LIT Mentor Leader Directory
LIT Mentor Leader Biographies:
The following CMC Denver Group Trip Leaders have been designated as Mentor Leaders by the Denver Group’s Safety & Leadership Committee who oversees Trip Leader School and all issues related to leaders and leader status. Mentor Leaders will work with students who have finished Trip Leader School to complete their Leader-in-Training (LIT) hike or trip.
* Designates that the Mentor Leader will lead Technical LIT trips
Carole Adler
Group: Denver
Contact: caroleadler@yahoo.com
Can lead Road Bike LITs.
Jennifer Bealer
Group: Denver
Contact: jenn.bealer@gmail.com
Jennifer has been climbing CO mountains since 2009. She loves long, big days out, scrambles, and easy days with her dogs. She is also a technical trip leader for Alpine snow– the season is short but Jennifer thinks snow climbs are so much fun.
Martin Berger
Group: Denver
Contact: linmarber@comcast.net
Originally from Boston Mass, Martin has lived in Colorado for the last 45 years and thinks he’ll stay. He has been a leader with CMC since 1986. The leader who assisted with Martin’s LIT gave him the best input, which he’s felt has made leading lots of fun, with lots of rewards. He has a good sense of humor and his groups have always enjoyed their experiences hiking with him. Martin leads easy and moderate hikes.
Frank Burzynski
Group: Denver
Contact: fburzynski@comcast.net
Frank has been a CMC member since 2003 and a Trip Leader since 2010. Frank leads easy and moderate trips, as well as moderate snowshoe trips and hut trips. His CMC schools include WTS as an assistant instructor, Wilderness Survival School, Avalanche Terrain Awareness and AIARE Level I. Frank also has many years of photography experience and enjoys teaching. Frank is an active member of the CMC Photography Section.
Marilyn Choske
Group: Denver
Contact: mjchoske@gmail.com
Marilyn joined the CMC in April 1988 and became a certified trip leader in 1989. Schools completed: Wilderness Trekking School (WTS), Basic Rock Climbing School (BRCS), Basic Mountaineering School (BMS), Avalanche Awareness, Telemark Ski. Schools in which I've instructed: WTS, BRCS, Avalanche Awareness, Cross Country Ski, Telemark Ski (served as school director for 15 years). Marilyn leads hikes of all ratings: easy, moderate, challenging, and difficult; all levels of ski tours; day and multi-day trips. She has also coordinated and led a handful of international Adventure Travel trips. She is willing to mentor you on easy, moderate, or challenging hikes or easy and moderate ski tours.
Tammy Cullins
Group: Denver
Contact: tcullins@outlook.com, 740-221-0273
Tammy moved to Colorado from Ohio in 2015. “The Mountains were calling and I came”! She is an instructor for Wilderness Trekking School and Intro to Hiking Safety. Since 2015, she has attended numerous CMC classes- Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Survival, Basic Climbing, Avalanche Terrain Avoidance, Backcountry Tour Skiing School and Fly Fishing. She is certified to lead easy and moderate hikes. She enjoys backpacking the CT and Colorado in general, casual paced hiking, snowshoeing, and most recently mountain biking. She is only able to lead weekend LIT hikes. She welcomes the opportunity to share her love of Colorado and the CMC with you as you consider being a Trip Leader!
Zach Eiten*
Group: Denver
Contact: zacheiten@hotmail.com
Technical LIT Leader: Rock & Ice Climbing
Zach was born and raised in Denver, went to school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and now calls Golden home. He joined the CMC in 2017 to further his knowledge of mountaineering. Zach is currently a Trip leader for the Denver and Northern Colorado groups, Technical trip leader for the Denver and Northern Colorado group, Assistant Instructor for the Alpine Climbing School (Denver), Senior instructor for the Alpine Scrambling Course (Northern Colorado), Senior Instructor for the Basic Mountaineering Course (Northern Colorado), and Senior Instructor for the Lead Ice Climbing course (TCS). He just finished a term on the Denver Group Council as a council member, is the current head of trailblazers (Chairblazer), and participated in the Alpine Ambassadors program. So far the skills learned at the CMC have taken him to the summits of all 58 Colorado 14ers, Mt. Rainier, Pico de Orizaba, Gannett Peak, the Grand Teton, and many memorable rock, alpine, and ice routes around North America.
