Posts by Andrew Skurka
How’d we do? 262 testimonials about the 2022 guided trips
Since 2014 I’ve asked our clients to complete a post-trip survey to gather feedback about our guides, locations, meals, and curriculum, plus their overall satisfaction. Reviewing the results is a time commitment — this year the document is 247 pages, plus a few more pages of tables with quantitative data! But it’s entirely worthwhile, as…
Ask us anything: Sign up for “office hours” (free)
Next week we are hosting free “office hours,” starting Wednesday, December 14 and concluding on Friday, December 16. Schedule a chat to discuss anything related to backpacking: If you’re a guided trip alumnus, you can schedule a session to just relive great times, too. Each one-on-one session is 15 minutes, enough to go deep on…
First look: Our 2023 trip schedule
The first iteration of our 2023 trip schedule is now live. View it below, or open the full sheet in a new tab for easier viewing. In this first iteration, I’ve settled on trip locations, trip dates, and trip types. And I’ve estimated the number of groups in each session, based on historical demand and…
I’m hiring: Assistant Program Director
The 2023 guiding season is almost underway: a trip schedule will be released later this month, and the application period will open in mid-December. To help me run the program next year, I plan to hire an Assistant Director. This is a full-time and year-round position, and I hope that the candidate steps up as…
Boston 2022: Setting high expectations
5 thoughtful tips for home shopping
Earlier this week Amanda and I went under contract for a 1962 ranch in Boulder, less than a mile away from our current home. We’re excited about its potential and also intimidated by the work ahead — it’s like a time capsule, complete with its original intercom system, whole house vacuum, mid-mod hallway sconces, and…
Reader Q: Female bidet advice
A reader, AnnaJoy G, recently wrote me: I’m a ciswoman and looking for bidet advice for folks with vaginas. Conventional bidet methods seem to involve dirty water trickling down the butt and towards the vulva, the perfect recipe for a UTI. Online advice columns presume the hiker is a cisman and seem oblivious to the…
Video tutorial: Finding historical temp & precip date from NCEI
Last year the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) updated its website and launched two new tools for researching historical temperature and precipitation data. The good news is that the website is now more user-friendly; the bad news is that my older tutorial, posted in March 2021, is obsolete, so it’s time for a new…
Last call: Apply for a scholarship
I’m hiring: Backpacking Guides and Operations Assistant
My guiding program continues to grow, and I must make several new hires this season to keep up. I am now accepting applications for three roles: Operations Assistant (one) Lead Backpacking Guide (at least two) Junior Backpacking Guide (one to three) Applicants can apply for just the Operations Assistant position, just the Backpacking Guide positions,…