
- ChugimaGo W-SW Ridge First Ascent (6,258m), Nepal, 2017
- FirstRepetition W Face Integral Chardonnet, 2017
- IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide certification, 2014
- Ski Descent Orient Express Denali (6190m)
- First Ascents/Descents (Mixed Climbing/Steep Skiing), Rocky Mountain National Park