Eric Esswein
Group: Denver
Contact: eric.esswein@outlook.com
A Colorado native and member of the CMC and CMC fly fishing section for more than 20 years, Eric completed trip leader school in 2012 and has led fly fishing trips since 2016. Eric is currently Co-Director for the CMC fly fishing school and a senior trip leader for the CMC fly fishing section. Eric is a certified alpine ski instructor (PSIA level III). Eric's interests include fly fishing and fly tying, hiking and climbing, mountain biking, alpine and backcountry skiing. Eric would be honored to help you complete your LIT for the fly fishing program.
Jeff Flax
Group: Denver
Contact: Jeff.Flax@gmail.com
Jeff became a Denver Group leader in 2008. Since then, he has led well over 100 trips, including hiking, biking, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trips. These days he mostly leads easy hiking and snowshoeing trips. Jeff has been an LIT mentor leader for about 12 leaders. He is the director of the Denver Group’s CPR/AED School, a CMC wilderness first aid instructor, and former director of the Denver Wilderness First Aid (WFA) school. Jeff is a Denver Group website Olympian and is extensively involved with the new CMC.org site. He is past-president of the CMC State Board of Directors and past-chair of Denver Group Council. Jeff is a co-coordinator for RMOTHG's hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country ski activities.
Kevin Galliers*
Group: Denver
Contact: kgalliers@gmail.com
Technical LIT Leader: Climbing
Kevin grew up in St. Louis and moved to Colorado in 2015 after working in Washington D.C. for several years. He joined the CMC in 2017. He has taken mostly all the CMC schools aside from Fly Fishing. Kevin likes to do off-trail hikes, peak climbs, ice climbs, teach alpine climbing, and backpack in the summer. In the colder months he's in crampons, snowshoes, skis, or... down booties. Kevin has been a trip leader since 2018 and leads moderate, challenging, and difficult hikes, backpacking trips, and alpine climbs for those CMC members who can put up with his dry jokes. He also maintains a Wilderness First Responder Certification. When he is not doing mountain stuff, Kevin enjoys ultimate frisbee, road trips, stand-up comedy shows, and trying to wear out his Chinook sled dog. Kevin is happy to do LITs for moderate, challenging, and difficult hikes or alpine climbs.
Jason Gross*
Group: Denver
Contact: 144jfg@gmail.com
Technical LIT Leader: Top Rope Rock & Ice
It is a beautiful world and Jason loves exploring it with others. Every new place he visits makes the world feel a little smaller and further highlights how precious our planet truly is. You can find Jason leading trips domestically and/or internationally along with instructing for a few Colorado Mountain Club schools, classes, and courses. His favorite one to instruct is in the High Altitude Mountaineering School. He is happy to mentor you on your LIT trip from short and easy hikes to mountaineering.
Jim Guerra
Group: Denver
Contact: joguerra77062@gmail.com
Jim has hiked, trekked, and backpacked a lot over the last 40 years, including all over the western US and Canada, the Alps, Scandinavia, Patagonia, Kilimanjaro, and the Himalayas. Jim joined the CMC in 2017 and has taken several CMC classes, including Wilderness Trekking School (WTS), Avalanche Terrain Avoidance, AIARE Level 1, and Alpine Scrambling. He has been an assistant instructor in WTS and is one of the instructors in the Backcountry Incident Management seminar. He has been a trip leader since 2018, leading mostly for the Bobcats and the Rocky Mountain Over the Hill Gang. He leads mostly moderate, challenging, and difficult hikes, snowshoe trips, and some scrambles.
