About
CATHEDRAL MOUNTAIN GUIDES is a New Hampshire-based guide service founded in 2008 by American Mountain Guide Association certified guide Bayard Russell, Jr. and now run in partnership with local guide, accomplished alpinist and Piolet d’Or Recipient, Freddie Wilkinson.
Cathedral Mountain Guides seeks to provide safe, high-quality private technical climbing experiences in the White Mountains and Northeast region. The safety and wellbeing of both clients and guides is our first priority, every day we operate.
Bayard Russell
Bayard has been guiding in New Hampshire since 2003. A highly experienced climber, Bayard is also a director of the Mountain Rescue Service (MRS), and an MRS Team leader. He has summited both Alaska’s Denali (Mt McKinley) and Mt. Hunter, completed multiple ascents of Yosemite Valley’s El Capitan, and established new routes throughout the northeast; ranging from multipitch 5.13 to M11 sport mixed and multipitch M9 trad.
At home on both rock and ice, Bayard is well-equipped to help you further your goals, whether you want to rock climb for the first time, try your hand at mountaineering on the Northeast’s highest, Mt Washington, or swing tools at steep ice and scratch around on mixed terrain.
Bayard lives in a cabin in Madison New Hampshire with his wife, two cats and their dog.
Links to online articles:
Climbing.com – John Henry M10
Climbing.com – The Painted Wall Icicle, M9 NEI 5+
Alpinist.com – The Painted Wall Icicle, M9 NEI 5+; Strippers, M8+ NEI4+
Alpinist.com – The Bossman, M9
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- Anne Skidmore Photography
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- Anne Skidmore Photography
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- Anne Skidmore Photography
Freddie Wilkinson
Freddie loves to climb. He has made significant alpine first ascents around the world, including new routes in Alaska, Patagonia, Nepal, India, and Antarctica. He has received both the Robert Hicks Bates Award from the American Alpine Club (2007) and the Piolet d’Or from the Groupe de Haute Montagne (2012) for his achievements in the mountains.
His various jobs include writing books, blogs, and articles related to climbing, taking pictures and making movies of people climbing, giving slideshows and talks about climbing adventures he’s done, and — his favorite — working as a climbing instructor and guide in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and western Maine. Whether it’s hiking up the Lion’s Head in stiff winter conditions, scampering up one of the classic moderate multi-pitch rock climbs of Cathedral Ledge, or getting gnarly on advanced mixed terrain, Wilkinson finds perpetual inspiration safely sheparding clients through new climbing experiences.
Freddie believes that any adventure is only as good as the stories you bring home.
Freddie’s links:
The Nameless Creature
Athlete page at Mountain Hardwear
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