SWS Mountain Guides

Yes of course, mountaineering is risky. That’s why we read their course description very carefully and specifically took the one meant for beginners. Hopefully, nothing should happen on a trip. However, would you really want to go with a company where if something does happen, they will just say «oh it’s not for everyone»?
It’s like driving a dangerously defective car and if there is an accident, they just say «oh driving is not for everyone».
There are other companies that also guide you to Shasta, you can search on Unilocal.
I notice that this company actually has other negative reviews from previous years, while other companies seem to have all positive reviews.
We chose this company only because they were the only company that had open dates when we were available. In fact, there were supposed to be two other clients who already paid, who were supposed to be on our trip. For some reason, they actually never showed up.
We should’ve checked out the other companies as well, we will never make the same mistake again.

SWS Guides have been a great resource for helping me (and my teammates) develop the skills and experience needed for wilderness travel, especially mountaineering. I have signed up for numerous courses and have had multiple instructors/​guides. I have taken a 5 day Crevasse Rescue and Glacier Course on the north side of Mt. Shasta (and did not fall upside down as a few reviewers mention), Ice Climbing 101 in Lee Vining which was absolutely amazing, and the last coarse I took was Avalanche Level 1 in Mt. Shasta as well which consisted of 3 days of class work and field work. This coarse was extremely beneficial. I have WFR next on my list! The most beneficial aspect of this guiding company is the ability for them to understand their clients needs and restrictions and work around them. A prime example would be our availability to do a 5 day course that SWS would be able to work out in ways other guiding companies would not do. We wanted 3 full days of instruction but SWS could not stay over night the 1^st day so they simply met us at base camp rather than requiring us to ascend with them.
In my experience, any reviewers stating their experience with SWS was not what was expected is because they lack the essential skills and common sense in the outdoor climbing world that is needed. So far, SWS has been on point in delivering what you originally agreed to.

I did the basic 5 day glacier travel and crevasse rescue class on Mt. Shasta which ended in an accident. On the third day I was supposed to learn self-​rescue from a crevasse fall. The guide had me on belay and I rappelled backwards into the crevasse. This specific setup created slack in the rope once I went over the edge of the crevasse and I fell with no hold. Somehow I was able to recover in a stable position. At this point I thought I made something wrong and caused this free fall. The next participant was lowered, following the guide’s instruction. The situation was the same, i.e. slack in the rope and a free fall. This time the participant fell backwards, flipped over and crashed with the back of her head into the ice wall. We recovered her from the crevasse and were able to bring her down to base camp although she was under shock and suffered from pretty bad pain and light headiness. Of course the summit bid on the next morning was not an option anymore and we decided to end the class at this point.
I rappelled before in a rock climbing classes, but there was no slack in the rope at any point. So after coming back, I did some research and learned that this accident could have been prevented: 1. Do not start to rappel backwards from a low anchor point. 2. Use an (improvised) chest harness if there is the risk of falling and flipping over. I found these instructions in basic mountaineering books and I am really surprised that a company which is in business for more than 30 years is not able to apply these simple precautions in a beginner class. I understand that mountaineering can be dangerous. That is the reason why we pay guides: to reduce the risks to a controllable level. My impression of SWS is that they are not able to provide this service.

We had no mountaineering experience, so my wife and I signed up for the Basic Mountaineering and the Ice Ax and Crampon to get ready to climb Shasta via Avalanche Gulch. Our guide was JB and we was very helpful and knowledgeable! After the class we were confident enough to summit Shasta the following days.

I did the 2 day Avalanche Gulch trip with SWS and it was a great experience. As we were planning the trip, Tim Keating was terrific about answering all our questions about what to pack, etc. When we arrived, our guides did a thorough gear check to make sure we had everything we needed (and not a lot of unnecessary additional things). The youngest in our group was 12 and the oldest was 78, so we hired a porter to carry the group gear up to camp. This trip was an excellent introduction to using ice axes and crampons. Our guides, Tim Peterson and Perry Freund were terrific. Summit day was a long day (2am to 9:30pm), but we made it to the summit. It was a challenging climb, but a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend SWS to anyone looking to climb Mount Shasta and learn more about snow climbing.

Did the Clear Creek route up Mt. Shasta, which should not have taken as long as it did (13 hours of hiking on the day of the summit). The guide did get us to the top, but it would have been much faster had we not had to carry so much extra water and equipment at his suggestion, hiked at a faster pace, and been able to use day packs. Considering the price, the food was very disappointing as well, especially just the packets of hot chocolate and oatmeal for «breakfast.»

I did the Basic Mountaineering and the Ice Ax and Crampon clinic over a weekend on Mt Shasta. The instructor was «JB.» He was a total pro, plus a good teacher. I now feel very confident about my trip to summit of Stok Kangri (6,153 meters) in India later this year.

My husband and I did the two day Shasta summit course with SWS and had a great time! Our guides were absolutely fantastic, very friendly and helpful. They were very attentive to safety and fun to be around. The dinner food was great and the group tents were comfy. We felt like we made a good decision to go with SWS since we didn’t have mountaineering experience. We’ll definitely think about doing some other trips with them in the future.

I did a Mt. Shasta Ice Axe, Crampon and Beginner Snow Climbing Clinic. This was WAY more fun and way more informative than I expected it to be. Our guide showed us a lot of survival techniques and gave a lot of tips on climbing Shasta as well as higher altitude mountains. I’m climbing Kilimanjaro in September and feel that the class even helped me prepare for that trip.
When I climb Shasta, will definitely go with these guys!

Be very careful, they may be experienced climbers (who knows), but I cancelled my trip 24 days before and SWS acknowledged the cancellation and issued a letter or credit for the balance. They still have yet to pay up! Don’t pay ahead of time, you will not get your money back; choose a firm with BBB accreditation to protect yourself. SWS continues to sit on my money (in excess of $ 1,000 collecting interest) Beware of the website, all the disclaimers will be sent to you AFTER you pay, there are no «terms and conditions» listed on the website, another trick.

Thinking about climbing Shasta? These are the guys to climb with.
I’ve climbed with them 3 times, via Avalanche Gulch, «Hotoon», and Hotlum/​Bolum — 2 successful summits, and I survived 1 storm that I honestly thought I was going to go home with 9 fingers and 9 toes aftewards. (But didn’t! Whew!)
These guys are legit. They know their stuff and are not afraid to show you/​teach you/​and answer all your ridiculous questions. The camp food is, bar none, the best alpine food I’ve ever had. Who cooks chicken and dumplings at 10,000ft? These guys. They also lend you helmet and ice axe when you climb with them, which saves a little $ if you don’t personally own one. Tents are superior quality, and very sturdy.
These are definitely the guys to chose for your trip up the mountain. They also offer ice climbing courses, avalance/​rescue classes, trips up Whitney and Lassen, back country ski, and rock climbing.