The feeling of accomplishment, adventure and success is something everyone not only deserves but is capable of. As a client of Rockies Ice Specialists/ Kris Irwin for the past five years- I’ve always been impressed. He is a top-notch guide with an inspiring attitude and great sensibilities. What makes Kris particularly stand out is his uncanny knack at making even the most formidable alpine, rock or ice adventure a really fun, rewarding and memorable experience. In my opinion he offers the ultimate in quality guiding service.
– Claire Wilkinson
As always, such a pleasure climbing with a guide who is not only uber-competent, but a cool guy with people skills. – Andrew Klug
Kris was a real pleasure and privilege to get our climbing with you. Not all guides are created equal and you are as good as they come. Was a real treat to roll up our sleeves on some WI 4 under your tutelage. My bro and I will try and keep building experience/keep the momentum building so we can take it to the next level the next time we see you. – David Klug
Climbing with Kris over the past few years has greatly improved my skill set, and it has given me new found confidence to lead on ice. Done safely with the environment in mind.
– Sean Cullen
I was looking to get some mileage in on some of the classic big rigs in the Canadian Rockies, and Kris and RIAS came highly recommended to me by a well known bad ass Canadian climber who shall remain nameless. I was told that “Kris is climbing as much or more ice than anyone in North America, and he’s f’ing fast.” When somebody comes with a recommendation like that, you might have some apprehension about what it might be like to climb with them… After several days out with Kris over a couple of years, my experience has been that Kris and RIAS are extremely motivated to provide an experience that’s tailored to your abilities and goals. His obvious competence inspires confidence and will create an environment in which you can do things you didn’t think possible. He’s always willing to share knowledge, experiences, and practices that will make you a safer, more efficient climber, and he’s a pleasure to spend time with. Oh, and they were right, he is f’ing fast!
– Rob Scott
I’ve been out on multiple days (over 20?) with Kris and every single time it has always been great and a fun experience. Not just a good time but great. From the morning coffee stop, to the conversation heading in to the climb, through the climbing of our intended objective for the day, Kris is always engaging and excited to be out climbing. In my opinion, Kris exemplifies what it is to be a guide- breadth of knowledge and skill, leadership, safety, humble, and just a really good guy to spend a day with in the mountains. It’s hard to summarize just what it is that makes a day out with Kris so good, but it really is the whole experience that makes it so worth while. When climbing with Kris, he seems just as happy to follow as he does to lead (those easy days at the office, as he puts it :). In an area and community that is saturated with well respected ACMG guides, Kris is a standout in my opinion and it’s who I choose to spend my days with in mountains. Guiding, training, educating, swapping leads, big or small objectives, Kris is the man to have on the other end of the rope.
– Adam Raffkind