Laura Sykes
Laura has been an avid outdoors woman for as long as she can remember. She was a Wilderness EMT for many years and a member of the Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team. Laura has been a four season AMC trip leader for over 15 years, and taught Advanced Winter Wilderness Travel and Winter Backpacking at AMC workshops for 8 years. She was recently showcased, alongside Jon, in a Windows to the Wild episode that you can see here: https://video.nhpbs.org/video/high-places-qx7ro3/
After watching this wonderful exploration into the backcountry you can read more about Laura here…. more>>
Jon Sykes
Jon Sykes has been on a continuous adventure for most of his life, rock climbing with a rope for more than 40 years, and without a rope since he was 9 years old. He is a founding member of Pemi Valley Search and Rescue out of Franconia Notch, and was trained as a wilderness first responder at Solo. His passion for first ascents on rock and ice has made him one of the most prolific in New England, with over 300 first ascents in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, as well as new routes in California and Utah. He’s written two rock climbing guidebooks and started his own publishing company, Eagle Cliff Publishing. When he’s not climbing, writing or fishing he’s a contractor specializing in historical restoration. He lives with his incredible wife Laura and their pets Percy the wonder dog, and cats Pu and Mori…more>>
John Kottos
John’s mountaineering adventures began in 1998 with the ascent on Mount Kilimanjaro. Experiencing the sunrise from the roof of Africa was one of the most fascinating life experiences, and it was the catalyst in getting him hooked with mountaineering…. more>>
Mike Lafleur
An avid outdoorsman, Mike has been an active participant in outdoor adventures across New England and the United States for the past eight years. Mike is a four-season hiker and backpacker and a novice rock and ice climber. Introduced to SSMC through the club’s 2007 Mt. Rainier trip (Emmons Glacier… more>>
Keith Sullivan
Keith led AMC four season mountain hiking trips in New England throughout the 1990s and became hooked on glaciers in 1999 during a guided ascent of MT BAKER…. more>>
John Stevens
John Stevens is a former USAF Pilot who joined the ranks of fellow NH mountaineers in their passion for the great peaks of not only NH, but all of the great ranges in the world. John caught his climbing bug on a hike up the Crawford Path climb to Mt. Washington in 1992 at the age 14, since then he hasn’t looked back…. more>>
Patrick Murphy
Pat got into mountain hiking as he was getting into his 40’s and was introduced to Mt Washington. It has become the physical activity of choice and motivation for all other exercise…more>>
Per Frost
Per spent a great deal of his youth involved in competitive cycling in his native country, Denmark…more>>
Rick Laidlaw
Rick began hiking and backpacking in the mountains of New England over twenty years ago. Eventually, his passion for the mountains led him into rock climbing, ice climbing and alpine mountaineering. He has climbed in Yosemite National Park, the Canadian Rockies and at crags all over the northeast…more>>
Brandon Freeman
Brandon joined the club on a Canadian Rockies trip to Mt. Robson in 2017…more>>
Andy Doig
Andy has been hiking and climbing in the Northeast since falling in love with Mount Washington in 2015. Since then he has hiked and climbed internationally both with SSMC and independently. He has a passion for bringing people who have not experienced outdoor recreation into the backcountry, and is a member or founder of several university outing clubs to serve that purpose…more>>
Doug Laidlaw
Doug grew up exploring the woods near his home in southern CT, developing a love for outdoor adventures. An avid hiker from a young age, he first climbed Mt. Washington in college, where he learned first-hand the rapidly changing and unpredictable weather on the Rock Pile. After several years away from the mountains to pursue his career, Doug returned to hiking and backpacking, which led him to focus on rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering. He has since climbed throughout New England, as well as at crags in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada… more>>