Josh Beckner, Owner and Director 
Josh is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide
Josh has a wide breadth of experience that he has gained on over 15 international expeditions in 9 countries. He has climbed a number of notable routes in the Himalayas, Karakoram, Andes, Coast Range (BC), Patagonia and the Arctic. He has put up significant first ascents on alpine walls up to 3,000 feet high in some of the most remote corners on the planet.
With his personal expedition experience serving as the backbone of his career, Josh has focused his efforts in outdoor education on sharing the lessons that he has learned in the mountains with his students. He has honed his craft while working as a Senior NOLS Instructor, an Alpine Guide for Exum Mountain Guides and as an instructor for climbing seminars for various organizations throughout the country.
During his years with NOLS, Josh played an integral part in developing the NOLS rock climbing program in Argentina and served as a Program Supervisor for the Mountaineering and Rock Climbing Program in the US. He helped develop the rock rescue program and protocols and has authored numerous articles for the institution. During the past few years of Josh's NOLS career, he has focused on instructing seminars for Mountaineering and Rock Climbing instructors at NOLS.
Josh created the School for International Expedition Training with a vision to train aspiring climbers and outdoor educators so that they can learn the skills they need to travel and climb in foreign countries. He feels that the expedition is the perfect medium for grappling with and understanding life's greatest lessons.
Josh received his BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, AMGA SPI Assistant Provider, holds a level 3 avalanche certification, WFR and CPR, is an Adjunct Instructor for Green Mountain College and has received a number of awards for his international climbing endeavors.
For more details:
Charakusa Valley Expedition, Karakorum, Pakistan:
http://charakusa2011.wordpress.com/
Pirate Valley Expedition, Patagonia, 2009:
http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/big_new_routes_in_isolated_argentinean_valley/
Fox Jaw Expedition, Greenland, 2007:
http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/above/foxjawarticthrills/
Josh Beckner Curiculum Vitae.pdf
Nate Furman, PhD:
Instructor and Program Adviser for SIET
Nate is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide
Nate's prolific mountaineering resume is perfectly balanced with his comprehensive background in wilderness education. This balance is what makes him one of the most well-rounded instructors in the industry.
He has climbed over 20 big walls in excellent style- more than half of those routes were first ascents, done solo or completed in a single push. The Nose of El Capitan in-a-day (32 pitches) and a 39 hour first ascent of the Ivory Pillar in Greenland are just a couple examples of Nate's climbing accomplishments. He has also climbed on a number of international expeditions including ascents in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Greenland, Alaska and Canada.
Nate has worked in the field of wilderness education since 1997. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Green Mountain College in Vermont. He has worked with both Outward Bound and NOLS and with numerous University-based outdoor programs. He is an AMGA certified Rock Guide and has an AIARE level 2 certification. Nate's research interests include student learning mechanisms in wilderness education and the influence of intuition in judgment and decision-making in outdoor recreation. His most central passion in the outdoors is climbing splitter granite cracks far above a glacier and sharing the beautiful world of mountaineering with others.
We are very excited to have Nate's depth of experience and passion at SIET.
For more details:
www.greenmtn.edu/furmann.aspx Click here to read Nate's Curriculum Vitae.pdf Click here to read Nate's Outdoor Curriculum Vitae.pdf
Erik Johnson:
Erik has over twelve years experience in the field of wilderness education, and is an accomplished instructor and mountain guide. While attending Western Washington University, Erik obtained a degree in Geology focusing on field work and orogeny. In 2000, Erik began guiding at the American Alpine Institute, instructing 3 to 24 day alpine mountaineering and technical leadership courses in the Cascade Range. During his years with AAI, Erik worked as a mountain educator and guide in the Cascades, Red Rock, Alaska and Canada. Erik joined the Alpine Ascents International staff in 2003, serving as an expedition guide on Denali and continuing to teach instructional courses in the Cascades and the Alaska Range.
Erik is currently pursuing a second degree in structural engineering from Montana State University. Erik is a certified Leave No Trace Trainer, has completed the AMGA Alpine Guide course and has an AIARE level 2 avalanche certification.
Ben Venter:
Ben Venter began his career as an outdoor educator in 2002. He was active in the Outdoor Education program at Colgate University where he instructed rock and ice climbing, back packing, skiing, trail running and survival classes. He balanced leading trips and climbing in the Adirondacks and Gunks with a major in Geography and a Geology minor.
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Ben is a senior field instructor for NOLS and has spent over 130 weeks working for the school in various locations around the world. He has worked mountaineering courses in the Cascades, Tetons, Wind River Range, Chilean Andes, the Coast Range of British Columbia, the Waddington Range and the Arrowsmith Range in New Zealand. Ben also works rock climbing, skiing and backpacking courses for NOLS. As a Program Supervisor at NOLS Southwest, Ben oversaw the climbing program for two and a half years and was responsible for providing rescue trainings to staff and supervising the Instructor Courses and Seminars.
Ben is passionate about climbing long routes in the mountains. His favorite destinations include the Patagonian Andes, the Karakoram, the Bugaboos and California’s High Sierra. He was the recipient of the American Alpine club Mountain Fellowship award for promising young alpinists as well as the Lyman Spitzer cutting edge climbing award.
Ben has completed the AMGA Single Pitch, Rock Instructor and Rock Guide programs. He holds a NOLS level 2 professional avalanche certification and is a Wilderness EMT.
Internships and Job Opportunities
Interested in an internship with us? Have a look at the internship description below:
Internship Op- Field Postition.pdf
Internship Op- Marketing Position.pdf
Interested in working for us? We are currently seeking highly qualified intructors for our 2013 courses.