Sheryl Lampert*
Group: Denver
Contact: sheryl.lampert@gmail.com
Technical LIT Leader: Alpine, Top Rope Rock & Ice, Multi-Pitch Climb, Sport Climb, Trad Lead Climb
Sheryl has been a CMC member since 2011 and started taking classes with the CMC in 2015 while working on completing all of the 14ers. This opened up a whole new mountaineering world for Sheryl, as she progressed through ACS, HAMS and all of the technical schools. She has also completed AIARE 1 & 2. Sheryl is currently on the TCS committee and a senior instructor for ACS. She also teaches HAMS and several of the Technical Climbing Schools. Sheryl’s passion for mountaineering and the skills she’s learned with CMC have taken her to climb some of the highest glaciated peaks in North and South America, including Denali. She would love to work with aspiring technical trip leaders (rock and alpine) and those looking to lead challenging and difficult trips. She is also happy to assist with a dog friendly LIT hike in the front range.
Tim Lane
Group: Denver
Contact: timlane54@gmail.com
After moving to Colorado from the East Coast Tim joined the CMC in 1984. He took just about every course offered, including Intermediate Rock Climbing School (how to Lead Climb), Technical Ice Climbing (Lead Climbing), Cross-Country Skiing & Advanced 1st Aid.
Over the past 35+ years Tim developed a life-long passion for rock climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, and cross country / telemark skiing - including numerous "Hut Trips" on skis as well as climbing & skiing 14ers.
Tim is available for Mountain Bike LITs.
Brian Leblanc
Group: Denver
Contact: brianleblanc3364@msn.com
Brian is a technical trip leader instructor and available for Technical climbing LITs.
Linda Lawson
Group: Denver
Contact: lkl14er@comcast.net
Linda has 10+ years as a leader of easy thru challenging hikes, backpacking, and snowshoe trips. She has taken all non-climbing schools except Fly Fishing & Winter Camping. She welcomes you on all easy and moderate level hiking, backpacking, and snowshoeing LIT trips.
Greg McVie
Group: Denver
Contact: greg.mcvie@gmail.com
Bike Leader
Robbie Monsma
Group: Denver
Contact: remonsma@gmail.com, 203-536-4199
Robbie has been a CMC member since 2013. She currently co-chairs the Denver Group Member Initiatives Committee which runs New Member Hikes, Beginner Snowshoe School, and the Ascending Hikes Section. Robbie sometimes serves as a field instructor for the Backcountry Incident Management, Day Hiker, and Avalanche Terrain Avoidance Schools. She leads hikes and snowshoe trips for the Bobcats Section and for Rocky Mountain Over the Hill Gang. Robbie served on the Denver Group Council from 2016 to 2020 including as Co-Chair 2018-2020. She is working on the Olympus Route & Place Committee to make the new website as trip leader friendly as possible.
Carol Munch
Group: Denver
Contact: carol@edniehaus.com
Carol is a lifelong hiker and backpacker, raised on visiting National Parks with her family growing up. She taught backpacking at Philmont Scout Ranch in the early 70’s and has continued camping and backpacking with family and friends. Carol is a Senior Instructor for the Wilderness Trekking School, teaches in the Back-Country Ski School, and has assisted with the Alpine Scrambling Class. She’s a Bobcat Leader and has served on the Denver Council. She enjoys mentoring new leaders and new hikers and would welcome the opportunity to help you out too.
Martha Mustard
Group: Denver
Contact: mustardo3@comcast.net
Martha moved to Colorado from New England in 1974 and joined CMC the next day. She was active in CMC through the seventies, taking Basic Mountaineering School and Intermediate Rock Climbing, the schools offered back then. After a hiatus of twenty years or so, she re-joined CMC in 2001 and became a trip leader in 2004. She currently leads mostly moderate hikes, mostly for RMOTHG at a moderate pace. Martha would be happy to be your mentor for easy or moderate level hikes.
Ann Norton
Group: Denver
Contact: annnorton1@gmail.com
Specialty Trip Leader: Biking
Stephanie Porter-Scheinman
Group: Gore Range
Contact: peakwolf@hotmail.com
Technical LIT Leader: Backcountry Skiing
Stephanie is a graduate of Basic Mountaineering School (2003) and is able to hike up to a challenging level. She took the Telemark Ski School twice in the 1990s. Currently, she is a senior instructor in the Telemark Ski School, where she has been teaching since 2005. She also teaches in the Introduction to Backcountry Ski and Splitboard school. She is certified with PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) as a Level 2 Telemark Instructor and as a Level 1 Alpine instructor. She has an AIARE Level 1 certification and re-certified in WFA in Summer of 2021. Stephanie leads ski trips in the winter at the moderate and advanced levels and advanced level ski mountaineering trips in the spring. She is happy to work with you on your LIT for moderate and challenging ski trips for either telemark or AT skiers.
