Vertical

Eugenio "Kiko" Guzmán

Kiko is an Agricultural Engineer of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. For the last seven years he has taken part in a number of ascents in South America.

Member of the Team Cumbres Australes, with whom he has undertaken journeys and first ascents in Patagonia, Indonesia and Alaska. His winter climb of Mount San Valentin, the highest peak of Patagonia, is noteworthy.

In 2002 he took part in the Chilean Antarctic expedition, to be the first unsupported crossing of the Ellsworth Mountains. In May 2004 he reached summit of Mount Everest and in 2005 he climbed the highest mountains of Alaska (Mt. McKinley) and Indonesia (Carstensz Pyramid).

In 2006, he added Mt. Lhotse, the world´s 4th highest mountain to his list of summits. Currently he is the Operations Manager and a Lecturer at Vertical S.A.

He has led all of the Wharton Leadership Expeditions since 2006.

Gabriel Becker

Gabriel has been mountaineering and climbing since he was 13 years old, qualifying as a Chilean Mountaineering Guide (special test under UIAA).

He has participated in numerous expeditions in the Northern and Central Andes and in Patagonia. In addition, he has participated in scientific and commercial expeditions to the Chilean South Patagonia Ice Fields, Mont Kilimanjaro Africa, Campo Base Everest and in Antarctica, where he has worked for the past 5 years as Logistics Manager on an Expedition Air Cruise Ander Antarctica XXI.

 He has worked for Vertical SA. an adventure learning and consultant company for 9 years, and  joined the team full time as General Coordinator of Programs and Logistics, in programs of education and social skills debelop with many nacional and internacional companies and universities. (MIT, Wharton, Harvard, McColl, UNCC, Lan, El Mercurio, Kimberly Clarke, etc.) He recently summited his first 8,000m peak with Vertical´s successful ascent of Mount Lhotse (8516mt), the fourth highest mountain in the world. He has been an aircraft pilot since 10 years in training to be a commercial pilot and has been a qualified Wilderness First Responder since 2005.

Marcelo Cruz

Ernesto Olivares

Ernesto is a Professor of Mountaineering at several leading universities in Santiago, Chile. A professional mountaineer, Ernesto has climbed more than 60 high altitude mountains throughout Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, including numerous ascents of Aconcagua and several 8,000 meter peaks. In 2001, he took part in the Chilean expedition to Makalu in the Himalayas, the 5th highest in the world, reaching the summit without supplemental oxygen. The same year he was awarded two major prizes: "Best Sportsman" by the Mountaineering Federation of Chile and by the Circle of Sports Journalists of Chile. He was a member of the Chilean Antarctica Expedition in 2002 to the Ellsworth Mountains and in May 2004 summited Mount Everest. In 2005, he climbed the highest mountains of Alaska (Mt. Mckinley) and Indonesia (Carstenz Pyramid).  More recently, Ernesto has added summits of Mt. Lhotse and Nanga Parbat to his impressive climbing resume and is currently organizing two sport expeditions to the Himalayas (Cho Oyu and Kangchenjunga) for 2011 and 2012.

In addition to his personal accomplishments in the mountains, Ernesto is well-respected in the climbing community around the world for his extraordinary ability to teach new mountaineers not only technical climbing skills, but also to instill in them the true spirit of adventure and companionship inspired by a life spent doing what he loves best!

Guillermo "Willie" Parra

Willie is a true adventurer at heart, dividing his time between guiding and climbing the highest peaks of South America, including Aconcagua, and exploring the depths of the southern oceans as a PADI Divemaster and kayaking instructor. With a degree in Eco-Tourism from Andres Bello University, Chile, Willie is an excellent source of knowledge on the region´s flora and fauna and its history of exploration and has worked on several conservation projects and wildlife documentaries during the past years throughout the Americas. Willie is considered by all to be the best "right hand man" for any and all projects and his contagious enthusiasm for the outdoor life makes him an exceptional asset on expeditions! He has both guided and led logistics for Patagonia, Atacama Desert and Antarctica "Wharton Leadership Venture Expeditions" since 2005 and guided the McColl School of Business Expedition in 2007 and 2008. In addition, Willie is a “Wilderness First Responder” (WFR), certified by NOLS in 2006.

Pachi Ibarra

María Paz Ibarra Letelier is in her final year of her degree in Physical Education. Growing up at the base of the Andes range, she has been mountaineering for the most of her life.  She began mountaineering under the guidance of climbing guru, Claudio Lucero,  and  today is a member of the Cumbres Australes Club. She has vast experience on both high altitude and technically difficult expeditions in the Chilean Andes, Cordillera Blanca (Perú), Cordillera Real (Bolivia) and Patagonia. In 2006, she was the only female member of the Chilean mountaineering team that put 15 climbers on the summit of the 4th highest mountain in the world. Most recently, she has played a key role in the Omega Foundation´s Antarctica Expedition, which set out to document the heights of the highest mountains of the Sentinel Range. 

Miseal Alvial Cid

A seasoned mountaineer, Misael has over 25 years of experience guiding big mountains. In 1996, he became one of the first South Americans to summit K2 and has since added the summits of Everest and Lhotse as well as each of the Seven Summits to his record. He is the only South American to have completed a solo ascent of the South Face of Aconcagua, where he guides on a regular basis and has summited annually for the past 15 years. Misael currently divides his time between mountain guiding and suppoprting mineral prospecting expeditions as a Geological Technician in Chile and other South American countries.