Terry Ploski
Group: Denver
Contact: terryploski28083@gmail.com
Terry has over 20+ years of experience leading easy, moderate, and difficult hikes and backpacking trips. His involvement began with Wilderness Trekking School and progressed to WTS Instructor, AIARE Level 1, Basic Mountaineering School, Basic Navigation, Intermediate Navigation, Basic Rock Climbing, CPR and AED, Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Aid Instructor, Wilderness First Responder courses. He has also begun leading trips in the Ascending Hike Section. Contact Terry if you want to lead easy, moderate, challenging, or difficult hikes and backpacking adventures.
Larry Post*
Group: Pikes Peak
Contact: postlarry@hotmail.com, 303-330-8959
Technical LIT Leader:
Larry has been a member of the CMC since 2006 and a leader since 2008. Larry enjoys leading all types of trips– hiking, backpacking, snowshoe, rock and snow climbs, and alpine travel. He is a senior instructor in the Wilderness Trekking, Basic Mountaineering and Technical Climbing Schools. His climbing background includes completing about half of the 14er's, Rainer, Mount Hood, some international climbing, and multiple 13ers. He is able to hike up to a difficult level of hikes. Larry enjoys helping bring up prospective Trip Leaders to Technical Trip Leaders.
Nick Quesnel
Group: Denver
Contact: nickrquesnel@gmail.com
Nick moved to Colorado in 2016 and quickly became a CMC member. As well as being a trip leader, he is also a senior instructor for ACS. Nick would be happy to help you complete your LIT so the CMC can have more leaders that are eager to put trips on the calendar for the club. Nick’s preferred trips include scrambling and exposure. He actively participates in Trailblazer Section activities.
Jerry Rowe
Group: Denver
Contact: jerry5556@gmail.com
Bike Leader
Derek Sakamoto*
Group: Denver
Contact: dmsakamoto@gmail.com
Technical LIT Leader: Ski
Although Derek grew up in Colorado, he did not join the CMC until he moved back to the state in 2015. Since then, he completed ACS, Scrambling, and HAMS. In addition, he also started volunteering for the CMC as the Co-Creator and Co-Director of the Introduction to Backcountry Skiing/Splitboarding School. Skiing is Derek’s big passion, and he will lead/co-lead advanced backcountry ski (AT-style) trips. During the summer, Derek likes to hike, climb, and scramble up the high peaks in Colorado. He is willing to lead/co-lead up to challenging or difficult hikes.
Uwe Sartori*
Group: Denver
Contact: uwesartori@mac.com
Technical LIT Leader: Backcountry Ski: AT/Splitboard in Simple to Challenging Terrain; Climbing: Scrambling
Uwe has been a CMC Trip leader since 2007. He would be honored to be your LIT Leader Instructor. Uwe is pretty much open and qualified for anything except leading technical rock climbing and ski mountaineering. Send your trip ideas and timeframes to Uwe and he will try to coordinate with you to be your mentor. He loves teaching, coaching, and helping folks out. Uwe is a past Trip Leader School Director.
Kevin Schaal
Group: Denver
Contact: schaalk@msn.com, 303-519-0364
Kevin joined the CMC in 2000. He graduated from WTS in 2001, BMS in 2003, Avalanche Awareness in 2005, became a trip leader in 2006, and completed AIARE Level 1 in 2016. He has served on the Denver Group Council, the Denver Safety & Leadership Committee, has been School Director of trip leader school, an assistant instructor for WTS, and most recently served as an instructor in the new Backcountry Incident Management school. Kevin wants to give back a little of what’s been graciously given to him by CMC leaders who helped him develop a modest amount of expertise in mountaineering. Kevin is open to do easy, moderate, or challenging level LIT hikes or easy, moderate, or difficult snowshoe trips.
Michael Simon
Group: Denver
Contact: simonmichael9@gmail.com
Michael joined the club in 2017. Michael has completed WTS, Alpine Scrambling School, Alpine Scrambling Clinic, Alpine Climbing School, and Wilderness First Aid. He is a trip leader on snowshoes and scrambles, an assistant instructor for the Alpine Scrambling School and Snowshoe Clinics and a Senior Instructor of the Alpine Scrambling Clinic. If you are interested in an LIT scramble, hike or snowshoe, please let Michael know. He is available on weekends.
Jamie Simpson*
Group: Denver
Contact: ClimbHighColorado@gmail.com
Technical LIT Leader:
Jamie joined the Colorado Mountain Club in 2015, and has since completed High Altitude Mountaineering School, Advanced Crevasse Rescue, and Technical Ice Climbing. Since 2017, Jamie has served as both an assistant and senior instructor for the traditional Basic Mountaineering School. Jamie is experienced in hiking, backpacking, scrambling, technical rock and ice, canyoneering and backcountry skiing. Jamie has become the mountaineer they are today because of the generous mentoring provided by other capable mountaineers and the volunteer instruction through the CMC.
Jeff Stevens
Group: Denver
Contact: drjeffstevens@gmail.com
After joining the CMC in 2015, Jeff became a Denver Group trip leader in 2017. Since then, he has led more than 90 trips, including hiking and snowshoeing trips. Jeff was one of the founding members of the Denver Member Initiative Committee, where he administered the Ascending Hikes program for two years, and still runs the Track File Manager initiative. He is a former member of the Denver Safety and Leadership committee and served as the Denver Trip Leader School director.
Wayne Tomasello
Group: Denver
Specialty Trip Leader: Biking
Contact: wtomasello@outlook.com
Kahle Toothill
Group: Boulder
Contact: ktoothill@gmail.com
Kahle has been leading CMC trips since 2017. Her passion is backcountry splitboarding which led her to help create the Intro to Backcountry Skiing and Splitboard School in 2020/2021 under the CMC State group. In addition to instructing for the school, Kahle had led backcountry ski trips that range from mellow beginner-friendly terrain to advanced spring ski mountaineering. Kahle was also involved with the Trailblazers committee and the Boulder Group Council in previous CMC roles. Kahle has an AIARE 2 certification (2020) from Colorado Mountain School, a WFR (2021) from Backcountry Pulse, and Mountaineering Leadership Development Training (2020) from a CMS/CMC collaboration course.
John Wethey
Group: Denver
Specialty Trip Leader: Biking
Contact: surplusline@earthlink.net
Ken Yaphe
Group: Denver
Contact: kyaphe@comcast.net
Ken joined the CMC in 2013 and started leading trips in 2015. In addition to leading mostly challenging rated trips, Ken is a senior instructor with the Alpine Scrambling Course, an AIARE 1 instructor, and assists with various components of the Technical Climbing School. Ken completed HAMS in 2016, continues to develop his rock climbing skills, and recently started traveling outside Colorado to attempt high peaks--summiting five across Mexico and Bolivia in 2017. Ken values the culture the CMC aims to promote with regards to safe and responsible recreation in the backcountry. He is happy to conduct LIT evaluations for like-minded individuals up to a challenging level trip.
Mike Zyzda*
Group: Denver
Contact: mjzyzda@gmail.com
Technical LIT Leader:
Mike has been a member of the CMC since 1988 and a leader since 1990. He enjoys leading all types of trips: hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, rock and snow climbing, and fly fishing. He is a senior instructor in the High Altitude Mountaineering School. Mike’s climbing background includes completing all of the 14ers, multiple 13ers and lesser peaks, peaks in Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, and Washington State, as well as high glaciated peaks in South America.
- Fly Fishing: Steve Wolf
- Skiing: Marilyn Choske,
- Technical: Brian LeBlanc
- Road Bike: Ann Norton, Wayne Tomasello, John Wethey, Carole Adler
- Mtn Bike: Tim Lane, Jerry Rowe, Gregory McVie